Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

Starring: Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Carey Elwes, Eddie Marsan, and Bugzy Malone
Grade: C+

“Please don’t pee on me. I don’t do that anymore”.

That’s classic Aubrey Plaza. As much as Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is Jason Statham-focused, a lot of its success is because of the showcasing of Plaza’s known comedic talents. It’s a team I never knew I needed.

Summary

In London, England at 8AM on a Sunday morning, Nathan (Elwes) is called in to meet with Knighton (Marsan) in the British government building. As he walks to the room, the scene cuts several times over to show a group of Ukranian mobsters elsewhere infiltrating a lab to steal something. Apparently, it happened two nights ago in Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty security guards were killed in the ambush. Knighton wants Nathan to retrieve what went missing, find out who the seller is, who the buyer is, and what it is. Their team of analysts have gathered that whatever it is, it has become extremely popular with the wrong sort of people. It has a price tag of around $10 billion and has been given the name “The Handle”. Nathan questions why he is the one being called instead of the official intelligence branch, but Knighton chalks it up to “Ruse de guerre”, an unorthodox approach to war. Knighton needs a creative, cunning, and unconventional vision to retrieve this mercurial threat. The official team will take forever to get through the administration and time is of the essence. This is why he wants Nathan to bring in his team. The main guy Nathan wants to lead the mission is Orson Fortune (Statham), though Knighton isn’t too keen on the “administrative nightmare”. Orson has a lot of problems. He can’t fly unless it’s a private jet because of claustrophobia, he needs sedating with “the finest claret because of agoraphobia”, and he’s had rehabilitation in the Maldives because of coulrophobia. Nathan blames Knighton for creating a perfect storm for when he cut back on Orson’s expenses and created a mental health department. Regardless, Orson is trained to exploit every system presented, so he’s the perfect man for the job. Currently, he’s in Morrocco on one of his “rehabilitation retreats”, which of course Knighton is technically paying for. Even so, Nathan is confident he can reel him in for the job.

At Orson’s hotel room in Morrocco, Nathan is waiting for him and Orson is not happy to see him because he’s supposed to be on vacation. He has no interest in helping no matter how important it is. He’s attempting to ignore Nathan because he wants to meet his girlfriend at the bar, but Nathan is determined and even offers to fly her home. She’s also not just his girlfriend, as Nathan points out. Orson takes a look at the files, and Nathan talks about the list of potential buyers and how they don’t know what has been stolen. That is a job for Orson to find out. Regardless, they need to stop this thing from hitting the open market and quickly. He lets him marinate for the moment and tells Orson to meet him in two minutes because the jet is ready, and all of his “medicinal requirements” are on board. Cutting back to Nathan and Knighton speaking about the mission, Knighton accepts Orson being a part of the mission and asks if he will be using comms guy John (Nicholas Facey). Nathan turns this down. John might be good but is referred to as a “duplicitous snake” because he went to Mike Hook’s (Peter Ferdinando) team, the competition. There are other security departments in the government and Hook’s team is one of them, but Knighton says there is nothing to worry about because they are on another mission, and they won’t have to compete with him. Cutting back to the jet, Orson joins Nathan as Nathan eats and drinks some of his wine. Actually, it almost all of the ’82 bottle. Once Orson sits down, he assumes he’s getting the usual team, but Nathan tells him John has been poached by the other team because they paid him more, which bothers Orson is because he trusted John and he’s a total pro. Just to assure Orson, Nathan will not be giving him a raise.

On top of Orson being a patriot who is above “grubby self-interest” according to Nathan, no one gets the special treatment Orson gets.

His replacement footman for this job is an American woman named Sarah Fidel (Plaza). Once he realizes she’s a woman, Orson asks for the 2004 Haut-Brion wine from the flight attendant. Unfortunately, Nathan drank that too, so he gets a beer. We cut back to Nathan speaking with Knighton about Sarah and how she’s versatile and creative. She used to work with Mike, but he abandoned her in Beirut, which is where Nathan picked her up. The other footman is JJ Davis (Malone). He can do it all. His range goes from “comms, guns, driving, diving, rapping, slapping” and whatever else. Both are considered to be perfect all-around talents. Going back to Nathan and Orson, the jet lands and Sarah and JJ are there waiting for them. Orson knows JJ already, but he meets Sarah for the first time, who throws him off with her sense of humor. Already, they aren’t off to a great start, with Orson saying how he liked John because he had no personality and was reliable. Walking next to him, Sarah reminds him that he’s not that reliable if he switched to her old team, the other leading private contractor favored by his government. Since this mean she came from Mike’s team, he’s even more agitated. Regardless, they need to discuss details, so Sarah talks about the bagman coming in on a flight with a hard drive. They need to track him and see where he takes it, and she’ll give him all the tools he needs. Soon after, Orson and JJ are in the Madrid Airport waiting for the bagman’s arrival, with another agent named Jane also waiting for Sarah’s cue. Sarah is in their ear watching the camera and feeding information, and Nathan is listening in from a different location. Orson is starting to get antsy because they’ve been there for three hours, and it doesn’t help his mood much with Sarah’s messing around. Orson makes it clear that if she messes up, it’s on Nathan, though Nathan has no problem in telling Orson that he trusts her. The bagman shows up, so Sarah alerts everyone and sends the bagman a message to his phone that his car is delayed to give everyone time.

He’s an older guy too, so Nathan reminds Orson not to go too hard on the guy. Jane gets up to follow the bagman to the coffee shop but an unknown man tasers her as soon as she stands. Trying to react quickly, Sarah gives the job to another agent named Marcia, but she’s taken out silently and discreetly as well. With this, Orson knows Mike, John, and their team is on this mission as well. Immediately, an annoyed Nathan calls Knighton to confirm his suspicions, though Knighton doesn’t know. If Mike’s team is there, it’s because it’s orders from another department, as the government likes to make everything a competition for the best results. Nathan alerts Orson that it is indeed Mike’s team, so they change plans. Right away, Orson thinks Mike and his team aren’t here to track the bagman. They’re here to pick him up. He has JJ exit, gets a confirmation that the girls were tasered once Sarah fixes the camera glitch, and he takes out the two guys that did it. Orson and JJ go outside to follow the bagman, who is apprehended by two more guys from Mike’s team masquerading as police. Just as Sarah calls in Nathan to drive the black van over to them, Orson and JJ start taking people out. In seconds, they safely get the bagman into the van and drive off. In the middle of the drive, the bagman is looking rough because he has a heart condition. At the same time, Mike’s team is pursuing them. As Orson tries to help the bagman, he tells Orson they have his wife and they’re going to kill her. Unfortunately, they are stopped in their tracks once another truck pulls out in their way. Mike and his team try to break into the locked van with a saw. As this happens, the bagman talks about this unknown group not knowing what he looks like and how they should go in his place to see the Duchess at Table 12 at 6PM to save his wife.

The bagman dies of a heart attack on the spot, but they are able to transfer the hard drive to Sarah just in time before Mike’s team breaks into the van. They are forced to give Mike the hard drive. Once he leaves, Sarah calls in and tells them the drive is good, but it’s scrambled. Without the data key, it’s useless, so their best option is to deliver the drive and find out who the buyer is. At the Duchess in Madrid, Nathan acts as the bagman and waits in the restaurant. Realizing no one interesting has walked in for the last 40 minutes, Sarah deduces that the person is already there. On cue, a man walks towards Nathan, and Sarah tells him not to talk because his file said he’s terrible at accents. There isn’t any trouble though, as the man makes sure Nathan is the one they’re looking for and walks off with the briefcase. Sarah does a quick scan and finds that the man is Ben Harris (Max Beesley), lawyer and consigliere to elusive billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Grant). Simmonds only uses Harris on his biggest deals, so this moment speaks for itself. Sarah finds that Greg is hosting a charity even in Cannes, so they all head out. On the jet however, they are told they’ll be arriving in Los Angeles in less than four hours. Nathan doesn’t understand because they’re supposed to be heading to the south of France, but Orson and Sarah let him in on their plan to get an invitation. It involves movie star actor Danny Francesco (Hartnett), Greg’s favorite movie star. There is nothing Greg can’t buy, except Danny. Recently, Danny turned down Greg’s $10 million offer to jump out of a cake to sing “Happy Birthday” to him. Greg is obsessed with celebrities, but he’s more obsessed with their partners. So, Sarah will pose as Danny’s girlfriend. To make Danny agree to go along with this, they plan on blackmailing him. Hearing this, Nathan lets them proceed.

In Burbank, Sarah tells Orson and Nathan she found dirt on infamous movie producer Saul Goldstein (Sam Douglas). They will use Saul to lure Danny to Las Vegas under the premise of a potential five-picture deal, but as Greg is hosting his charity event that they would like to attend, Orson will be the one to ask Danny to come with them instead. The dirt they will use to blackmail Danny is him having an affair with his sister-in-law. In Danny’s parked jet, Danny talks with Saul until Orson walks in and pretends to be Danny’s new manager “Charlie Rosewood”. Danny isn’t interested in whatever Saul is saying, but it’s meaningless conversation to set him up, with Saul apologizing before leaving because they had something on him too. Danny can sense something is up, but Orson has him sit down, so he can explain the details. Danny is needed for his biggest role yet. Orson will be his “manager”, and they aren’t going to Vegas. They’re going to Cannes. He starts flipping out, so Orson calms the situation down by subtly implying they have physical evidence of Danny’s affair because of footage he filmed. Just like that, Danny is on board. In Cannes, France, Orson, Sarah, and Danny are all dressed up and headed to the charity event. When they’re close, Danny almost refuses because he’s starting to panic knowing that he’s going to meet real-life killers, but the two play to his ego and remind him to just be an actor. As he starts to calm down, they focus on the objective. They need to get close enough to Greg to remotely access his cell phone. At the yacht party, Nathan reminds Orson to not drink any wine or buy anything because he spent the entire annual budget on wine during the flight over. They are there to get to Greg’s phone and identify who is buying “The Handle”. After getting to where the action is and people are bidding on jewelry and such, Greg spots Danny while he’s talking with his colleagues.

One woman comes by Orson, Danny, and Sarah and talks about her $1.5 million necklace. Ignoring Nathan in his ear, Orson attempts to buy it, but he’s told that it’s no longer available from another woman with Greg named Emilia (Lourdes Faberes). Actually, it’s gifted to Danny by Greg himself. Finally, Greg approaches them and introduces himself before showering Danny with praise. Danny tries to turn down the necklace gift, but Greg says he deserves it and it’s a fundraiser. He introduces them to Trent (Tom Rosenthal) and Arnold (Oliver Maltman), two men in biotech who are sponsoring the event. He has no problem in admitting that Trent is worth $22 billion, and Arnold is worth $17 billion. After Danny introduces Sarah as his girlfriend “Michaela”, he introduces Orson as his business manager “Charlie Rosewood”. He makes a comment how Orson doesn’t look like a business manager, but he’s able to play it off while Danny talks about how Orson was able to double his money in the last three years. Greg gets a phone call but gives it to Emilia to take care of, with Orson and Sarah taking notice. Greg wants to introduce Danny to people at the party, but Danny tells him he’s shy, so Orson insists just because Greg bought him the necklace. Correcting him, Greg explains it was for Sarah. The flirting has begun, and Sarah plays into it well. With this, they all follow Greg into the cocktail master. Meanwhile, Emilia takes Greg’s phone into Greg’s office, and JJ and Nathan do their best from a different location to keep an eye on her through the security cameras. Danny is telling stories to the billionaires like implying he was the one who indirectly helped with discovering Lance Armstrong’s testicular cancer after grabbing him by the balls as he threatened him, and it’s going well. Orson tells Sarah to find Emilia. Orson noticed the “waiter” was at the Madrid Airport when they were there earlier, so Mike is somewhere close. Nathan says he will handle Mike and for Orson to deal with Greg.

Sarah goes to find the office, and JJ tells her that she must stay in range of the phone for a couple of minutes for him to get a lock. As this goes on, Mike calls Nathan, and the two talk shit about how their respective teams are better and such until Nathan tells him to stay out his way before hanging up. Sarah finds the office and tries not to be spotted by Emilia. She bugs the office and waits there alongside the wall because Emilia is directly on the other side, which allows JJ to continue his process. Elsewhere on the yacht, Orson follows the “waiter” but wants to know who he’s dealing with. JJ can’t multitask and tells him to wait. Just then, Ben Harris enters the office, so Sarah has to stall without seeming suspicious because JJ needs more time. When Sarah starts to flirt with Ben, JJ lets Orson know that the “waiter” is Vincent Young (Vincent Wang), ex-special forces who’s “good with his feet and worse with his hands”. Orson only wanted the name. He goes into the kitchen to approach him, so Mike listens in from his location. Orson outs Vincent as Mike’s guy just as JJ turns off Vincent’s comms so Mike can’t reach him. Not long after, Orson takes Vincent out. JJ is finally able to get a lock, allowing for Sarah to end the conversation with Ben and to get out of there. Meanwhile, Danny talks to Greg about how in the new movie he’s doing, he’s playing a mysterious billionaire. After describing the character, Greg sees how similar the character is to him, so he invites Danny to hang out with him for research on the role. Just as Orson sends an unconscious Vincent off the back of the boat on a jet ski, Sarah rejoins Danny and Greg. Greg lets Sarah in on their discussion and invites both of them to hang with him at his Turkish villa that weekend, and she accepts. Following this, Greg’s Ukrainian associates come over to meet Danny. This includes Alexander (Tim Seyfi), Natalya, Yiv, Katya and Dimitry. They all take selfies with Danny while Greg and Sarah talk to the side.

Greg flirts with Sarah openly and it gets a little intense. Thankfully, Orson shows up at this time and gathers her and Danny to leave, especially after the Ukrainian guys start messing with Danny. On the way out, Danny can’t help but admit how what just happened was simultaneously the most exhilarating and terrifying moment of his life. Even so, they completed the first part of the mission. However, when everything seemed clear, Nathan and JJ pick up audio of Greg’s private conversation with Alexander. They agree on his offer of $10 billion. Alexander asks who is buying, but Greg won’t give up that information. He just knows they will be delighted, and he will relay the message. In a phone call with Knighton, Nathan says Mike must have inside information, but Knighton is sure he’s not working for their government. He’ll just need more time to figure out which government it is. The mission continues, however. With the recent phone call in mind, they can’t confirm what was talked about was “The Handle”, but they do know Alexander is selling something for $10 billion, and Greg is brokering the deal, though the buyer is unknown. The next step will be to find out the rest, put a stop to the sale, and potentially save the world.

Let’s just hope Danny doesn’t screw it up when hanging out with the guy.

My Thoughts:

Not as ambitious as Guy Ritchie’s usual work behind the camera, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is an amusing but rather pedestrian spy film that won’t make a lasting impression. Nonetheless, a great cast, consistent humor, and solid chemistry make the somewhat average action comedy into an entertaining, albeit forgettable endeavor.

The reason why Operation Fortune can’t get over the hump is that it can’t decide whether it’s a cheeky Jason Statham action movie or a Guy Ritchie movie and not doing good enough in either department. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a fun watch, but it’s inability to lean into one side or the other hurt it. It stood firmly on the line, with some tiptoeing here and there, but it never embraced one side of it. Modern action cinema fans that may take a gander at the film for Statham aren’t going to be impressed by Operation Fortune, which is a shame because Statham having some fun in a superstar spy role has franchise potential and has way more value than his one-note action movies like Safe or Wild Card. Even so, it sacrifices its thrills and longer action sequences for character-building moments and important plot developments. Of course, this is totally fine, as it’s something that’s actually missing in Statham’s movies. However, it’s also the reason why the movie isn’t as amazing as it could be on the action end, especially for a spy film. At the same time, Ritchie doesn’t do a deep enough dive as he usually would with his screenplay. Most of the details revolve around the political maneuvering, government stuff, and the web surrounding the network of opponents they are facing. Cinematically, it will more than likely go through one ear and out the other with the general audience, as the intricacies are revealed in rather bland ways and doesn’t hook us. If anything, the focus on mission-related details takes away from the joy being had onscreen. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot of fun to go around. The supporting cast are filled with colorful personalities to make up for Statham’s shortcomings and refusal to break for anyone, and it works in spades. As a big Statham and action movie fan myself, I never thought I’d want to bypass our star for Hugh Grant and Aubrey Plaza, but that’s how good they are in livening what could’ve been another routine comedic spy thriller. It starts to make you wonder why Statham doesn’t try to beef up the casts in his regular action vehicles because it would only help the longevity of his career as a leading man.

Just give him someone fun to play off of! He doesn’t have to change his style, as his formula has been working for him for quite some time (see The Beekeeper‘s recent success for an example), but his regular action movies could use some spicing up with a different premise or some good co-stars that can throw his usual “tough guy” shtick off his game or play the comedic relief role when it’s needed. Homefront is a good example of this, as James Franco made a world of a difference as the villain for what could have been a much more forgettable film. In Operation Fortune, Statham doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting by himself, is still allowed to do what he does best, and is overall strengthened by a wonderful supporting cast to bounce off of. In doing so, it’s one of his best starring roles in quite some time. Sure, the movie is still middling in its totality, but the improvements made over his usual fair is noticeable and thus a positive. For Ritchie on the other hand, it’s a disappointment that could be argued as more of a potboiler than a potential franchise he could have started.

Regarding the supporting cast, it’s all about Hugh Grant and Aubrey Plaza. The best of Operation Fortune is traced directly back to the both of them. Grant’s renaissance in his post romantic comedy years has been a joy to watch, as each subsequent role he’s chosen has been as deliciously entertaining as the last. After thoroughly enjoying his comedic performance as the in-over-his-head Fletcher in The Gentleman, we take a step further in Operation Fortune with Greg Simmonds, a wealthy arms dealer who is everything he says he is and more. Grant relishes in his role as the likable villain obsessed with Hollywood stars and their women, and he steals every scene he’s in with his charm, trademark charisma that will always be with him no matter how old he is, excellent line delivery, and a great accent that makes you want to stand in the mirror and practice it. His energy and zest for living as an untouchable billionaire is infectious, which is why Danny Francesco can’t help but befriend the target for real. He can’t help but be charmed by Greg every step of the way, even if he outwardly hits on Sarah who’s posing as his girlfriend (“Change of plans. Danny, you make the work call, I’ll take the nappy poo, Michaela, you join me”). Of course, this gives us an unexpected and phenomenal third act where Grant steals the show entirely. Seriously, the monologue he goes on with Mike and the team of Trent and Arnold leaves you in awe much like Danny. It’s juxtaposed with scenes of Jason Statham going on his killing spree, but it’s a rare moment in an action film where I actually didn’t care about what Statham was doing. This is how good Grant is in the climax of the film, essentially reminding everyone there why he’s referred to as the “Dark Angel of Merciless Death”. Obviously, he gets consistent laughs throughout the film, but when he gets shortchanged and starts name dropping former clients like Hussein and Qaddafi, the air in the room feels different. Greg’s tone changes and the viewer can’t help but sit up and pay attention as Greg gets as serious as can be. If you would’ve told me 20 years ago that the guy from Mickey Blue Eyes was going to play the role of an intimidating arms dealer in a spy movie and crush it, I would’ve called you insane.

These last ten years have been a testament to Grant’s newfound love of acting and desire to evolve his onscreen persona that he could have easily coasted on for another twenty years. After watching this film, I could legitimately make a case as to why Hugh Grant should play a Bond villain. If you’ve seen Operation Fortune, you’ll know what I mean. When Danny quietly tells Greg in the elevator that this was the most impressive thing that he’s ever seen a man do, you’d be hard pressed to disagree with him. Grant’s rapport with Hartnett, with Danny being infatuated with the lifestyle of Greg is a great development too. At the same time, Greg loves the adulation. You can see it with how excited Danny is once Greg gifts him the car from one of his movies just because of how much it means it him. What was even better was the subsequent drive they go on, and Greg telling Danny flat-out that money does make you happier with, “I’m really happy now and AND a nicer person too!”.

The scene in which Greg hears out Orson’s offer is the other best scene in the film because literally everything Hugh Grant says and how he delivers it is pure gold, but I don’t want to spoil it. Just let it be known, Grant is magnificent.

Not to be bias, but one of my favorite actresses working today is Aubrey Plaza, which was extra incentive to tune into Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, despite needing a break from usual Jason Statham fare. Unsurprisingly, Sarah Fidel is exactly the energy the movie needed as the off-color and confident new team member with a strange sense of humor that is too indelible for the sticks in the mud she works with. It doesn’t matter, however. Sarah doesn’t care at all about the situation she’s entering and doesn’t change her personality for anyone. Usually, the comms job is the least interesting person in a team-up movie, but Plaza’s charisma and wild aura of unpredictability and sexuality puts her above almost everyone else in the film not named Hugh Grant. Sarah knows when she’s being a distraction to her team but leans into it because it’s funny to her. It’s like when she’s in Orson’s ear narrating the “robbing” of Alexander’s house in search of the file. She talks on the mic as if she’s this smooth jazz radio host speaking in innuendo when Orson plugs in the drive to get full access to the computer. With closeups to her lips in-between shots of her singing “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” because Alexander’s television is playing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, she states, “Now that you’ve sucked it dry, return to safe”. Little details like this just make the “afterthought” of an action movie into a co-star with a lot to offer. Sarah is just like Plaza in that she doesn’t give a fuck. She knows her worth, will prove it to the others in the room who take things way too seriously like Orson, and will rub it in their faces with a subtle, witty comment. What I like about the character is that she’s able to pull this off without forcing eyerolls from the audience. In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to level the playing field, and a character like Sarah is written at the behest of the studio to look smarter than the male counterparts to where it’s in-your-face annoying. Some screenwriters or directors never realize how important it is to work with the talent (or find the right talent) to cultivate a character like this without turning off half the audience.

In Operation Fortune, Plaza makes Sarah this witty, sexy, too-cool-for-everyone-there workhorse of the team that is more intelligent than she’s given credit for but never oversteps her boundaries. At the same time, Plaza is able to utilize her own onscreen persona and channel it into Sarah for big laughs the same way Statham channels his action hero “Jason Statham-ness” into almost every role he plays. It’s quite amusing, and her chemistry with Statham and Grant is great work all-around. I love how she’ll constantly deadpan a joke knowing she’s getting under the typically serious Orson’s skin to get a rise out of him, like when she implies a gay joke between Orson and Alexander because of how his badass quip sounded. He just stares at her, and she just keeps going by trying to say “sex” before the scene cuts. It’s really funny, and Plaza being Statham’s foil was exactly what this action comedy needed to be to avoid being given the label of “generic”. Another great example of Sarah at her best is when she shows off by deducing why they need to go to Turkey (“Gobble, gobble”) because of her analyzing Qasim’s phone and the message of “flying fowl in 72 hours”. Though Orson immediately dismissing it as a “bit of a reach” was funny in itself, she explains how Qasim is a diplomat in the Turkish government before commenting back with, “I don’t know how I do it!”. It’s great work by everyone involved, and Orson refusing to give in to her comedic sensibilities makes it that much better. On the other hand, Josh Hartnett left a lot to be desired. The idea of putting a Hollywood movie star like Danny Francesco in the mix of a plot involving billionaire arms dealers, terrorists, and a plot of world domination should yield enthralling results, but the performance was underwhelming, the character was underwritten, and the entire idea was underutilized in the grand scheme of things. It should’ve been a goldmine opportunity from the comedic side of things, but it never quite got to the level you’re expecting.

Danny’s role in the plot just isn’t nearly as big as you’d expect it to be, despite how the character’s insertion into the mission is the reason the ball got rolling. He’s not given much to do, and Hartnett just isn’t all that funny. He fits the “movie star” look of the character but doesn’t offer much else other than a few humorous moments from time to time. If this was always the intention for the role of Danny Francesco and he wasn’t supposed to be anything bigger than what he was, the role should have been given to someone who could maximize their minutes like Jason Sudeikis, Dave Bautista, Idris Elba, Zachary Levi, Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, or even a Kevin Hart if you wanted to make it more comedic. On a more positive note, I liked Carey Elwes in his role. He carries himself as a good leader and is filled with loads of great quips and insults, especially when talking shit to or about Mike (“Mike, nobody likes you, even your wife”). Additionally, I like how Nathan is the only one in British Intelligence that seems to be able to handle Orson’s personality and even test him from time to time (like drinking his wine) or taking shit from him like Orson switching key cards with him for hotel rooms because he knows Nathan would pick the bigger room for himself. The exchange between them in this scene in particular was quite funny and a great insight into their relationship, an underrated part of the movie. Nathan trying to outsmart him asks, “How do you know I didn’t already switch them?”. Orson considers it for a second before responding with the hilarious, “Fuck off Nathan, you haven’t got the bandwidth for that”. It’s small details like this that show us why Orson is very different from other Statham characters, as he’s just as intelligent as he is a fighter. Hell, we even see him beat Nathan in chess on the plane. Usually, the superior would be the sensible, grounded, and smartest member of the group, but Orson Fortune is a super spy extraordinaire and worth every penny he’s paid.

Who else would think of the genius idea to act dead on the elevator floor and shoot from the ground when the doors open? This guy is smart! Plus, he’s believable at it, and it can be attributed to the supporting cast of veteran actors that really bring out the best in Statham’s underrated acting ability and genuine comic timing. It’s a team effort really.

Side note, I learned what a “Fool’s mate” means in chess because of Orson and Nathan, so I give credit to the movie for that as well.

Though I suppose it broke up the narrative to make the presentation a bit different, I don’t understand the significance of breaking up the scene in which Orson is almost caught outside of Alexander’s house by two bad guys. Nathan confronts Orson the next morning about him being seen, but he downplays it. A few scenes later, Qasim lets Greg know that a burglar gassed Alexander’s house, took the cash and jewelry, and took out two guards. Then, we go back to when Orson was seen by two guys, and it’s shown that he shot the one in the leg and took out the other. Why not just do it all the first time around? There doesn’t seem to be a point in wasting more time instead of just showing it how it happened in real time. I guess it can be chalked up to a Guy Ritchie decision to spice things up, but that’s really all I got.

As I said before, for action fans, the movie can be a bit underwhelming. Orson’s tailing of Qasim and Ben looks like it’s going to be something much bigger than it is because of the stressing of JJ not being able to control Ben’s phone from contacting Greg if they are too far apart, but it doesn’t go anywhere special and ends with a thud, though the aftermath was somewhat funny. The biggest part of the film is “The Handle”, and it’s revealed to be a programmable AI that can hack any system and even other AI programs. It can launch a nuclear strike, cover its own tracks, and point the finger at whoever it wants to blame. Basically, “whatever is run by a computer, it can control”. This is a massive implementation into the screenplay, but despite the few scenes describing the horrors surrounding it, we never see it, its powers aren’t displayed in a satisfactory manner to even scare us, and it’s kind of forgotten about by the time of the climax comes following some standard shootout and infiltration scenes. Admittedly, I will say the suspense of Orson having to mask his voice as Ben’s with the use of AI to get the passcode from Greg was a solid lead-up to the shootout. The chase sequence exiting Greg’s was great too, but it was mostly because we really see Greg incensed for the first time and you start to actually get worried for Sarah and Danny. Also, Mike and his team needed a larger role, with Mike specifically needing more screen time. This is purely to improve the narrative and for the viewer to get to know him more, so we care about his involvement in the second half of the movie. They do a good job at building up why he draws the ire of everyone on Nathan’s squad, but we barely remember what the guy looks like by the time his role is increased in the twist. By then, we kind of don’t care. Sadly, the same thing could be said about the epilogue. Rolling over into potentially another mission before acknowledging what they did just felt like a misstep.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is yet another “save the world” spy thriller and action comedy. It’s both a Jason Statham movie and a Guy Ritchie movie but not enough of either, resulting in an above-average product with some underwhelming action but surprisingly good performances that save the movie from being boring. If the action were increased to the levels of a Statham vehicle (especially everything after the money transfer), while maintaining the screentime of the supporting roles but further developing them in the vein of The Gentlemen (possibly fleshing out the side villains more), they could have had a film worth a lot more. Unfortunately, it takes its a firm spot in the category of popcorn entertainment category. For most, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just tough because the opportunity for it to be more was 100% there. It comes and goes and is a fun watch to pass the time, but there’s a good chance that you’ll never revisit it.

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