Released Date : 11 Aug, 2023
Avg. User's Rating : 3.5/5
Synopsis: Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) is a fearsome secret agent who works for a peacekeeping spy agency called 'Charter'. He must protect the 'heart', his agency's most valuable weapon, from hackers. If stolen, it can destroy the world.
Review: Gal Gadot's Rachel and her team consisting of Parker (Jamie Dornan) must stop a mysterious hacker driven by vengeance (Alia Bhatt as Kaya Dhawan from Pune). But there is more to the story than meets the eye and no one is telling the truth.
Women can kick ass and they don't feel the need to play dirty to win. The premise is interesting. Shot across London, Iceland, Portugal and Italy, the spy thriller revolves around ulterior motives, deception, artificial intelligence (AI) and a global intelligence agency unaffiliated with any country or political ideology. Sounds familiar doesn't it?
Priyanka Chopra starrer Citadel and Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, recently touched on some of these elements. Does the film make up for the generic content with its acting, narrative or stunts? To a certain extent yes, but not enough to keep you glued to the screen.
Despite a fairly simple opening chase sequence and a pulsating song ('Quiet' by Israeli alternative pop artist Noga Eraz) that sets the tone for the film, it soon settles for mediocrity. Tom Harper's storytelling struggles to create a chemistry between its lead trio that demands a certain banter and emotional tension. Sarcastic one-liners don't land well. Alia Bhatt looks a bit lost and nervous as 22-year-old Kaya in her first Hollywood film. His dialogue delivery is reminiscent of a newcomer. Jamie Dornan exudes disinterest and boredom. Actors who are otherwise quite attractive on and off screen, strangely seem like they're in it for the paychecks, except for Gal Gadot.
The Wonder Woman does her best to carry this female-led spy thriller on her chiseled shoulders. His athletic body and badass presence help. Gale's Rachel is competent, sassy and moral enough to team up with Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt but an underwhelming storyline fails her.
In a year that saw some solid action thrillers, 'Heart of Stone' paled in comparison. That's not to say it hasn't had its moments. Action sequences shot in Lisbon and Iceland are worth watching but beyond that, you won't feel thrilled, excited or emotionally invested in the characters or their backstories. Treatments and events seem static and tedious.
Along with true crime, Netflix seems obsessed with the idea of making globetrotting action-spy thrillers, no matter how big and how forgettable they are. Horror, Gray Man, Red Notice, Extraction… the list is endless.
All these films follow a template in terms of story and casting. Hollywood A-listers team up with a diverse cast including some well-known Indian actors. Without taking away from the talent of an actor, it would not be wrong to say that this is a clever move to attract the huge Indian audience. Casting feels more token than meaningful, and therein lies the problem. Speaking of genre, this trend does little justice to the wide range of Indian actors, barring Priyanka who got a rounded character in Citadel. They can do more.
Charter isn't the IMF of Mission Impossible, but if you like Gal Gadot, you can give Heart of Stone a shot. Alia and Jamie fans have better things to look forward to.
