'Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre' Review: Someone, Please Stop Guy Ritchie

There was a time when a Guy Ritchie film meant a great crime thriller filled with irreverent comedy, colorful criminals and a great soundtrack. It's been 25 years since he was blown up by Lock, Stock and Two Cigarette Butts . As his star rose, his works became bigger and brighter to appeal to a wider audience. But after Sherlock Holmes , Aladdin , and the like, has it lost the edge that made it so exciting in the first place? Looking at the latest, the British actor-director is on the way.

Of course, Jason Statham, who made his big-screen debut in the irresistible "Operation Luck. The ruse de guerre title hits Richie in the sweet spot. Lock," stars as an eccentric but cunning special agent who hates playing by second rules. likes to have a big budget. (Think Archer , but edgier.) Orson Fortune (Statham), tasked with tracking down a mysterious MacGuffin, pits himself against a ridiculously named group of misfits, including Bugsy Malone, Cary Elus, Josh Hartnett. , Aubrey Plaza and Hugh Grant. But between the star power and the embarrassing crime scenes, the Hollywood stunts and the shenanigans of rival spy agencies, the film is a mediocre mess.

What is "Operation Fortuna" about? The film "The trick of war" .

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His manager (Elwes) urges Orson to take on "the gauntlet," which is supposed to be a big job, but the super-silent Brit (Eddie Marsa) who assigned him the job doesn't even know what it is. have or what? The set-up suggests a shrug that the film's writers (Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson and Marne Davies) believe action-comedy fans care so little about plot, characterization or action that they can get away with it.

Desperate to recover, Orson and his crew infiltrate the operation of an explosives dealer (Hugh Grant) using an arrogant movie star (Josh Hartnett) as a cover. It's a fun idea that lets you immerse yourself in Hollywood culture through a spy show. But an extremely weak screenplay dulls its satirical potential, mostly using the movie star's ego as a punching bag.

Instead of a Bond villain out to undermine Orson, here it's a rival private agency behind the big bad gloves. Orson and his team complain a lot about it, and it's almost amusing to hear the spies complain about a co-worker getting a bit annoyed. Almost, but mostly, it seems like a dead end to all bets, because it's not the mysterious and perhaps important rescue of the amabobs, but who saves them. It might have been interesting if Orson or his cohorts were interesting quirky characters to root for. Unfortunately, they are imprecise and play with all the enthusiasm of a comfortable librarian.

Hugh Grant beats Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza and all.

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Statham looks like he's sleeping, really looking like a crumpled photocopy of the parts he used to play. Shed is the machismo of his Fast and Furious character. Forgotten is the sardonic intensity of the rogue agent in Spy. Orson is an agent who whines, moans and groans over the nicest things, all with a sly attitude that could be corny or salty, but mostly reads as boring.

With a dedicated fan base here for the trademark, Plaza was up to playing a provocative, comedic and interesting US love interest, sure, why not? Instead of the pointless sarcasm of Parks and Recreation's April Ludgate or her character's sexuality, Plaza presents the obnoxious stamp of an awkward, fat, little sister. Far from demure, sexy or cute, Plaza winks and Statham hums. Both are missing for most of the film. Who can blame them when they get lucky. Such is the humorous idea of ​​Operation Ruse de Guerre . “I hope you'll take me to dinner first. Until I walked in. "I don't do it anymore".

Maybe I'm projecting and just bored and bored. Anyway, I appreciate that Hugh Grant is an extremely handsome but incredibly funny millionaire. Sure, most actors struggle, and they also struggle with a script full of boring exposition junk, awkward tantrums, and stupid sex jokes. But Grant nibbles the British gangster's guttural accent with gusto while wearing a dapper blue velvet suit. With a twinkle in his eye and a crooked smile on his lips, he's the only actor in this film who seems to be enjoying himself, and when he's on screen, that enjoyment is thankfully contagious.

Operation Fortune. Ruse de Guerre is an ugly and boring "action" movie.

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There are fight scenes, car chases and political intrigue. But as an interview, Richie was getting paid instead of watching a monitor. Statham fights hand-to-hand, but lacks the power, creativity, and intensity we see in most of his other moves. The action sequences in this film are more like liabilities than opportunities.

Among the most disappointing are the car chase sequences in which the protagonist's car makes a dramatic turn, but the follow-up fails due to lack of cover. An aerial shot of a speeding car cuts to a close-up shot of Plaza exiting the passenger window to fire a gun. Instead of reducing the impact of his shots, Richie returns to the ether, so far from the action that we can see the Matchbox cars. Basically, it looks cheap. Not edgy, not indie, not cool, just cheap fringes. As if a series done right isn't worth the time, money, or effort.

All this muddled exposition, jarring dialogue, terrible acting and wasted star power results in a chaotic but uninteresting finale. So finally Richie has the guts to make a sequel where Orson Fortune and his crew can come back for more challenges like Ocean's Eleven or Fast 10 or Rescue Rangers. But with their first film marked by half-jokes, shrugs and a surprising lack of bravado or style, Fortune's second film feels less like a tantalizing promise and more like a threat on the shoulders.

Operation Fortune. Ruse de Guerre opens in theaters on March 3.

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