Jason Statham is back doing what he does best—cracking heads while cracking wise as a badass globetrotting super spy—in a new trailer for director Guy Ritchie’s latest comedy action film, Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre.
Ritchie made his name with early breakout hits Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), both showcasing his distinctively bold, quick-cutting style to best advantage. Those were also breakthrough films for Statham, who has since become one of the world’s most bankable action stars. Alas, Ritchie hit a slump starting with 2002’s Swept Away, starring then-wife Madonna, which bombed both critically and at the box office. (It has an aggregate 5 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and won five Golden Raspberry awards.)
Fortunately, the director found his box office mojo again with 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and the 2011 sequel, A Game of Shadows, as well as Disney’s live-action Aladdin (2019), which grossed over $1 billion globally despite mixed reviews. And that classic Ritchie magic was back in full force by 2020’s The Gentlemen, which was released right before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a global lockdown. It nonetheless managed to gross a respectable $115 million worldwide against its $22 million budget.