Film

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

Name: Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller, Adventure
Released: 2023
Cast: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Hugh Grant, Josh Hartnett

Spy action

A slick spy-action comedy where Jason Statham's seasoned operative drags a vain Hollywood star into an undercover weapons-trafficking caper. It's all winking chemistry and globe-trotting set pieces, played with a light hand. Perfect for people who want their espionage shaken, not stirred—and actually want to smile while it happens.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy slick, wisecracking caper comedy where the banter and the bluffing matter as much as the gunfire, and a parade of seasoned British and American character actors having a visible good time is part of the appeal.

Skip it if you want a grounded spy story with real stakes and restraint; this one plays its espionage for laughs, and the jokes often land harder than the plot does.

What it asks of you: Settle in for just under two hours of nonstop switching between set-piece action and comic misdirection, with little pause to breathe and no need to track anything too closely.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.2015

Stylish Cold War spy thriller with sharp humour and real chemistry between leads. Director Guy Ritchie builds intricate action sequences that reward attention, and the banter crackles without overwhelming the plot.

But If you want grounded realism, this isn't it. The film prioritizes visual flair and clever dialogue over stakes that feel heavy or consequences that stick.

Bullet Train2022

David Leitch directs Brad Pitt in a zippy, self-aware action romp about assassins on a Tokyo train. The film knows exactly what it is—a puzzle-box of fights and laughs—and executes that idea with real precision and style.

But Deliberately cartoonish violence and one-liners might feel thin if you're seeking narrative depth or character arcs that genuinely transform anyone.

Kingsman: The Secret Service2015

Matthew Vaughn's candy-coloured spy adventure blends violent choreography with genuine warmth and absurdist humour. The film finds sweetness in its premise while delivering some of the decade's most inventive action sequences.

But The school-bully subplot and some choices around class feel dated now. If you're sensitive to casual cruelty played for laughs, parts will land badly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Gentlemen2020

Hugh Grant as unhinged and morally flexible, plus Ritchie's particular blend of stylised violence, crime-world logic, and banter-as-plot—both films trust that charisma and wit can carry what plot alone cannot.

Guy Ritchie's crime romp lets Hugh Grant loose as a posh, profane crime boss consultant—a character so far from his usual register he becomes magnetic. It's an action-comedy that prioritizes character interplay and language over explosions, with real structural wit.

But The nastiness and casual cruelty are genuine. This isn't a film that winks at its own cynicism—it inhabits it completely, and some viewers will find that exhausting rather than refreshing.

Central Intelligence2016

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as a CIA operative and desk worker dragged into global espionage. Chaotic and silly, yes, but their genuine affection for each other carries you through the absurdity with surprising warmth.

But The plot is paper-thin and the humour sometimes cops out into noise. If you need a story with stakes or logic, you'll spend the whole runtime frustrated.

Red Notice2021

Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, and Dwayne Johnson in a globe-hopping heist romp. It's essentially a comic book you watch rather than read—colour-saturated, impossible, and genuinely funny in its obliviousness to physics.

But The plot is aggressively thin and designed entirely around star power. Substance is not the point here, and if you're looking for it, the film will feel like a waste of talent.

Johnny English Strikes Again2018

Rowan Atkinson's bumbling British spy returns for a second bout of slapstick and deadpan timing. The film doesn't pretend to sophistication and lands its physical comedy with real precision and heart.

But Mild, family-film humour throughout. If you need edge, darkness, or jokes that require any cultural cynicism, you'll find this relentlessly wholesome.

Spy2015

Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy turn the spy-action formula inside out. McCarthy is genuinely brilliant, the action is competent and funny, and the film lets its lead earn respect rather than cheap punchlines.

But If you've already seen this, it was seminal. If you're new to it, McCarthy's particular brand of broad physical comedy won't work for everyone, and the plot is straightforward to the point of boredom.

Knight and Day2010

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in a lightweight, sunlit action-comedy that doesn't take itself seriously for a moment. The chemistry is effortless, the locations are gorgeous, and the film exists only to entertain you.

But Weightless and inconsequential. There's no real narrative momentum, the stakes never feel genuine, and the whole thing evaporates from memory almost immediately.

Eat Pray Love2010

Julia Roberts travels the world in search of meaning. It's earnest, gorgeously photographed, and has moments of real vulnerability and humour—a palate cleanser if you want something that's still adventure-adjacent but rooted in character.

But It's essentially a travel brochure with a crisis of meaning attached. The self-help philosophy is shallow, and if you're cynical about privilege tourism, this film will infuriate you.

The Gray Man2022

Both are modern spy-action comedies that trade theatrical spectacle for chemistry and wit; both feature strong ensembles where the supporting cast often out-entertains the leads; both lean into the absurdity of modern espionage rather than fighting it.

Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in the Russo Brothers' globe-trotting spy-action thriller. It's Netflix's blockbuster bet: technically precise action, genuinely great supporting cast (Ana de Armas steals everything), and the kind of scale that used to belong only to theatrical releases.

But Streaming action can feel underbaked in cinema, and this one does—the emotional beats land soft, and the stakes stay abstract. Also, Gosling's lead role is remarkably blank, a void at the centre.

Johnny English2003

Both are British comedies that take the spy-action format seriously enough to have a real plot while treating the genre conventions as ripe for subversion; both star actors playing against type (Statham's droll competence, Atkinson's bumbling precision) as their primary comedy engine.

Rowan Atkinson's original spy-comedy is sharper and darker than its sequels, with real plot momentum alongside the physical humour. It genuinely works as both parody and action film, and Atkinson's timing is absolutely lethal.

But Early-2000s CGI and some dated sensibilities around nationality and masculinity. It's milder than modern comedies, and if you're coming from contemporary action-comedy, it might feel quaint.