'Heart of Stone' review: Gal Gadot leads another forgettable Netflix thriller
Courtesy of Netflix
Anyone who watched the latest “Mission: Impossible” (or any “Mission” film) will feel a case of whiplash if they indulge the latest Netflix clunker “Heart of Stone.” It features a MacGuffin in the form of artificial intelligence, has an action sequence where the lead character Halo jumps out of an airplane, and several car chases through international locales. But unlike those films, Netflix didn’t fork over the cash to get those stunts done practically, so it looks like green screen junk. Someone could tell me Gadot never stepped foot on the set and I’d probably believe them and she now, unfortunately, joins the Netflix loser club following “Red Notice” which came and went without so much as a blip on the pop culture radar.
Gadot, who still hasn’t found a worthy vehicle outside of the “Wonder Woman” franchise, stars as Rachel Stone, a rogue agent working for a shady organization known as the Charter, which harnesses an all-knowing AI device dubbed the Heart. Stone has the information of the Heart, which can predict various probability of success, failure and likelihood of death, fed into her ear by a skilled tech (Matthias Schwighofer - fellow Netflix film “Army of Thieves”) while her boss (Sophie Okonedo) observes the action.
Of course, with a device this advanced, everyone and their sister is going to want it and after the movie takes an unexpected twist involving a group of MI6 operatives headed by Parker (Jamie Dornan), “Heart of Stone” goes from bad to worse. The globe-trotting adventure has Gadot maneuvering around stereotypical villains in close quarters and delivering knock-out punches while protecting the Heart and its trade secrets. You don’t need me to tell you what happens if it were to fall in the wrong hands.
Because she’s the star, director Tom Harper throws much of the pressure on Gadot and though the script attempts to humanize Stone in a relatable way (without giving her a real leg to stand on) the final result is a half-assed movies that’s made from elements of better films (think: “Atomic Blonde”). It ends up being another lackluster action flick without a clear identity and will likely have you craving something better the moment those credits roll.
Grade: C
HEART OF STONE is now streaming on Netflix.
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