Streaming Recommendation: OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE de GUERRE

It’s always a fun moment when one is clicking through movies to stream on-line and a flick is picked with the “ah…what the heck, let’s check that out” attitude and then said flick is a heckuva lotta fun - and very entertaining.

Such an occurrence happened when checking out the straight-to-streaming (at least in the U.S.) comedy/action film OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE de GUERRE starring Jason Statham, Cary Elwes, Hugh Grant and the most unlikeliest of Action Film Stars since Bob Odenkirk - Aubrey Plaza.

And darned if it doesn’t work.

When this VERY entertaining, lightweight comedy/action flick was complete the BankofMarquis had to look up who Directed and Wrote this little gem and was quite surprised (but, then again, NOT surprised at all) to find that this is a GUY RITCHIE film - in every sense of the term.

Statham - in his 3rd Ritchie action flick - stars as SuperSpy Orson Fortune (hence the title) - a throwback to the Roger Moore era James Bond cannon. His Superspy is very good at what he does and accomplishes all of his astonishing feats with a quip and a wink in his eye. It is the perfect marriage of Movie Star and vehicle and Statham (and Ritchie) know EXACTLY the type of movie they are making - and they make it well.

The surprise of this cast is the work of sardonic, deadpan comedienne Aubrey Plaze (April in the tv series PARK AND RECREATION) as the “person in the van” - the surveillance and technology expert who is just as good at her job as Fortune is at his. The banter between Plaza and Statham is “plucky” and it looks like they are having a ball bouncing insults off each other. In reading up on this film, it looks like Ritchie gave his cast - most especially Plaza - freedom to ad-lib and, consequently, quite a few of the quips back and forth between the two seem natural.

Cary Elwes (THE PRINCESS BRIDE) as the handler of the team and the always good Eddie Marsen (Inspector LeStrade in the Robert Downey, Jr. SHERLOCK HOLMES films) as the “M” character along with (relative) newcomer (at least to films) Bugzy Malone make up a very amiable team in which to go on this adventure with.

Of course, these films are only as good as the bad guy and the bad guy in this film, Hugh Grant (NOTTING HILL), is very, very good, indeed. Director Ritchie, wisely, asks Grant to “lean into” his best trait - his charm - and his mega-arms dealer, is “charming as all get out” (to butcher a phrase) and just when you don’t think Grant can become more disarming and charming…he becomes…more disarming and charming.

Oh…and did I fail to mention Josh Hartnett (BLACKHAWK DOWN) as the “Tom Cruise-type” of action movie star that is brought into the adventure? He plays his role with his tongue permanently sewed into his cheek the entire film and is one of the most entertaining performances by Hartnett that the BankofMarquis can recall in quite some time.

Credit to all of this, of course, goes to Writer/Director Ritchie who has made this type of film many, many times before and this time (if the title is any indication) he was going for a more family-friendly Spy series that can entertain the entire family - and he succeeds wonderfully at this. It is a creative artist understanding completely what he is doing - and then putting that art out with strong results.

A very pleasant surprise of a lightweight action/comedy (you will NOT be breaking up into discussion groups afterwards to talk about deep thematic schemas present), OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE de GUERRE will, pleasantly, while away a few hours for you and your family.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)