Gal Gadot has endured an unusual career path. She’s starred in some of the most financially successful films of the last decade, but she can’t seem to lock down a solo franchise. She’s a side character in theFastSaga, her role as Wonder Woman may have flamed out after two films, and she’s the third billed name inRed Notice.Heart of Stoneis her attempt to find aMission: Impossibleto put her name on.
Netflix’s blockbuster action movieshave earned a stigma. Most of their big-budget spectacles are vapid vehicles for their stars first and engaging stories second. The less-popular examples tend to be genericJohn Wickknock-offs with a different celebrity in a fancy suit.Heart of Stonemakes no effort to hide its desire to beMission: Impossible,and it won’t alter the perception of Netflix’s original films.
RELATED:Heart of Stone Review
What isHeart of Stoneabout?
Rachel Stone is introducedas a van-dwelling newcomer to the world of espionage. She’s on an MI6 mission to black bag an arms dealer. Her crew includes Yang, Bailey, and Parker. After the mission goes awry, Stone suddenly demonstrates a dozen new skills to pursue her target. Stone is secretly an experienced agent working for Charter, a mysterious organization thought to be fictional. Charter is above global politics, founded by former intelligence agents. The center of the Charter is a complicated AI system called The Heart, which collects all data and provides accurate predictions of upcoming events. After failing in Italy, Stone discovers Keya, a young, wunderkind hacker with a grudge against The Heart. Stone learns that her MI6 pals have been tasked with investigating Keya and joins them to track down the computer genius.
The Charter is organized into four teams. All ofits codenames are basedon playing cards. Stone is called Nine of Hearts. The Jack of Hearts operates the AI system directly, hacking into any system from the Locker, an airship thousands of feet in the air. The leaders of the organization are known as the Four Kings. Stone and her MI6 team travel to Portugal to hunt down Keya, but a massive ambush forces Stone to abandon her post. Her actions blow her cover, revealing her allegiance to the Charter. Parker suddenly kills Bailey and Yang. He poisons Stone and explains that he and Keya are after The Heart. Keya grew to hate The Heart as the protégé of a righteous criminal, while Parker was injured in a Charter-approved missile strike. Aftera failed hacking attempt, the two vengeful thieves break into the Locker and make off with The Heart. It’s up to Rachel Stone to stop her former friend from using The Heart for evil.
How doesHeart of Stoneend?
Parker and Keya turn The Heart against its creators. Many Charter agents are killed while others aretrapped in terrible situations. Stone managed to pin a tracker on Keya. Keya notices the device and uses it to lead Charter members into a trap. Agents fly to a university in Iceland, where they’re trapped with a ticking time bomb. Stone’s direct manager, Nomad, is caught with other Charter members in an underground bunker. An explosion kills the Charter agents in Iceland, but Stone escapes the blast. Nomad’s team is rapidly running out of oxygen. Parker’s plans to eliminate the Four Kings cause massive collateral damage, killing countless innocents. Keya realizes that her political ideals don’t agree with Parker’ssingle-minded quest for revenge. Keya sabotages The Heart to take its power out of Parker’s hands. Her attack on The Heart turns Parker against her while informing Stone of their location.
Keya and Parker are working out of a different university in Iceland. Stone kicks in the door and attacks. With Keya’s help, Stone fights Parker to the death. She shoots Parker. He offers her a better outcome in the next life. Keya is hauled off to federal prison. Two of the Four Kings were killed, along with dozens of Charter agents. After a few weeks, Stone visits Keya behind bars. She explains that the Charterneeds new blood toreplace those who died. She offers Keya a job and a way out of a bad situation, much like the Charter had done for Stone many years earlier. The last scene depicts Stone forming a new team with Keya and the recently promoted Jack of Hearts.
Heart of Stoneis a straightforward spy movie with a classic MacGuffin and plenty of double-crosses. Its ending leaves Hannah Stone with another notch on her belt, The Heart back in the Charter’s hands, and a new team ready to keep the peace. The film isnaked in its intentionsto build a franchise for its star. If fans support the film, they may see Hannah Stone and her crack team of spies return to the world of high-risk espionage in countless future iterations.
