385: Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

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[00:00:30] Hey everybody, it's Henry with the Film Buds Podcast.

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[00:00:36] And if you're listening to this on YouTube, please let us know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks.

[00:00:42] 93. Let's get to Operation Fortune Rouge de Guerre.

[00:00:48] Such an odd title.

[00:00:50] It's directed by Guy Ritchie. It was one of two movies that he did last year.

[00:00:54] And I'm going to be doing The Covenant sometime soon.

[00:00:57] It stars Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Hugh Grant, Josh Hartnett, Bugsy Malone, and a few others.

[00:01:08] And the synopsis is...

[00:01:11] Special Agent Orson Fortune and his team of operatives recruit one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars to help them on an undercover mission when the sale of a deadly new weapon technology threatens to disrupt the world order.

[00:01:24] So, to be frank, I didn't even know this movie existed, I think, until a couple months ago.

[00:01:30] I didn't realize I just discovered it on Letterboxd.

[00:01:33] I didn't know it was a thing. I didn't know it was directed by Guy Ritchie.

[00:01:37] Okay, completely random, but oh, alright.

[00:01:40] And I heard mixed things about it.

[00:01:43] I like Guy Ritchie a lot. We did a Guy Ritchie bonus show, which you can check out.

[00:01:46] And we've covered most of his movies over the years.

[00:01:50] And I know he has a new movie out right now, which I'm very excited to see.

[00:01:54] I knew it was a spy, like, special agent sort of movie.

[00:01:59] But that was about it. I didn't know much else besides the cast.

[00:02:04] And as I talked about recently with The Beekeeper, Jason Statham has started to grow in me over the years.

[00:02:11] And I think, as I said on that episode, I typically prefer him in non-franchise films like The Beekeeper, this one, some other Guy Ritchie films.

[00:02:22] Like, I think he, when he cares and when he's in something that's not just one big action piece or a big franchise, I think he has more to do.

[00:02:31] I think he has more range. I think he has good comedic timing.

[00:02:34] Like, I really enjoy him as a lead man.

[00:02:38] And I think he and Guy Ritchie have a very good simpatico of sorts.

[00:02:44] And so, anyways, long story short, overall, I actually liked the movie a decent bit.

[00:02:51] I don't think it's amazing. I know some people were kind of hating on it a lot, and I don't really get that.

[00:02:56] But I appreciate, more than anything, that it's a fairly original story.

[00:03:02] It's nothing crazy new in the world of spy movies, but what it does, or what it sets out to do, it does pretty well.

[00:03:10] Like, I thought one thing I love with Guy Ritchie films is the dialogue.

[00:03:14] He has a great ability for quick, off-the-cuff, fun British humor, and I love that.

[00:03:19] I think he has such a good energy in his momentum, his pacing, and the flow of scenes, and how characters speak to one another.

[00:03:25] I love that, and I think this movie is a great showcase for that. It's very funny.

[00:03:30] I think even just the dynamics of these characters were, I mean, they're all new.

[00:03:35] They developed them decently well. I think everyone has a very good chemistry.

[00:03:40] I think Aubrey Plaza is awesome in this. I love her in general.

[00:03:44] I love Parks and Rec, and I've been a fan of hers ever since.

[00:03:47] I think she's great in this. Jason Statham and her are great.

[00:03:50] Josh Hartnett is a very fun presence, and I think Hugh Grant, maybe it's because of his work with Guy Ritchie over the years now,

[00:03:59] but I think he is in the best, most enjoyable part of his career.

[00:04:03] I think the roles that he's picking are so enjoyably, like, maniacal and evil and criminal, I guess, in a way,

[00:04:12] but there's still so much fun to be had, where he went for so long being, I guess, the romantic lead,

[00:04:18] and now he just seems to be having fun. And even something like Wonka, you know,

[00:04:22] I think he is such a delight for lack of a better term these last few years.

[00:04:30] I've loved everything he's been in. I think he's great in this.

[00:04:34] And so really, the cast, I think, makes the movie.

[00:04:37] If it wasn't as good of a cast, probably would not be that great, but it's still well-directed.

[00:04:43] I think it looks good. The action is nothing amazing, but it's good, solid, you know, beat-em-up action and gunfights,

[00:04:52] something Guy Ritchie does very well.

[00:04:54] The overall plot, I think, is at least intriguing. Like, it's not reinventing the genre plot-wise,

[00:05:02] but it still plays within the confines of the genre really well, and a lot better than a lot of recent action,

[00:05:12] spy, special agent movies have. So that's something I really appreciate.

[00:05:16] It's not too long. It's, I think, under two hours.

[00:05:19] The third act maybe goes on a little long, and I think the last few minutes are a bit clunky,

[00:05:23] like how things are resolved. I'm like, oh, okay, so it's over?

[00:05:27] Like, there are certain characters and things that are left kind of ambiguously.

[00:05:33] I'm like, okay, so I guess we're just not going to go back to that.

[00:05:36] So I think the final few minutes are probably the weakest part of the movie, but not a big deal.

[00:05:42] It's not horrible. I just thought, I was like, huh, it's over now. All right?

[00:05:45] And so otherwise, I think I was very pleasantly surprised.

[00:05:50] If you like anything in this vein, I would check it out.

[00:05:54] I think the title is sort of off-putting.

[00:05:56] You know, I was thinking like Operation Fortune Rue's Daguerre.

[00:06:00] Like, I don't know, like, I think in some ways I like that because it's just so out there and random.

[00:06:07] But considering this is at least a decent big budget film, and it has a big cast, a big director,

[00:06:14] I'm like, I feel like they could have done something, maybe just kept it as Operation Fortune or something,

[00:06:18] because Rue's Daguerre means nothing to anyone.

[00:06:22] And they probably know that, but still I think they could change that title.

[00:06:27] Or maybe if they do another one, maybe make the title a little simpler, a little cleaner.

[00:06:32] But it is what it is. I kind of still like it. It's kind of goofy, so whatever.

[00:06:37] So that one is a heavy three and a half out of five.