Four men and a lady (that’s me, I insist!) braved the Friday morning cold to watch men get bashed up while spouting funny one-liners and cussing up a storm. I don’t know the four men who were there to watch the 10.30am show of Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, but I understand their compulsion.
I mean what does an action fan do when they hear the words “team up” and the names Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie? They get a ticket for the film, no questions asked. Because even at its worst, they know it will be a fun ride. And the duo don’t disappoint with their latest team-up.
No, it doesn’t have the jaw-dropping experience of Mission Impossible. And no, it is not as suave as a James Bond film. And yes, it is a done-to-death ‘the world needs saving’ trope that adds nothing new to the genre. But this globe-trotting spy flick is just what the doctor ordered for a cold weekend if you have time to spare and want a bit of laid-back fun.
I mean it has The Stath playing a difficult-to-manage spy for hire called Orson Fortune. He is in his element as the go-to guy who needs his private jet, vintage wine, government-sponsored “rehabilitation” holidays to take care of his psychological well-being. He calls his handler a baby (among other things), shushes him plenty, and doles out snark by the fistful with a completely straight face. Yep, it’s The Stath doing The Stath things he does best. And he has a whale of a time doing it. Would we have liked to see a little more of Statham bashing people up or doing daredevil car chases? Heck ya, we would. But he does “feel” the chopper he takes off in without knowing any of the controls and has a blast tasing and punching bad guys, especially towards the climax of the film.
The rest of the team holds their own, whether it is Cary Ewles as the indulgent, exasperated but canny handler, Nathan Jasmine; rapper Bugzy Malone as sharpshooter, explosive expert and action handyman (we are told he can even rap) J.J.; or the often scene-stealing Aubrey Plaza as tech whiz Sarah Fidel, who knows exactly how to hold her own in a man’s world.
A special mention needs to be made of Josh Hartnett, who plays Hollywood superstar Danny Francesco. He clearly has a lot of fun with the slightly goofy, sometimes petulant and a bit dim movie star who gets dragged into the world-rescuing mission as the “ruse”.
But it is Hugh Grant as arms dealer extraordinaire Greg Simmons who revels in his role as a larger-than-life, slightly sleazy, fake tan-wearing megalomaniac with a penchant for “stealing the girlfriends of my favourite stars”, and is an absolute delight to watch.
And while the story is simple — a spy roped in to recover a mysterious threat from an arms dealer before the sale can be facilitated, while a rogue team also goes after the same object — in Ritchie’s hands, it is a tautly-made, stylish film that doesn’t give the audience the time to look for plot holes. And while it is not as edgy as you’d expect a Guy Ritchie film to be, it has everything you expect from the director’s kitty — slick shots, deadpan humour, vulgar innuendos, memorable lines and bloody violence.
So, I, and my four fellow action buffs (one guy was distressed he had missed two minutes at the start of the film), got our money’s worth. Maybe you too will.
