Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

In spite of a rather convoluted plot, fall flat comedy and a very minor dash of woke nonsense, I mostly liked Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre.
Don't let the dash of French pretension in the title fool you, there's nothing remotely clever or sophisticated, about this flick.
At heart, this is stripped down, nuts and bolts, action fare. Its pacing is decent and it has enough going on, exposition wise, to keep the viewer entertained. Exotic locations, gun fights, fist fights, car chases, pyrotechnics, it has it all, in abundance.
Acting is generally reasonable. Hugh Grant does a great Michael Caine(??) impression.
In summary, diverting, simple action fare, with a little unconvincing window dressing, in the form of tired comedy and a nod to a more sophisticated story line, that never arrives. Still worth a look, if taken on its true merits, as opposed to those it aspires to.

**_Operation Fortune's_ convoluted plot and terrible pacing result in a viewing experience that leaves a lot to be desired.**
Operation Fortune was a terrible movie from start to finish. The plot was incredibly generic, filled with a bunch of cool spy jargon that made the agents sound really cool. The pace is way too fast, with jump cuts from scene to scene that attempt to be quick and seamless but just left me lost. I spent more time trying to figure out what was going on, where we were, and why we were here than I did enjoying the actual movie. The action was average at best, filled with cuts that tried to mask the poor choreography. When we were not spending time on lackluster action set pieces, it was used to deliver exposition dumps to help the audience attempt to understand what was going on. I have a hard time coming up with anything positive about my experience with the film.
The performances left a lot to be desired. I think Jason Statham and Josh Hartnett did a decent job, but they did not blow me away. None of the main cast had any amount of chemistry, particularly Statham and Plaza. The latter quite disappointed me in this film. None of her comedic timing worked, and I found her performance to be rather flat. With how stacked the cast was, I am leaning toward believing that the script was so horrid that it was limiting the actors abilities to put on a good performance.
Overall, I had a pretty terrible time watching this in theaters. I kept checking the time, waiting for the credits to finally roll. If you like Guy Ritchie, check this film out; otherwise, skip it because you will avoid wasting two hours of your life.
**Score:** _26%_
**Verdict:** _Bad_