When it comes to the conversation of who are some of the best working directors today, one name that is frequently mentioned is Guy Ritchie. He came firing on all cylinders in the late ‘90s/early 2000s with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch then had the underrated crime comedy The Gentlemen released a few years ago. However, aside from The Gentlemen he seems to have been making movies that have lost his distinct Ritchie touch and his latest, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, sadly falls into that yet again.
The film follows special agent Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) and his team of operatives who recruit one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars to help them on an undercover mission when the sale of a deadly new weapons technology threatens to disrupt the world order.
As someone who loves a good spy thriller, surely Operation Fortune seemed like it would be another film to join the likes of Mission: Impossible and James Bond but instead it felt generic and overall forgettable. The film plays the espionage spy tropes incredibly close to its chest and never did anything to differentiate itself. By doing this, the film shows it has very little to offer when it comes to the spy plot.
However, I do feel the film works best when it is focusing on the team itself and their chemistry with one another. This is where the film allows a fair bit of humour to shine through and the comedic beats work incredibly effectively. Statham brings his usual shtick to the role by playing the tough guy who cracks jokes but it is the supporting cast around him that outshine him. Aubrey Plaza plays a very different kind of role here than she usually does and is easily the standout in the film. She has the best comedic timing of the cast and is the highlight within a fairly stacked cast. Hugh Grant also has several moments to shine as the over-the-top billionaire, Greg Simmonds. He clearly is having a blast on-set for this and his moments with Josh Hartnett's Danny Franscesco is where a lot of the comedy comes out within the film.
Overall, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is a fun little espionage film but is so predictable that it becomes forgettable. The action is slickly shot and the performances are all great but it is too generic in its storytelling that it will struggle to not be compared to other globetrotting spy movies. It isn't terrible but definitely one of Guy Ritchie's weaker films.
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is now streaming on Prime Video
