From the executive producers of "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning" and damned near as exciting, HEART OF STONE is an enjoyable blend of "Minority Report" and "M:I" with a hint of "The Rocketeer" to elevate the fun.
It's also a thrilling action showcase for Gal Gadot.
Gadot (Wonder Woman, Death on the Nile) is in stunning form as Rachel Stone, a secret member of The Charter, a clandestine global agency with the ultimate computer chip, "The Heart" built for predicting outcomes.
We see this technology in play as the film opens with an arms dealer and his entourage entering Piz Gloria, the same snowy, mountaintop lair that served as Blofeld's hideout in OO7's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Talk about checking my action movie boxes out of the gate!
Rachel is there as a rookie analyst with her CIA team, but when things go sideways, she clicks into Charter mode, connecting with her trusted Q, I mean Jack of Hearts (Matthias Schwighofer from "Army of the Dead") who guides her through massive 3D maps of her location. Her contact lenses provide a perfect path of where she needs to go to escape, all the while providing alternate routes and projected percentages of success. Visually, it's a lot of fun, overlaying the live action with an element of technology that amps up the enjoyment.
I think John Wick must work for The Charter too, because it's the only explanation on how he nearly always gets away....but I digress....
Things get complicated when Rachel has to decide the weight of her loyalty to her CIA team against her Charter team and the almost sure-fire guidance provided by the Heart.
Jamie Dornan (A Private War) is loose and fun as Parker, Rachel's closest team member. He's great in the action scenes and has come a long way from those crap "Fifty Shades" movies that I've never seen.
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt is fun, if a little predictable, as our villain looking to acquire The Heart at any cost. She always seems to be a step ahead or Rachel and the sparring is intriguing.
Paul Ready and Archie Madekwe (Midsommar) are strong as members of the team and Sophie Okonedo (Slow Horses) is a real standout as Nomad, the leader of The Charter.
The action scenes are all first rate and an absolute blast. A car and motorcycle chase scene with Rachel's van against much better vehicles is a blast.
But the best is saved for the final 30 minutes, when Rachel halo jumps down to a massive modern dirigible high over Africa that serves as the global home for The Heart. Any fans of Disney's forgotten and underrated early 90's film "The Rocketeer" will have serious flashbacks.
The entire scene is a jaw dropper for any action fan and Gadot carries it all effortlessly. If there was ever going to be a female James Bond, Gadot's my pick.
There are a ton of bad reviews of this new Netflix film out there. I think some folks are just predisposed to hate anything Netflix does. I don't pretend to get their hate, but we had nothing but fun watching Gadot and team.
Turn down the lights and buckle in, HEART OF STONE is two hours of fast paced action with a globe hopping Gal Gadot that earns a very solid B+.
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