An intelligence operative for a shadowy global peacekeeping agency races to stop a hacker from stealing its most valuable and dangerous weapon.
“Heart of Stone” is a no-frills action thriller that cuts right to the chase. Gal Gadot as Stone is one of the most beautiful, cutthroat operatives who exists solely to make the world a better place and whose entire life is a play on words. Working for “The Charter” as an undercover operative, she seeks to protect its assets from villains while getting to the heart of espionage matters. While this film isn’t for the faint of heart, the foundation of its appeal relies on the heart’s emotional core to strategize power plays from the other high-ranking members in the deck.
With the operatives traveling from country to country trying to track “the Heart” and effect global peacekeeping in London, Lisbon, and Iceland, Stone is constantly reminded by Nomad (Sophie Okonedo) that blowing her cover would jeopardize the entire operation. When Stone and Parker (Jamie Dornan) get a little too flirty with one another, Nomad reminds Stone that she needs to refocus on her position. Later, it proves to be just the right advice when Parker reveals himself as an undercover operative with his own agenda. When Stone is taken off the team as punishment from Nomad, she uses her emotional intelligence, physical strength, and female charm to outwit the villains and save the team that was heartless in booting her out in the first place.
While having well-trained and highly-intelligent female operatives seems to be a big draw at the box office these days, one of the greatest highlights of this film is the massive display of technology that the Jack of Hearts (Matthias Schweighofer) has at his fingertips. Regardless of where the operatives are or what entanglement they find themselves in, Jack of Hearts keeps the fans in awe as he saves the day over and over with his indisputable spyware and the wherewithal to give directions to paths of least resistance at a moment’s notice.
Director Tom Harper does an excellent job of casting for this film with strong and beautiful characters that complement one another with strength, endurance, and charm. The fast-moving storyline, the picturesque skylines, and artificial intelligence are enough to keep the momentum throughout the entire film as the emotional, physical, and intellectual battles transform into a high-stakes game of survival of the fittest!
Playing Exclusively on Netflix Friday, August 11th
