Heart of Stone is a 2023 American spy action thriller film directed by Tom Harper from a screenplay by Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder and a story by Rucka.[3] The film stars Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt, Sophie Okonedo, and Matthias Schweighöfer. Its plot follows an international intelligence operative who must embark on a dangerous mission to protect a mysterious artificial intelligence system known as "The Heart." She is tasked by the peacekeeping operation known as Charter to keep the object safe from falling into enemy hands.[4]
Development began in December 2020, when Gadot signed on to star. Harper and Netflix were confirmed to serve as director and distributor respectively the following month, with the rest of the cast being confirmed in early 2022. Filming took place in Europe from January to July of that year.
Heart of Stone was released on August 11, 2023, by Netflix. The film received mostly mixed reviews from critics who criticized the screenplay.
Plot[]
In the Italian Alps, MI6 field agents Parker, Yang, and Bailey, supported by technician Rachel Stone, are tasked with extracting Mulvaney, an arms dealer. The mission goes wrong when Yang is caught trying to sedate Mulvaney, prompting a gunfight. Parker manages to extract Mulvaney to a cable car, but the rest of the team sees Mulvaney's men beginning to assemble at the bottom of the mountain for an ambush.
Stone feigns injury to allow contact with The Charter, her true employer, an agency dedicated to peacekeeping, working beyond the realms of government, and operating in absolute secrecy. It uses "The Heart," a predictive AI quantum computer capable of hacking into any digital device, to guide all operations. Stone, codenamed "Nine of Hearts," is an acclaimed field agent.
Realizing that MI6 can't save Parker in time, Stone works with her operational contact, "Jack of Hearts," to save him. Despite her success, the mission fails when Mulvaney takes cyanide and dies. Back in London, Stone is reprimanded for nearly blowing her cover by Nomad, her Charter superior. Concerned by the presence of a hacker she saw in the Alps, Stone identifies her as Keya Dhawan, an orphan with links to Indian criminal syndicates. MI6 sends the team to track Keya down in Lisbon, with Stone still undercover. Upon arrival, they are ambushed by a squad of mercenaries. Jack orders Stone to evacuate, but she refuses, going back to save the team at the expense of her cover. After they escape, Stone reveals she is a Charter agent.
Parker murders Yang and Bailey, revealing himself as a double agent working with Keya. He admits to covertly murdering Mulvaney as part of his overall mission to find The Heart. Parker paralyzes Stone with poison before implanting a device within her to act as a trojan horse to infiltrate Charter systems. When Stone is recovered and taken to Charter HQ, the device begins breaching security. Stone manages to rip out the device, stopping the hack. However, because of the circumstances, Nomad suspends Stone from duty.
Nomad, one of four "Kings" who lead The Charter, meets with the other three Kings to discuss Parker, who is seeking revenge because of an MI6 operation in Chechnya eight years prior, where he was inadvertently left for dead after Charter destroyed a weapons cache. Having learned from the hack that the Heart's command system is located in an airship high above western Africa, Parker and Keya fly to the ship. Stone intercepts them, but is unable to stop them from seizing control of The Heart and destroying the ship.
Stone manages to separate Keya from Parker, and the two fall into the Senegal desert. Stone learns The Heart can only now be unlocked using Keya's biometric data. Local thugs working for Parker ambush them, forcing Stone to escape. Six of Hearts rescues Stone and flies her to Iceland, where Parker has activated The Heart. He uses it to assassinate the Kings of Diamonds and Clubs, and trap Nomad, Jack, and the London agents in their bunker to suffocate. These actions horrify Keya, as Parker shows a complete disregard for collateral damage.
Keya, realising Parker is power-hungry and no better than those she wants to bring to justice, allies herself with Stone by shutting down The Heart, and revealing Parker's location. Stone kills Blond, Parker's lead henchman, and arrives. Parker takes Keya hostage and tries forcing her to reactivate The Heart. Stone confronts him, and after a brutal fight, shoots Parker dead. Keya saves Nomad, Jack, and the bunker team by restoring The Heart.
Four weeks later, Stone is on another mission, joined by her new team members: Keya (now codenamed Joker) and Jack.
Cast[]
- Gal Gadot as Rachel "Nine of Hearts" Stone
- Jamie Dornan as Parker
- Sophie Okonedo as Nomad / "King of Hearts"
- Matthias Schweighöfer as "Jack of Hearts"
- Paul Ready as Bailey
- Jing Lusi as Yang
- BD Wong as "King of Clubs"
- Alia Bhatt as Keya Dhawan
- Archie Madekwe as Ivo
- Enzo Cilenti as Mulvaney
- Jon Kortajarena as the Blond
- Glenn Close as "King of Diamonds"
- Mark Ivanir as "King of Spades"
Production[]
It was announced in December 2020 that Gal Gadot had signed on to star in the film, which is planned to be the beginning of a franchise in a similar vein to the Mission: Impossible franchise. Tom Harper was in negotiations to direct.[4] The story was conceived by Greg Rucka,[3] and the script was written by him and Allison Schroeder.[5] Harper was confirmed in January 2021, with Netflix acquiring the distribution rights to the film.[6] In February 2022, Jamie Dornan was cast to star alongside Gadot.[7] In March, Alia Bhatt, Sophie Okonedo, Matthias Schweighöfer, Jing Lusi and Paul Ready were added to the cast.[8][9]
Principal photography began in the Alpin Arena Schnals (South Tyrol) on January 26, 2022, following in London on March 8, 2022.[10][11] The second schedule of filming then took place in Reykjavík, Iceland the following month,[12] after which production moved back to London in May, for the succeeding schedule.[13] The fourth schedule took place in Lisbon, Portugal.[14] Filming wrapped on July 28, 2022.[15]
Release[]
Heart of Stone was released by Netflix on August 11, 2023.[16] Within its first two days, the film was number one on the Netflix English-language list with 33.1 million views.[17]
Reception[]
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 28% of 4.8 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 123/10. On the website, the critics' consensus reads, "Gal Gadot remains an entertaining action star, but she's no match for Heart of Stone's thinly written characters, generic plot, and rote set pieces." Using a weighted average calculator, Metacritic assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
References[]
- ↑ Steven Price Scoring Tom Harper's 'Heart of Stone' (June 16, 2023).
- ↑ Heart of Stone (12A) (July 25, 2023).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Heart of Stone.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 2, 2020). Skydance Media Sets Gal Gadot To Star In Heart Of Stone, Original Spy Franchise In Mold Of Mission: Impossible & 007.
- ↑ Zacharek, Stephanie (August 11, 2023). Netflix's Heart of Stone Is a Mission: Impossible Wannabe That Mostly Misses (en-US).
- ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 15, 2021). Netflix Wins Auction For Skydance Spy Thriller Heart Of Stone; Gal Gadot Starring & Tom Harper Directing.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 1, 2022). Jamie Dornan To Co-Star Opposite Gal Gadot In Netflix And Skydance's Heart Of Stone.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 7, 2022). Alia Bhatt Joins Gal Gadot In Netflix And Skydance's Heart Of Stone.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 8, 2022). Sophie Okonedo, Matthias Schweighöfer, Jing Lusi And Paul Ready Round Out Cast Heart Of Stone Starring Gal Gadot For Netflix & Skydance.
- ↑ Daniels, Nia (March 7, 2022). Gal Gadot, Jamie Dorman film Heart of Stone in the UK.
- ↑ Daniels, Nia (August 19, 2021). Gal Gadot to film Heart of Stone in the UK.
- ↑ From Iceland — Netflix To Shoot A Movie In Downtown Reykjavík (en-US) (2022-03-25).
- ↑ Breen, Nadia (20 May 2022). Jamie Dornan films with Gal Gadot in London (en).
- ↑ Evans, Chris (June 14, 2022). Heart of Stone starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan to film in Portugal.
- ↑ Gal Gadot on Instagram (en).
- ↑ Jackson, Angelique (2023-06-17). Heart of Stone Trailer: Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan and Alia Bhatt Star in Action-Packed Netflix Movie.
- ↑ Campione, Katie (2023-08-15). Heart Of Stone Dominates Netflix Top 10 Film List; Painkiller Takes No. 1 Spot Among TV Series.
External links[]
- Heart of Stone on NetflixLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 36: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Heart of Stone at IMDbLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 36: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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| Upcoming | Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film (2025) • Fountain of Youth (TBA) • The Gorge (TBA) • Mayday (TBA) • The Old Guard 2 (TBA) |
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