“People dress better than they do in real life. Everything’s more stylish than it is in real life. Even the dialogue is heightened. I’ve missed this very much.”
Guy Ritchie’s new movie Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre lands on Prime Video this week and is exactly the kind of movie that people have been bemoaning the lack of lately.
The film focuses on a team of spies (including Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza) who must recruit a Hollywood star (Josh Hartnett) as part of their plan to retrieve a stolen high-tech device from an arms dealer (Hugh Grant). Made on a budget of $50 million, Operation Fortune is expensive, stylish entertainment aimed at adults – something which in an era of either mostly superhero flicks and blockbuster franchises or tiny budgeted indie movies feels increasingly rare.
When JOE got to interview the film’s director Ritchie and his cast, we asked them about their thoughts on the film industry and how Operation Fortune bucks against current trends.
Speaking about how Operation Fortune was inspired by ’90s classic Get Shorty and other mid-budget adult entertainment from Hollywood, Ritchie said:
“Those types of movies are my favourite movies. You can’t see them coming. They’re plump with creativity, cheekiness and irreverence and yet, the sum total of the experience is more than worth it.
“It’s funny because they have been sort of pushed out of the conversation and it’s actually the very conversation that you want to have. I’m not that interested in either end of the polarity and duality of the other stuff. I like stuff in the middle.”
Hugh Grant also said that he has missed movies like Operation Fortune and singled out Ritchie for praise, stating:
“I’m a terrific snob about films. I love films. I love cinema. I appreciate how well written and how well done a lot of television is nowadays. I’ve even done some of it myself and I’ve liked what I’ve done. But it doesn’t hit the spot the same way that cinema does for me.
“In my opinion, Guy Ritchie is a proper filmmaker. It’s sort of inconceivable for him to make television. Everything is big, it’s cinematic. People dress better than they do in real life. Everything’s more stylish than it is in real life. Even the dialogue is heightened. I’ve missed this very much.”
Aubrey Plaza also showered Ritchie with praise when describing her reasons for joining the cast of the caper.
“It checks all the boxes for me. It’s fun. It’s a comedy. It doesn’t take itself so seriously,” she said.
“Guy Richie – getting to work with him is a dream come true. I love his movies. There’s a very specific kind of style that he brings to the table. Everything looks great in his films.
“He has this nostalgia for old Hollywood and these throwback movies. So for me, that’s really in line with my taste and what I like.”
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre lands on Prime Video in Ireland and the UK on 7 April. You can also check out JOE’s interviews with its star Jason Statham right here and its other cast members Bugzy Malone and Cary Elwes here.
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