If you’ve ever seen a high octane action movie, you’ve probably seen something similar in any other high octane action movie. The blueprint tends to stay the same, and sometimes theres little parts that are different and create a more interesting experience. However to break the exhaustive frame we’ve been exposed to over and over again there has to be some confidence in front and behind the camera. While you would think casting someone who could be considered a star would be enough, it really isn’t when their heart (no pun intended) isn’t in the film. This, along with a variety of other issues is what plagues the Netflix movie, Heart of Stone.
The movie focuses on a group of former top tiered agents who compromise an intelligence agency known as the Charter to steal something called The Heart. The heart is essentially a weapon of mass destruction that can override planes, weaponry, anything you can possibly think of, because of course we need another film that follows this formulaic ultra device devised to destroy the world if fallen into the wrong hands. The ringleader of the Charter is Nomad (Sophie Okonedo), and the mystery person, or as I like to call it the villain of the week for this could be tv show is Keya (Alia Bhatt) who wants to steal the Heart for whatever reason. Thankfully, Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) is with Bailey (Paul Ready), Yang (Jing Lusi), and Parker (Jamie Dornan) are part of an MI 6 team.
This is where things get out of hand. The audience is supposed to believe that Rachel Stone is this rather meandering agent and can’t get the job done and is a rookie. But wait, she really is part of the Charter and has infiltrated MI6, why – the movie doesn’t really explain it, just that she is and we’re supposed to accept that as fact. Her MI6 cohorts don’t know this either, and the movie keeps following this convoluted game of cat mouse and hide and seek, it really becomes tedious and kind of exhausting to follow. The only thing the story penned by Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder have going for it is at least the action sequences are engaging and interesting, but the film itself doesn’t hold enough attention between the action sequences.
Overall, Tom Hopper who directs Heart of Stone tries to bring some life into the film but ultimately his efforts go unmatched. Sure there are moments when the film looks great and is at least engaging, but between the massive gaping plot holes and the performances that can simply be described as uninspired and exhaustive, there is only so much that can be directed. It has the feeling of a top tier action flick, at moments it even has the look of a top tier action flick, however it is missing almost everything else from that classification. The performances aren’t there, the script is lacking in logic and inventiveness, and overall it is just dull.
Heart of Stone fumbles the ball on their own twenty yard line and the audience steals it for a reversal. It feels slightly like AI was involved in creating the movie as it feels so generic and exhaustingly uninventive. It is disappointing because no one goes into a project to create something that doesn’t connect with its audience, but ultimately there are too many misses to create something enjoyable and coherent throughout the film
