Guy Ritchie loves to flirt with spy movies that pair an unlikely team of players to get the job done. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. did it well in the past, and now his latest film is going to do it again. Even with that precedent firmly set, Jason Statham taking snark from Aubrey Plaza is the buddy action team-up I didn’t know I needed, in the trailer for Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre.
That lack of knowledge was thankfully cleared up by STX Films, who released this first look at Statham and Plaza’s characters getting into the action. The mission is pretty familiar, as arms dealer Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant) is looking to sell something rather nasty that shouldn’t be on the open market. In a play to get close to Grant’s criminal enterprises, our agents need to enlist his favorite Hollywood actor (Wrath of Man’s Josh Hartnett) to make it all work.
Just when you thought Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza snarking each other was enough of a thrill, now both of them get to put Mr. Harnett through the paces of their wit and spy skills. Rounding out Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’s sterling cast is Bugzy Malone, who reunites with Guy Ritchie after playing a part in last year’s action/comedy hit The Gentlemen, and Cary Elwes, who seems to be the spy chief in this adventure. As far as quips and barbs are concerned, it’s a target rich environment that’s just waiting to go off.
But of course, there has to be some action to balance out the comedy of this overall affair. There’s even some gags that go hand in hand, as a montage of Jason Statham’s chops is accompanied by his being labeled with credentials of “a particular set of skills” by Elwes’ character. It’s a dry gag, but Taken references are always welcome when you want to show someone’s ready to fight.
As the year of movies that was 2021 comes to a close, looking into the future becomes all the more important with each passing day. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is promising another fun venture into Guy Ritchie’s bespoke sense of humor and violence just brightens 2022’s box office picture even further. Statham or Plaza may wage a battle of wits, but in the end, it looks like the audience is the ultimate victors.
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre gets ready to play a game of spies and snark in theaters in 2022. Check out the rest of the competition through 2022’s release schedule, which is already shaping up to be quite exciting. There might even be a dinosaur movie on the calendar too!
