‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’ — A Witty Action-Comedy That Finds Guy Ritchie in His Element
Sometimes I think Guy Ritchie has a beef with Hollywood. I can’t really put my finger on whether that’s because of his tumultuous relationship with Madonna in the past, his widely inconsistent filmmaking choices, or his amusingly insulting adolescent sense of humor. See, even after returning to form with 2019’s The Gentlemen (to the genre he feels the most comfortable with), there’s always some harsh criticism aimed at him from the US of A. Critics constantly accuse him of being “too childish, too lazy, too uninspired, or too unimaginative” as a filmmaker, even though his slick storytelling style makes him one of the most distinguishable directors working today.
I don’t share those opinions. In fact, I believe after making a few tasteless crowd-pleasers (hello Aladdin and King Arthur) solely for huge paycheques, the best thing that happened to Ritchie was going back to his roots and making movies about criminals in their natural environment again. His last three films rekindled that vigorous energy and cheeky tone that made his early features so viscerally entertaining decades ago. That’s true for his latest, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, too, a witty and delightful action-comedy, which was delayed several times last year from its originally scheduled release in January 2022. Since the plot featured Ukrainian gangsters, the studio deemed it distasteful to release it while the war was on full blast. Unsurprisingly, that made the movie bomb at the box office pretty hard. Likely no time will ever redeem Operation Fortune, but I’m here to praise how loud fun it is thanks to the excellent cast and Ritchie’s smooth and rhythmic direction.
There's a competent, although somewhat loose, plot here I won’t spend too much time describing because it’s almost irrelevant in terms of the entertainment factor. But for the review’s sake, here it is. A group of Ukrainian criminals steals a device called The Handle that’s worth billions of dollars — although nobody really knows what it’s for — and try to sell it to the infamous billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). The British government hires Nathan (Cary Elwes), who hires super-spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) to find and retrieve the thing before it gets sold to Simmonds. Nathan also expands Orson’s team of one by hiring two other professionals, tech-wizz Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and highly-trained soldier JJ Davies (Bugzy Malone), to help him with the mission.
However, they quickly realize that another private contractor, Mike (Peter Ferdinando), and his team were also recruited for the same task. They cross paths pretty soon, and Team Orson needs to come up with a new plan to retrieve the device that Team Mike took from them. That plan is to blackmail movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) — Simmonds’ favorite actor — into helping them infiltrate a charity gala in Cannes and distract its host, who happens to be our arms dealer. And with that luxurious party, the fun begins.
On paper, the story sounds more complicated than it actually is. Yet Ritchie doesn't get lost in the details and focuses on giving us a splendidly smooth and dynamic ride. Statham gets to be the best on-screen Statham there is because the director knows how to utilize his physical assets and deadpan delivery better than anyone. His charismatic confidence smashes through the movie and electrifies it with hits, kicks, bullets, and smug one-liners. Orson’s sharp banter finds the perfect partner in Plaza’s firecracker Sarah, and the two work in wonderful symbiosis to motivate and instruct Hartnett’s amusingly egotistic Danny to occupy Grant’s villain. They are the key to the movie's success and the entire cast fits together seamlessly as if they’ve been working together for decades — feeding off of each other’s talent.
Besides the performances, what makes Operation Fortune feel like a less intensive but a lot funnier Mission Impossible-type adventure is Ritchie’s ability to apply his macho humor and the gimmicky visual stylishness that became his trademark over the years. There’s an art to how he edits his material (which was impressively showcased in Wrath of Man), and all the choices he makes here polish the pace of the action. Whether he employs sharp cuts, non-linear sequences, or strange camera angles, they all make the story flow faster and more effortlessly. That said, some of the action scenes are more underwhelming than they should be (at least for a movie that seemingly wants to challenge other contemporary action flicks), but they deliver just enough vigor and excitement to keep us engaged for nearly two hours.
Although the stakes are never threatening enough — despite our heroes repeatedly facing lethal situations — to actually make us worry about the characters, the cheerfully unserious tone provides a feel-good thrill that carries the flick from start to finish. So even when the gunfights, car chases, and explosions fail to please us compellingly, there's always a snarky line or a witty remark from someone that nudges us forward by softening any narrative bump. Thus if you generally enjoy Ritchie's work, don't let the numbers or disparaging critics dissuade you from watching Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, which undoubtedly finds the director in his element once again.
Last week I also reviewed the upcoming Season 3 of Apple TV+’s fan-favorite Ted Lasso (which premieres tomorrow) for That Shelf. It’s spoiler-free so click if you’re curious how the show’s final season is based on the first four episodes.
Until next time please share The Screen with someone who goes crazy for pop culture.