THE PLOT
Five Eyes, the international intelligence agency, recruits MI6 agent Orson Fortune to prevent the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order.
QUICK REVIEW
When it comes to Guy Ritchie movies you either get a pretty generic and bland action film or an action film that comes with big personalities and quirky comedic bits. Obviously I enjoy the latter more and thankfully Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre is in that column.
This is a film that was supposed to come out as one of the early films of last year only to get pushed back to the Spring and then just vanish from the schedule. Word is some of the antagonists being Ukrainian was reason why as they felt it was in bad taste given recent worldwide events. But we finally have available to those of us in the states as it releases this weekend here after having some premieres in other countries earlier in the year.
The ensemble featured here only makes the quirky personalities of its characters all the more fun to watch. Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Eddie Marsan, Bugzy Malone, among others including Hugh Grant who is clearly having a blast playing the villain of the film. The chemistry and humor between all of them works and gives us some relief during the more action-paced or tense moments of the story.
But for all the comedy I have to say this isn’t really breaking much new ground for what you’d expect from a Ritchie action-comedy. There’s some moments of lull as well; I’d say more than we got from 2020’s The Gentlemen which was one of my Top 25 films of that year, and it does feel like some fat could’ve been cut from the final product.
But overall if you’re in the mood for a good time at the movies Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre should do the job even if you’ll likely forget a lot of it by the end of the year.
INTIAL GRADING