No. 1 (2023) OPERATION FORTUNE: Ruse De Guerre. 8th Jan.

 

Film No. 1  (2023)  January 8th.  2:20 PM  EVENT CINEMAS,  Cine 5,   Innaloo.

"I hope you take them to dinner first. Before you get inside of them. Sexually!" (Sarah goes on to explain another of her witticisms, this time to Orson).

Guy Ritchie is back; or should I say Guy Ritchie and  Jason Statham  (WRATH OF MAN) are back. Need I say anymore?

I jumped the queue. Instead of waiting for the major release date, I caught a preview. I had so much fun with Ritchie's last runaway hit, THE GENTLEMEN (2019), that I couldn't wait ... Disappointingly, OPERATION FORTUNE is not in the same league. It's not even in the same division. 

The control for these two films is Hugh Grant. His Fletcher (in GENTLEMEN) is clever,  witty and likable. In OPERATION, he plays Greg, a wealthy slacker whose one aim is to befriend a movie star, while brokering an obscure multi-billion dollar deal. Wet, is likely the best description of what he serves up! I hope this doesn't put another dent in Grant's climb back up the ranks. With the right material, he is a better actor now, than when he was acting's leading twerp!

Given my harsh analysis, Aubry Plaza (THE WHITE LOTUS, EMILY THE CRIMINAL) does try a rescue mission, via to the work she does here as Sarah, an IT Operations Co-ordinator. She has the best lines and controls the never resolved steaminess between herself and Jason Statham's, Orson. Statham is surely the John Wayne of our time. There is no need to act when you're Jason Statham. Plaza, on the other hand is nearly worth the price of a ticket. Actually she is worth it. A visit to the cinema is always worth it. The charismatic Plaza, stands alongside the likes of Robbie (BABYLON), Pugh (THE WONDER)  and  Taylor-Joy (THE MENU) when it comes to box-office pull. 

The mangled storyline tropes on offer here are clever enough for those who can keep up. Maybe it's because I'm older, and my brain is already overloaded with useless information, that I had trouble. So there is your challenge. Go see OPERATION FORTUNE and tell me what it's all about!  It's not all bad; you will have some fun.   7GUMS.