Heart Of Stone

2023   Netflix

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr  2min

Action ~ Crime ~ Spy ~ Thriller

Directed by:  Tom Harper

Starring:  Gal GadotJamie DornanAlia Bhatt, Sophie Okonedo, and Matthias Schweighöfer.

HEART OF STONE: An unfriendly or unkind disposition. “She had a Heart of Stone.”

Gal Gadot stars as MI6 Field technician Rachel Stone. Rachel and her team are in the Italian Alps to capture Mulvaney, a wanted arms dealer. They are in a casino resort high up on the top of a mountain where there is a livestream of a Navy Seals operation being broadcast. Mulvaney and the other guests are there to place bets on the outcome. The extraction of Mulvaney doesn’t go as planned and a gunfight breaks out. Parker (Jamie Dornan) manages to get Mulvaney out of the casino and into the cable car amidst the fighting and head down the mountain. Stone slips away and contacts………..

Jack Of Hearts (Matthias Schweighöfer) who, using his very sophisticated extensive computer simulation in real time, guides her down the mountain from his location in London. It is very impressive how Jack of Hearts assists Stone from that far away. It is an action and suspense filled trip down the mountain as Stone deals with every obstacle in her way with Jack’s assistance. As she races down the mountain, the rest of her MI6 team is also trying to get to the bottom to intercept Parker and Mulvaney before a security team reaches them. It is an adrenaline filled race as all three parties try to get to Mulvaney and Parker first.

It is a spy thriller and I can’t talk anymore about the plot without giving things away. Nobody is who you think they are, there are many surprises as the movie unfolds. Stone is called “Nine of Hearts” and referred to as “Heart of Stone” given her cold blooded approach to doing her job. Who does Rachel Stone work for? Does MI6 call her “Nine of Hearts” Who does Jack of Hearts work for? These are questions that get answered as the movie unfolds, and you have to watch for that as it get very tricky following who is who and doing what for what reason. And just when you think you have it figured out…….

I loved Matthias Schweighöfer in Army of Thieves and Army of The Dead, although I liked Army of Thieves much better than Army of The Dead. When I found out that Matthias also directed Army of Thieves, as well as starring in it, I was very impressed and made a mental note to keep an eye out for him. I really like him in this as well, great job, one of my new favorite actors (Top ten lists coming soon!). I just re-watched and reviewed Red Notice and really like Gal Gadot in it and decided to watch her in this movie. Excellent job of portraying Rachel Stone, the bad-ass spy holding her own against anyone in any situation. Kind of like a female James Bond.

It is non-stop action, a tremendous thrill ride full of twists and turns you don’t see coming. It has a lot of modern James Bond type technology that I love to watch and see in a movie. The plot line is a familiar one, but it is what spies do, it is their job to keep the bad guys from getting their hands on things they shouldn’t have and stop them from using them to destroy the world as we know it.

I would DEFINATELY watch this again.

Highly Recommended!

Two Thumbs Up!!

Red Notice

2021   Netflix

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  1 hr  58min

Action ~ Comedy ~ Thriller

Directed by:  Rawson Marshall Thurber

Starring:  Dwayne JohnsonRyan ReynoldsGal Gadot and Ritu Arya.

RED NOTICE: The highest level of arrest warrant issued by The International Police Organization (INTERPOL). Reserved for the world’s most wanted criminals.

Though many know the tragic love story of Antony and Cleopatra, the wayward Roman general who fell madly in love with the enchanting Egyptian queen, both of them taking their lives rather than face a world without each other, few know the secret story of the most sought-after prize and unsolved puzzle of their time. The mystery of Cleopatra’s third egg. On their wedding day, as a symbol of his undying devotion, Mark Antony presented Cleopatra with three bejeweled eggs, each one more exquisite than the last. For centuries, these eggs were thought to be nothing more than myth, a rumor. But then, in 1907, just outside of Cairo, a local farmer unearthed two of them.

Cleopatra’s first egg is on display for all to see at the world-famous Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. The second egg has been sold at auction numerous times and currently is held in a private collection. Some say the third egg was never found. Others claim it was discovered, but just as quickly lost, never to be seen again. Join us as we explore that very question. What happened to Cleopatra’s lost egg? Who may hold it in their possession? And most importantly, will we ever see the day in which all three eggs are reunited for the first time in over 2,000 years?

Ryan Reynolds stars as Nathan Booth, the world’s second most wanted art thief. As the movie starts he is making a copy of Cleopatra’s first egg which is on display at the National Art Museum in Rome. Thanks to an anonymous tip Interpol Agent Urvashi Das (Ritu Arya), accompanied by FBI Profiler John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson), swarms the museum with an entourage of Police and agents, convinced that Cleopatra’s egg is to be stolen today. John Hartley doubts the authenticity of the egg on display and pours coke over it and it promptly melts.

They immediately rush to seal the room but Nathan Booth, who has stolen the egg, escapes and is chased by John. Eventually, after a high action chase through the museum and construction scaffolding, Nathan loses John  and escapes to his house in Bali. As he opens up the suitcase to reveal his newest prize possession, The stolen Cleopatra egg, he is surprised by John Hartley and Interpol Agent Das who promptly arrest him and take possession of the egg. As John Hartley is putting the egg in it’s protective case in the back of the armored police vehicle and walks to the front to get in, it is stolen and replaced with a fake by……..

The Bishop (Gal Gadot), the world’s most wanted art thief, and Nathan Booth’s Arch Nemesis. What follows is a globe trotting adventure full of action and comedic one liners as Nathan Booth, The Bishop, Agent Das and John Hartley all pursue Cleopatra’s infamous three eggs and each other. Ryan Reynold’s is in top form with his wise cracks and comedic one-liners. Dwayne Johnson is The Rock we all know from his other movies, able to fight and throw out one-liners to equal Ryan’s at the same time. Gal Gadot is a beautiful, sexy, smart and talented art thief who holds her own against any man physically as she outwits Nathan and John.

It is a familiar story with a twist. Think The DaVinci Code, The Indiana Jones movies, Mission Impossible, The Man from Uncle….I swear some of the soundtrack sounded like Mission Impossible with a couple of different notes just to avoid copyright, or maybe to pay homage. I think a scene at the end mimics and pays homage to one of The Indiana Jones movies. There are ALOT of twists and turns you don’t see coming. It really keeps you guessing and it is very entertaining. Lots of thrilling chase scenes and fights along the way. I have seen this movie at least three times now and I still enjoyed every minute of it.

There are rumor’s of a Red Notice 2 & 3 to fill out a trilogy but no official word. Red Notice 2 is unofficially supposed to have started production right about now but that’s all I the info I can find on that. The ending lends itself to a sequel, I would love to see it.

Highly Recommended!

Two Thumbs Up!