Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre mildly entertains 

Guy Richie directs this action comedy about super spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) who's tasked with stopping arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant) from selling deadly new weapons technology. The lone wolf operative is reluctantly teamed with three other spies: Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza), Nathan Jasmine (Cary Elwes), and JJ Davies (Bugzy Malone). Their plan is to blackmail Simmonds' favorite Hollywood movie star, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett), into getting close to Simmonds so they can take him down. (114 min.)

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• Courtesy Photo By Dan Smith/Lionsgate
• DEEP COVER Special operator Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) enlists Hollywood actor Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) and spy Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) to help him take down an arms dealer, in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, screening in local theaters.

Glen Richie's made some absolutely amazing films: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), Sherlock Holmes (2009), The Gentlemen (2019). Even his mediocre films are usually at least watchable. I'd put his latest in the latter category—watchable but not Richie at his best. If fact, if it weren't for the amazing performance by Grant and the easy sarcastic charm of Plaza, this would be a dud. They saved the film for me. Usually I like Statham, but his character is pretty flat, and violence-wise, he's not given as much to do as usual. I'm a Richie fan, and if you are, try a matinee. Otherwise, wait for this one to stream.

Anna It's a way to pass a couple of hours without feeling like it was a total waste of time. It certainly wasn't my favorite Ritchie flick, but it did the job. You're right that Plaza and Grant are the MVPs here; without them this film would have been a complete snooze fest. I also usually really like Statham, and I did like him here, but he just didn't have much to do except roll his eyes and take part in a bit of intermittent violence. It's not a waste of time, but I don't know that I would be stoked to pay full price to see it either. There is movie magic and some pretty on-point stunts going on, but overall, the wow factor is in short supply. Watch for the gold stars that Plaza and Grant get, but don't get too overly excited—most of this movie is effortlessly forgettable.

Glen The story itself is pretty standard stuff: Ukrainian mobsters, a rival spy guy named Mike (Peter Ferdinando), and exotic locales such as Madrid, Cannes, and Turkey. The McGuffin is something called "The Handle," some high-tech device supposedly worth billions that Simmonds is going to sell to the highest bidder. We later learn it can be programmed to defeat any security system in the world or some such nonsense. There are also a couple biotech moguls who've been hoarding gold and want to use The Handle to collapse the worldwide financial markets. The plot feels irrelevant. In a final desperate act of wishful thinking, the story ends with a setup for a sequel. The more I think about it, the less I like this film. Just wait to stream it.

Anna Yep, it is definitely one you don't want to think about too much. The little fun that's there wears thin pretty quickly. You would think with this much money and star power you'd put in a little more work in the writer's room, but that isn't what happened here. Honestly, half the plot you just mentioned I had either not noticed or have completely forgotten about a day later. It's kind of funny to watch Hartnett's Danny Francesco prepare for the role of a lifetime—himself. Plaza is dry and snarky. Grant plays a smarmy rich dude with ease. It isn't terrible, but it is terribly forgettable. I agree with you: This one can wait for home viewing when nothing else is on. Δ

Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at [email protected].