LIKES:
Decent Pace
-It's not the most exciting thing to grace the Big Screen, but it keeps the entertainment value high for me in most parts.
-Very easy to follow, gets you details for the mission and then brings in exciting mission specifications.
-Gives a decent meaty bone to chew on when it comes to the theatrics of each moment and allowing that Ritchie storytelling to continue to build and layer up.
Acting
-The whole cast is quite impressive in their roles, with again solid chemistry between most members and a fantastic mode that just did not quit for me in the believability of the performance.
Shout out to Grant and Hartnett for their roles, fun, eclectic, and some of the best comedy of the night for me, they certainly deserve top billing as well for what they brought to the movie.
-Elwes is not bad, my least favorite character of the big three, but certainly great as acting as this stuffy handler that isn't liked by his team and the butt of jokes. He delivers his lines well and makes for a fun wall to bounce things off of in the long run.
-Plaza is beautiful to say the least in both looks and acting. Tough, snarky, sarcastic, but versatile, as she blends elements of her comedy skills with this serious role that works super well together. Absolutely loved most of her lines and involvement and the way she played with the whole mission of this movie.
-Statham is, well Statham. You love him if you love him and you'll not like him if you don't like his style. He's got action sets down, still is in great shape, and is pretty much the rough punk he has always been. But yet, that rough façade is stellar when you add the other characters in to temper his strong bravado.
-Thus again, chemistry and the way they balance each other was super solid in my book.
Great Use of Comedy
-Ritchie's writing and direction are always this great blend of humor with the dryer application of British theatrics. And again it works so well in this movie.
-This operation has some direct insulting humor, banter that essentially tears at the foundations of each other, but in that good natured fashion between coworker/friendly rivals.
-But then it gets layers of classy comedy as we start to get puns, pokes, and jabs at so many novelties of humanity that you applaud how high cultured his jokes are and what he is able to punch with.
-Then, throw in the story elements and the natural banter that is just so realistic and believable and you further round out the comedy that is used in elements to keep things fun, balanced, and in season to not grow stale.
-This comedy may not be the funniest thing to me, and I agree it's a bit far and between things, but it's also not overdone to the point of eye rolling like I have seen.
Action Matches the Theme Of The Movie
-For a dry comedy, you kind of get dry action, which though not my favorite is not the worst thing either.
-Ritchie adds this layer of simplistic moments that feels far more believable than most of the action we see in many movies these days, for the most part.
-It drops most of the death defying stunts and brings back with it, this comedic tone that works, and finishes the ordeal rather quickly and without too much blood, malice, and violence.
-The action goes in time with the goals of the movie, and for those who want the kick without the blood guts, and savage mauling, this movie's action should be welcomed as it does have a point.
Sound Editing/Video Visuals
-I know, something most don't care about, but the movie uses very good visuals and sound editing to bring you into the movie.
-The close up shots with great sound capture allow this dialogue to have the bite it needs to maximize how funny they are.
-Then you have these moments that get you up close to the action and sort of give you that near perfect shot to censor but explain the action. Sometimes in the form of a sniper rifle, or other times in the up close combat, the movie works to sort of optimize and change things up to keep things engaging in my opinion.
-And for the sound, the movie makes sure you hear everything, with sometimes doing too good a job and blowing out my ear drums. However, the movie has booms, blasts, and other means to help give you the experience you expect of the movies.
DISLIKES:
A Little Lackluster In Normal Plot
-The movie's plot is there, but seemingly aimless and a tad dry in Ritchie's smart approach to the spy-thriller.
-The movie just doesn't have anything that really stands out unique in twisting the story, or making the venture feel worth it but for the comedy.
-The main device they are going after, sort of low rung, and the villains themselves are a bit too much of a joke to make the awesome villains, and the constant hand offs are a little too much for really enjoying the big bad villain aspect.
-As such, the movie in terms of a story driven element are a bit weaker than anticipated, but fortunately has the comedic feel to sort of blunt this mediocre story.
Action Is Mundane and A Little Underwhelming
-If you are like me and thinking that a Statham led movie is going to be full of the usual action tropes like guns blazing, bombs blowing up, and high speed chases, you are only partially right.
-Operation Fortune again has scenes that represent spies, but again much more toned down than I had anticipated and would have loved to see a little more of it in the movie.
-The choreography is mostly simplistic, the fights are rather quick and one sided, and several times take place in the distance and seem to do this to lower cost and times.
-So, while it works for the theme of the movie, it doesn't mean that this is the way people may enjoy this movie to the best of their abilities.
Never Felt Suspenseful For The Most Part
-And because of the lower key story and action, the movie just loses me on the whole suspense aspect in that I felt there was very little engaging moments.
-Not once did I ever worry about the characters, or feel attached to them that should anything happen I'd be torn away.
-Throw in that the characters are sort of these flat and rather mediocre models, outside of a few, and you again, just get a flat movie in regards to being wow.
A Few Running Jokes A Tad Ehhhh
-And there are jokes that of course get a tad old from going too far for my tastes, primarily aggressive points done over and over again and not used creatively whatsoever.
-These are few and far between, but... they are still there enough to be noticeable so I can't say that I really enjoyed it to be honest.
The VERCIT:
Operation Fortune is definitely a smarter movie in many ways that make it fun in this particular genre combination. It's very to the point and elevated in humor, making good use of timing, delivery and the moment to really make you laugh without going overboard. The movie has great acting chemistry, with some other performances being top notch for just delivering comedy, and the action is censored and tasteful to go with the atmosphere of the movie. All in all, I can say this might be a "sophisticated" comedy that works. And yet, the action and thriller elements are loose in this film and a tad unimpressive and mediocre to be honest. As such, the movie isn't going to be a lot of people's favorites and I think the comedy is the better way to go than action and thriller. The suspense of this movie is very bland, and the movie just felt mediocre over anything else and better for those needing a censored action movie. Thus, is this movie worth a trip to the theater? I don't think so. It feels like a stream to me, but do encourage to give it a shot in the future at home. My scores are:
Action/Comedy/Thriller: 7.0
Movie Overall: 6.0.
