Heart of Stone review: Gal Gadot, Alia Bhatt-starrer is a glossy yet hollow spy thriller

In this era where streaming platforms churn out content to meet every conceivable taste, comes Heart of Stone, a film that feels like it was assembled by code rather than crafted by human hands. If it feels like I am exaggerating or being unkind, just watch it! I know writers in Hollywood are protesting against the proposed use of AI tools like ChatGPT in writing scripts by studios, but I fear it may already be a reality, in a fashion. This appears to be specifically a Netflix thing — glittery spy action thrillers with stratospheric production values and some of the most beautiful actors and actresses in the world in the cast, but a plot more formulaic than a mathematical equation. 

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Heart of Stone, directed by Tom Harper from a screenplay by Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder and a story by Rucka, epitomises this trend with uncanny precision.

But first, what is Heart of Stone about?

Gal Gadot's Secret agent Rachel Stone is ostensibly a part of an MI6 team as a young and inexperienced tech person with no firearm experience. In reality, she is a trained operative with expertise in all kinds of weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. Also, she is actually a part of a global organisation called the Charter that works to keep the world peace and is not aligned with any government. Despite her true loyalties, Rachel has grown close to her MI6 comrades. She finds herself entangled in a perilous mission to safeguard the enigmatic artifact referred to as The Heart, which powers the Charter. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could transform the world, and not for the better. Stone's mission is to ensure the object remains secure.

(Yes, the Charter had echoes of Citadel in Amazon Prime Video's Citadel series, but then that series was not such a fresh breath of air either.)

On paper, Heart of Stone has everything. A patently huge budget, a starry cast (apart from Gadot, there is India's own Alia Bhatt, Jamie Dornan, Matthias Schweighöfer, Sophie Okonedo, Jing Lusi, Paul Ready (Mr Goodsir from Amazon's The Terror), a globetrotting feel that is familiar from these kinds of movies (there is Portugal, Senegal, Iceland, and many more I might have missed), and a release on Netflix, which is as wide as it gets. 

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So is Heart of Stone watchable?

I think I am fatigued. Heart of Stone was just not for me, and I suppose a vast majority of you too. While it certainly has its moments and showcases commendably choreographed action sequences, my role as a professional movie enthusiast compels me to hold films to a higher standard. Attempt and fail, and I will be kinder. But this movie encapsulates everything that makes watching movies feel like a chore rather than a joy. 

The pacing, or lack thereof, is an additional grievance that underscores the film's inability to maintain even a modicum of excitement. In a genre where velocity and momentum are key to sustaining engagement, Heart of Stone disappoints by neglecting to harness the very element that could have breathed a sort of life into it. The absence of urgency further amplifies the sense of tedium that pervades the whole experience 

A jarring example of this lacklustre pacing presents itself during a pivotal fight scene that, by conventional storytelling standards, would typically mark the climax. Yet, to my disbelief, I was met with the realisation that there was still a substantial hour remaining in the runtime.

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Also, the film's issues aren't limited to pacing. As mentioned in the first paragraph, the script of the film appears to have been assembled using a checklist of generic plot points and character archetypes. The characters, despite the talented cast, feel like mere vessels for clichéd dialogue. Gadot's portrayal of Rachel Stone lacks depth, stuck in the archetype of the enigmatic, tough spy with a mysterious past. Alia Bhatt's character, though promising, is underutilised, and her chemistry with Gadot falls flat, further hindering the emotional resonance the film desperately tries to establish. Attempts at inserting emotional beats and character development feel forced and unearned. The dialogues, often attempting to be witty and sharp, come off as contrived and disconnected.

Yes, Heart of Stone often looks good. But its glossy appearance can't mask the hollowness at its core.

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