Monday, 8 May 2023

VOD: Operation Fortune - Ruse De Guerre (dir: Guy Ritchie, 2023)

"We're gonna need a shovel."

With an unknown but world-dangerous MacGuffin stolen from a secret lab, the government assembles an oddball private security team to track down the buyers/sellers and retrieve the stolen item, which also has to contend with a second team on the same mission.  There is plenty of globetrotting on offer with lush scenery to savour, but that does not make up for a surprising lack of strong action set-pieces - brief sped-up over-choreographed fist fights do not really cut it.  Reliable players like Josh Hartnett and Aubrey Plaza deliver the goods, and Hugh Grant is good fun in the geezer go-between role, but Cary Elwes and Jason Statham go for a mannered light swaggering style that underwhelms.  Although it aims for a 007/Mission:Impossible vibe, the film is not really smart enough to be really funny nor played straight enough to be taken seriously, but as a lightweight caper it just about scrapes by in the most insubstantial manner.
 

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