Elite spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) must track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology wielded by billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). Reluctantly teamed up with some of the world’s best operatives, Fortune and his crew recruit Hollywood’s biggest movie star, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett), to help them on their globe-trotting mission to save the world.

Regarded as the king of machismo action cinema, celebrated filmmaker Guy Ritchie makes his long-awaited return to cinemas with Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, a wickedly fun spy-adventure-thriller that injects a dose of new energy into the genre and will leave audiences grooving in their seats. This is a film that is pure Ritchie, as a crack team of ace spies combats black market dealings, double-crossing mercenaries, vicious gangsters and one very slimy arms dealer in order to save the world. And it’s a rush. Joining forces again with long-time collaborator Jason Statham, hot off their work together on the intense and dark Wrath of Man, Operation Fortune offers Ritchie and Statham a new road to speed down and its cracking pace, bold action and pitch-perfect comedy is what cinema fun is made of.

As one of the best directors working today, Ritchie brings his own brand of creativity to the screen once more and again he mixes things up with Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. This global-spanning spy adventure is packed full of classic flair mixed with some cutting-edge drama, and Ritchie goes to town with this picture. With an equal mix of crackling gunfire, heavy punches, and terrific banter between a whole host of very unique espionage characters, Operation Fortune is the director’s take on the classic spy team-up film, and he keeps his audience’s heart racing the whole way through.

Once again front and centre is Ritchie’s long-time collaborator and good friend Jason Statham, and this time he mixes it up as the intrepid super-spy Orson Fortune, who has some very interesting quirks. This modern-day spy is a dashing man of action who has a real fondness for the good life and who is all too happy to max out his agency’s expense account to enjoy it. But in addition to the tailored suits, private jets and vintage wines, he’s also an exceedingly capable and exceptionally dangerous individual who knows his way around a gun, and Statham brings his usual can-do attitude to the film’s action scenes. Along with kicking ass he also gets to crack plenty of jokes, and it’s very apparent that he had a blast with this one-of-a-kind spy.

Paired with Statham’s Fortune and mixing it up is Aubrey Plaza as the sultry and quick-witted Sarah Fidel, the team’s computer expert and hacker. And this is Plaza in a performance unlike you’ve ever seen her before. Plaza is exceptionally glamorous and alluring as Fidel, but also dangerously astute and she likes nothing better than to push Statham’s button. And the result is comedic brilliance. Plaza also isn’t content to just sit behind a desk either, and she jumps head-first into the fray, and goes all out with the film’s exceptional action scenes.

Continuing in his return to form is Hollywood hunk Josh Hartnett who has been making quite a big comeback as of late and again he turns in another stellar performance here in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. Cast as Hollywood’s biggest star Danny Francesco, Hartnett portrays an outlandish, childish buffoon who is forced into joining Fortune’s team, after his penchant for debauchery gets him into trouble and soon has to take on the biggest role of his career. Hartnett leans heavily into this over-sexed, drugged-up poser of a movie star and he’s an absolute riot in the role. He also gets some serious time behind the wheel in the film’s stunning car chase and lives out a Steve McQueen fantasy as he slams on the accelerator in a wild chase scene that will flaw audiences.

Finally bringing Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre together is the one and only Hugh Grant and he gives one very naughty performance as the playful, but dangerous billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmons. Brash, uncouth, loud and crass, Grant gives a transformative performance as one of the world’s most dangerous villains who like his money, his cars and his women, and who poses quite a threat in Operation Fortune. From the moment he appears on screen Grant steals every scene that he’s in and his presence is undoubtedly the best part of the film. This is Grant unlike you’ve ever seen him before, and Ritchie knows how to help him take it to the next level, and this is one devious and menacing villain you won’t soon forget.

For those who like their spy films with exotic locations, explosive action and decadent glamour, well, you’ll be very happy with Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. This is a fast-paced kinetic piece of cinema, and its pure pop energy will absolutely speak to audiences who are looking for a rush. Thanks to his innovative and rapid style of filmmaking, Ritchie invests a real sense of creativity and energy into this picture and the results show on the screen. This is the spy genre done the way we like it, and the end product demands to be seen on the big screen.

From beginning to end, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is pure class and proves why Guy Ritchie is one of the most exciting and dynamic filmmakers working today. Narrative, action, character and comedy all come together for an exhilarating time at the movies with Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre.

Image: Roadshow Films

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After the intense rush of action that they delivered in 2021’s Wrath of Man, Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham are heading back to cinemas for a good ol’fashioned jaunt into the espionage genre with Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre…and this is a spy film that is guaranteed to be a very slick ride.

Watch the brand new trailer below:

Here’s the official synopsis for Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre:

In the film, super-spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) must track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology wielded by billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). Reluctantly teamed with some of the world’s best operatives (Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone), Fortune and his crew recruit Hollywood’s biggest movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) to help them on their globe-trotting undercover mission to save the world.

Presented as a globe-trotting action-adventure, Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre follows ace super spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) and his hand-picked team (Aubrey Plaza, Bugzy Malone) who work for spymaster Nathan Jasmine (Cary Elwes) who have to stop the sale of a deadly new weapon to the lavish and loud billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant), and the only way they can get Simmonds attention is to blackmail Hollywood’s biggest star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) to help them do it.

From there it’s a rush of double-crosses, gunfights, fistfights, car chases, explosions, scintillating seductions and all-around crazy moments as Fortune and his team race against time to stop Simmonds from getting his hands on this diabolical weapon.

For anyone wondering what a Jason Statham James Bond would look like, well, Orson Fortune is pretty much that character and he cuts a dapper figure as this very rough and ready character who fits out a tuxedo perfectly, but who can also go to work with his fists when needed.

Changing gears this time around is Aubrey Plaza and she cuts a stylish, sexy, glamourous figure as a member of Fortune’s team. Known for her dry wit, Plaza changes gears here as this alluring and capable secret agent and she completely hold her own in the trailer and in my opinion her performance here is going to be a real revelation.

This isn’t the first time Guy Ritchie has ventured into the spy genre as he brought a sense of retro cool back to the big screen with 2015’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and his work here on Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre continues in that vein. Slick, sexy and action-packed, Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre also has a terrific comedic buzz about it and is Guy Ritchie just the way we like it.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre looks like a solid action spy film and will make for a very time at the movies when it arrives IN CINEMAS next year on January 12, 2023.

Images: Roadshow Films

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Lucy Stanbridge has inherited her father’s publishing house, but the ambitious would-be editor has nearly sunk it with failing titles. She discovers she is owed a book by Harris Shaw, a reclusive, cantankerous, booze-addled author who originally put the company on the map decades earlier. In a last-ditch effort to save it, Lucy and Harris release his new book and embark on a tour from hell that changes them both in ways they didn’t expect.

Director Lina Roessler and writer Anthony Grieco build out a simple, but terrific story of two outcasts, one a high-functioning workaholic publisher, who unwittingly is on her last legs, the other a cranky and foul-mouthed recluse, who are forced together and go on a cross-country bar-hopping, literary publishing journey to take one final shot at fame and glory. And the result is thoroughly delightful. This is a film that pulls at your heartstrings and analyzes deep questions of love, life and connection and the chemistry that is shared between Caine and Plaza makes for many compelling scenes as they work to make Cain’s embittered writer Harris Shaw a best seller once again.

When it comes to Sir Michael Caine the only word needed is legend. At age 88 he’s still going strong and has lost none of his class, charm or spirit as a performer. In Best Sellers as the stand-offish, angry and nonchalant author Harris Shaw he absolutely excels. Dragged into a book tour he’s none too pleased about he’s a right royal pain to Plaza’s can-do publisher Lucy Stanbridge. But as the story grows we see the true story behind his foul-mouthed anti-authority antics and it soon becomes clear that he is wrestling with a great many demons. As always, Caine is excellent on-screen and he truly brings out many shades to the cantankerous Shaw and finds the true soul of this character that is sure to resonate with audiences.

Playing off of Caine with her unique sense of deadpan humour is Aubrey Plaza as driven young publisher Lucy Stanbridge who is determined to make a name for herself. Obsessive, out-spoken and extremely high-strung, Lucy is all too excited to have a Harris Shaw manuscript in his hands. But this excitement is soon lost when she has to ferry him across the country on a new book tour. What soon becomes clear is that Lucy is not as courageous or dominant as she appears to be and that she is battling her own insecurities that only Harris can help her overcome. Plaza gives Lucy a true honesty, and she is an extremely real character when portrayed on-screen.

Simply put Best Sellers is a quaint and charming little movie that will speak right to your heart with its simple story of two lonely people who find a connection and win out together in the end. It’s a truly heart-warming watch for the end of the year and you’re certain to come away smiling from it.

Image: Rialto

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After receiving a special toy for his birthday from his mum Karen (Aubrey Plaza), Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman) learns that there’s something terribly wrong with the doll and soon their lives are threatened by it’s murderous appetite.

Director Lars Klevberg gets his hands on the killer doll and he has the responsibility of re-imagining this freakish horror film for a whole new generation. And this director doesn’t disappoint with a film that is packed out with originality, violence and plenty dose of comedic hijinks. Where Chucky was once a doll possessed by the spirit of a deceased mass murderer, this brand new concept sees him as a rogue piece of A.I. hardware come to life, possessed with a psychotic need to be the best friend of the young Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman) no matter who gets in his way. Right off the bat, this new approach to Child’s Play really hits you with how original it all is, and this new concept also gives Klevberg and his team plenty of room to stretch when it comes to the freakish violence that they can throw up on the screen.

Taking on the mantle of the Buddi doll named Chucky is Hollywood legend and performer extraordinaire Mark Hamill…and he’s an absolute riot here as the killer Buddi doll. Known by many as a master voice performer, Hamill once again applies his considerable talents behind the microphone to create a character that is both savagely scary and horrendously funny all at the same time. While this freakish robotic creature sure loves to throw a knife around and is more than happy to maim anyone that he sees fit, Hamill injects into Chucky a bizarre and outlandish humour that will have you laughing in the most inappropriate of moments. Not only does it relieve the tension when necessary, but it also leaves your guard down as an audience member and it’s there that the frights really come at you. Hamill also gets to allow his wonderous singing voice to come to life here as well, and the tender, if the uneasy melody of the ‘Buddi Song’ is something that has to be felt.

Starring alongside Hamill in the film is Aubrey Plaza, and Hollywood’s resident deadpan actress really changes things up here as she takes on the role of a mum. Stuck in a dead end job and seeing an idiotic boyfriend, Plaza’s Karen Barclay is a mum who is just trying to do right by her son Andy, who is portrayed by exceptional newcomer Gabriel Bateman. Together these two really feed off of each other and their ability to sell a sense of growing paranoia really adds to the frenzied nature of the whole film. All of this comes to a head in the film’s climactic third act and as Chucky’s obsession with Andy becomes dangerously murderous, imminent disaster comes for the Barclay’s.

When it comes to horror cinema I’m always looking for the unexpected, and this certainly arrives here in Child’s Play. With the inventiveness that the film applies to the horror and death scenes, and the addition of some very funny outbursts and comedy, you really get a great mix up here that really takes you by surprise. While I can’t go into specifics without leading to spoilers, I will say that Child’s Play really does something different with Chucky’s maniacal killing spree, and the film just seems fresh in the way that it applies all of the death and destruction up on screen. Along with the traditional splatter of the slasher genre, there’s also a good amount of suspense here as well, and Chucky really goes for it with plenty of ghoulish jump scares that will have you leaping out of your chair.

Child’s Play delivers a whole lot of horror fun to the big screen and you’ll be guaranteed to be screaming thanks to the performance of Mark Hamill. Watch it if you dare…

Image: Roadshow Films

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