Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

Directed by Guy Ritchie, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre follows a team of special agents, led by Jason Statham’s Orson Fortune, as they recruit a Hollywood star (Josh Hartnett’s Danny) to thwart the illicit sale of a deadly piece of advanced technology. Filmmaker Ritchie, armed with his and Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies’ screenplay, delivers a familiar yet mostly entertaining spy caper that’s elevated, on a remarkably consistent basis, by the agreeable, affable performances, as Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre boasts first-class work from Statham and a roster of top-notch periphery players – with, in particular, Hugh Grant’s loose and exceedingly engaging turn as a charming arms dealer standing as an ongoing highlight within the proceedings. It is, as such, a relief to note that the far-from-fresh bent of the movie’s narrative is rarely, if ever, as problematic as one might’ve feared, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that the compulsively watchable vibe is enhanced by a continuing emphasis on larger-than-life action sequences and set-pieces (eg Orson assumes the guise of a criminal during an illicit buy) – which, when coupled with a compelling, satisfying third-act climax, ultimately does cement Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre‘s place as a perpetually fun diversion that could, admittedly, use a little streamlining (ie this could’ve easily topped out at 100 minutes).

*** out of ****