This review may contain spoilers!
Guy Ritchie has made some of my favourite films over the years, I've only ever watched one film of his I actively didn't like it. That was 2021's Wrath Of Man; but that was last year, this year we get a real return to form. Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre follows a private task force of operatives hired by the British government to retrieve an object that could bring about a global crisis. I often find Ritchie has this style of writing that is quite quick-paced on delivery, the dialogue really rattles at you with hilarious lines scattered in nearly every scene. There is a real sense of urgency and danger throughout but the wit really bites to the bone and elevates the quality of this spy feature. Getting a real mogul of a character like Greg Simmonds in this screenplay was the real strength, his final act speech to the antagonists is filled with venom and is a really awe-inspired moment. This film is a real return to the classic blockbuster for Ritchie; scenes are blended with the extravagant yacht scenes and the brilliant action sequences of Orson Fortune sprinting several hundred metres and clearing enemies with a silenced rifle.
Visually this is a very impressive film, Ritchie has always crafted films with such variety in how they are shot and framed that I expected no less here. The framing here is often beautiful and sets some iconic imagery; yet that run and gun sequence framed from the point of view of the gun in the final act was one of the best uses I have seen of that technique in film. The editing set a steady pace, the action moved exquisitely and around those scenes everything clicked together nicely too. Christopher Brenstead's score in this is something you know is going to be good from the opening scene in which the music and Nathan's heavy footfalls blend together and great magic. More than this that track in the final act during Greg Simmonds aforementioned speech? That has no business being as lethal as it is.
Aubrey Plaza, who played Sarah Fidel, is in one of her biggest leading roles to date here and I loved every second of it; her wit was on full show and the way she matched and exceeded the cocky personalities of her co-stars was brilliant. Jason Statham, who played Orson Fortune, does a fine job as the leading action hero of the film; Statham isn't breaking new ground here but he works brilliantly as the adept stoic operative. Cary Elwes, who played Nathan Jasmine, is such a brilliant addition to Ritchie's ensemble of actors; Elwes really suits the smooth-talking team leader role and his rivalry with Statham is such a great touch. Eddie Marsan, who played Norman, is a longtime performer for Ritchie films and his appearance in this is a good one; I enjoyed Marsan really lay out the law as a representative of a security branch of the British government.
However, the best performance came from Hugh Grant, who played Greg Simmonds. Every time Grant has shown up in a Guy Ritchie film it has been nothing short of a gift, this is no different. Greg Simmonds is a really intense crime mogul with a sleazy accent and the ability to switch on a pretty terrifying mean streak. I really loved how much Grant poured on the obsessive charm around his role's favourite movie star and contrasted it with the dangerous lust he had for Plaza's character. Seeing Grant rattle out some hilarious and cutting lines as Greg was really fun, he just knew how to move through every scene and give it exactly what it needed. Yet I also admire that despite Grant playing a real larger than life figure it was clear he shared the screen remarkably well. And as I have been saying for many paragraphs now, if nothing else see this movie for the speech Simmonds gives in the final act.
I had a really fun time with this film and enjoyed it the further things went along, but there were some definite downsides in the script. There's some dialogue in here that felt a little archaic, often a lot of the jokes didn't really feel right for a blockbuster in the 2020s. I also really couldn't believe I had to deal with one of my least favourite action tropes, in that the object everyone is after is an all-powerful A.I. that can 'cripply the planet'. It's a very common plot device right now and is often written in a shallow manner that shows a lack of technical knowledge from the screenwriters. I also really found there were a number of plot threads that started to feel really frayed and scattered as things were going along, some of these lost importance as the film progressed too which really made their initial introduction quite redundant. The biggest plot element of the film is arguably that the team recruits a Hollywood actor to infiltrate Greg Simmonds headquarters, but the actor storyline is so poorly handled and dropped so frequently that you almost wish they had tailored it more. Finally i'm really not a big fan of a film ending with a massive sequel tease and the sequel tease in this felt VERY similar to the sequel tease of another great Guy Ritchie film: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Josh Hartnett, who played Danny Francesco, is probably the biggest weak link of the main cast; Hartnett is entirely unbelievable as a big Hollywood star and just feels too mousy to suit the role he has been given. Max Beesley, who played Ben harris, could have been a great minor antagonist if he'd been used a little better; as it stood I found Beesley to function more as a plot device than as a character. Peter Ferdinando, who played Mike, was a strange choice for a secondary antagonist; Ferdinando just lacked the intimidation factor of a rival merc to the main team. Bugzy Malone, who played JJ Davies, was unmissable in his last Guy Ritchie film but the role here doesn't match him; he really just feels like a shadow to Statham which isn't much to work with even for an experienced performer.
While this isn't the strongest Guy Ritchie film I've ever seen, it is a damn fine time with some interesting new actors joining on to his ensemble. I would give Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre a 7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment