Heart of Stone Review: Gal Gadot Cites Ethan Hunt to Create Her Mission: Impossible
Cast: Gal Gadot, Alia Bhatt, Yaron Varsano, David Ellison, Julie Lynn, Don Granger, Bonnie Curtis, Dana Goldberg
Director: Tom Harper
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Gat Gadot and Alia Bhatt’s starrer Heart of Stone is now available to stream on Netflix. A secret agent, linked to an agency that operates above any national interest that considers him an element outside the ranks, is engaged in a race against time to prevent an incredible artificial intelligence capable of controlling the planet. If you have begun to whistle the unmistakable tune of Lalo Schiffrin, you can understand it is easy to review the plot of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning as a summary, yet we are not talking about Ethan Hunt’s latest feat, but Heart of Stone, new Netflix action movie starring Gal Gadot, arriving on August 11th. Heart of Stone, the return of Gal Gadot in a Netflix Original after the already not very charismatic Red Notice, a spy story in which alongside The Rock and Ryan Reynolds she was unable to fully convince.
The hope was that Netflix would offer the Wonder Woman of the big screen the opportunity to redeem herself from the previous disappointment, but a far-from-satisfying plot intervened to make this mission even more difficult. We open our review of Heart of Stone, arriving on Netflix on August 11, by immediately clarifying the genesis of the project. Strengthened by her experience as Wonder Woman, Gadot has produced a spy film inspired by the deeds of Ethan Hunt together with Netflix. And she did it blatantly, without being ashamed or hiding it. Indeed, the Israeli star has declared in many interviews her love for the Mission Impossible saga and her esteem for Tom Cruise, whose example of self-sacrifice pushed her to go beyond the limits of her also in this new experience.
Will the pupil be able to surpass the master, or did she just follow in his footsteps? We’ll tell you right away. The Netflix recipe is clear. Summer arrives, and a top action film lands on the catalog. The ingredients? Adrenaline-fueled action, stories capable of traveling the world, and above all big stars to attract the public. Two years ago, it was the turn of the hilarious Red Notice, with Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson to destroy viewing records with a film capable of deserving a sequel. Last year it was The Gray Man’s turn to carry on the bombastic tradition, driven by the magical trio Ryan Gosling/Chris Evans/Ana De Armas. In 2023, however, the mission is all for Gal Gadot, a great fan of action movies since the time of James Bond, who has strongly wanted an all-female genre film.
Heart of Stone Review: The Story Plot
Rachel Stone is an agent of the Charter, an extra-national secret agency that operates guided by a single principle: to protect the interests of the majority of the population. To pursue this ultimate goal, the operations of the Charter are guided by the Heart, an extremely advanced artificial intelligence, capable of predicting the occurrence of high-profile attacks and crimes with minimal margins of error. The existence of the Charter is a secret, a legend in the espionage scene. Designated as the Nine of Hearts, Rachel is sent to infiltrate MI6, the British secret service, as a simple analyst, a role she held until she is forced to breach this cover. A choice antithetical to the dictates of the Charter, but motivated by the desire to protect one’s team. Vain attempt, but which will lead to the shocking revelation that there are traitors within MI6 intending to capture the Heart making it a lethal weapon, so determined to achieve this goal that they do not hesitate to exterminate Rachel’s team. Abandoned by her agency, without contacts and support, Rachel just has to play everything to regain possession of the Heart and avenge her team.
It starts in the Alps of Trentino Alto-Adige and then ventures into the sands of Senegal, the ice of Iceland, and the sunny streets of Lisbon. Like any self-respecting action film, Heart of Stone also goes around the world because we are talking about global threats. We are three ranks of the British Secret Service. This is where Rachel Stone, an agent with a few secrets up her sleeve, attempts to do her dirty work in her shadow. At least until the elusive Charter enters the scene, an organization made up of former world intelligence agents who act impartially. Zero politics, no governments to answer to. Only men and women are free to watch over the good of the world. How do they do it? Thanks to a technological marvel of immense power, capable of controlling the digital network and studying other people’s data with almost infallible precision. This means that, of course, certainly cannot fall into the wrong hands.
Heart of Stone Review and Analysis
From the premises, it is clear that Heart of Stone has no desire to overdo it or surprise. No, because the film directed without too many flashes by Tom Harper is content to retrace the classic stages of the action film with great diligence. And so here is intrigue, double-dealing, and the choice to reveal the cards of the protagonists little by little. A strategy which, especially in the first half of the film, makes it very difficult to identify the antagonists of the story, with the characters acting following their instincts and morals. It is this gray area that makes Heart of Stone intriguing because paradoxically it is the actual action that disappoints. The fault of an unclear direction in the fights and chases was not helped by sometimes-botched editing. All are supported, however, by a good rhythm and a screenplay that is always clear and straight to the point, seasoned with some sequences with an almost videogame aftertaste in the staging.
In short, the feeling is that Gal Gadot‘s Rachel Stone has studied Tom Ethan Hunt Cruise’s lesson well (an aerial sequence is a clear reference to Mission: Impossible – Fallout), but that she is still very far from reaching the veteran’s peaks colleague. Certainly, the foundations have been laid for a new, possible action saga that Netflix could pamper itself properly. Thinking about its Heart of Stone is an oxymoron. A title that hides a clue, because how does a stone have a heart? After all, this is the great underlying theme of a film that tries to find the unpredictable (i.e. feelings) in a context dominated by cold control, extreme rationality, and ends that justify the means. Suddenly a pawn tried to imagine a life without manipulation. If the world is in the hands of those who control our data, what are we controlled by? What are we driven by? How can one be a hero (or rather, heroine) when every move has been calculated to the millimeter by a program?
They are interesting dilemmas that Heart of Stone touches now and then, trying to give a human dimension to its characters. Almost everyone is looking for freedom which is difficult to find during so many rigid schemes. What surprised us, however, is the chorus of a film that seemed tailor-made for Gal Gadot, who doesn’t emerge forcefully as the absolute protagonist, focusing heavily on teamwork and the importance of not being self-sufficient. In short, no one saves themselves. Not even Wonder Woman. The heart, perhaps, is all there. If you are expecting a spy story capable of bringing something new to the genre, let us not be under any illusions: Heart of Stone is not the film we were waiting for. Reduced to a minimum, the plot of Heart of Stone is a story that trudges tiredly, unable to show its personality but trying to create a synthesis of the cinematographic espionage of recent years, without looking for a creative twist.
The feeble attempt to create a narrative contrast between the cold approach of the artificial intelligence and her more emotional name, which could echo more clearly in Rachel’s lonely and painful life. It would be all too easy to list all the films Heart of Stone cannibalized, to the point where one wonders if the writers didn’t want to create a film that was the quintessential cinematic espionage, merging decades of stories into one, hastily confused adventure. Which despite a rich playing time, which exceeds two hours, still manages to make one feel the weight of a lack of inventiveness, in which the action scenes give a momentary boost of vitality to an extremely predictable race against time. While accepting a not particularly brilliant writing, one could have compensated with the creation of charismatic and passionate characters.
But even in this respect, Heart of Stone has not found the right emotional dimension, relying on stereotypes so exploited as to be predictable after a few minutes of viewing. Rachel Stone should be the emotional cornerstone of the story, but the amorphous portrait that is done demeans any possible empathy between character and viewer, spoiled by the echo of wounds and problems already seen and better told previously. Gadot moves on the screen with little conviction, armed with her beauty and little else, supported by uninspired and sometimes caricatured dialogues. In her defense, it must be recognized that the rest of the cast does not seem particularly convinced of their roles, inserted in a dynamic of events that manages to waste a significant presence like that of Glenn Close in a few scenes without the right pathos. Heart of Stone partially recovers on the visual level, aiming for the liveliness of the fight scenes that show the only hint of vitality. Imperceptible adrenaline rushes that try to keep the viewer’s attention high, accompanied by a fairly flat soundtrack.
However, there are sequences where the spectacularity is lost due to inattentive shots, which do not reward the dynamism of the action but seem unable to highlight the tension of the moment and at the same time the emotionality of the characters. To spoil this film is a persistent feeling of lack of conviction, the absence of a desire to give life to action but well-defined characters, and the fear of wanting to venture away from the safe atmospheres of stories already seen too many times. In a period in which even historical franchises are starting to show the first signs of wear and tear, Heart of Stone seems to want to accentuate the tiredness of a genre rather than trying to establish itself as a valid alternative.
The predominant feeling when watching Heart of Stone is that the placement in the Netflix summer schedule is the awareness of having in your hands an ideal film for a lazy summer afternoon, light and without great pretensions in terms of attention from the viewer. Who risks, in some passages, suffering from the clumsy attempts to create a minimum emotional connection with the protagonists, played on shaky dialogues and scenes so forced as to be cloying and, at times, even harmful to the narrative crescendo, which ironically sees its fragility right on the fulcrum of the whole story: the heart.
Heart of Stone Review: The Last Words
Heart of Stone leaves the persistent feeling of lack of conviction, the absence of a desire to give life to action but still well-defined characters, and the fear of wanting to venture away from the safe atmospheres of stories already seen too many times. In our review of Heart of Stone, we told you about the new Netflix action movie. Gal Gadot cites Ethan Hunt to create her Mission: Impossible. The result is a canonical film, with some good ideas and a less-than-memorable staging.
Heart of Stone Review: Gal Gadot Cites Ethan Hunt to Create Her Mission: Impossible - Filmyhype
Director: Tom Harper
Date Created: 2023-08-11 13:52
3
Pros
- Gal Gadot is charismatic and gives a strong performance.
- The action sequences are well-choreographed and exciting.
- The film has a sisterhood theme that is refreshing to see in a spy thriller.
Cons
- The film is predictable and lacks originality.
- The plot is somewhat convoluted and hard to follow at times.
- Some of the supporting characters are underdeveloped.
