This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.Following movies like Red Notice, Extraction 2, and The Mother raking in millions of hours on the global streaming service since their respective debuts, Netflix is looking to reel in a new audience with its latest action-adventure, Heart of Stone, led by Gal Gadot and a star-studded cast, including Jamie Dornan and Alia Bhatt. Premiering this Friday, the Tom Harper-directed feature is certainly entertaining and engages the audience with knockout action sequences and strong performances. However, there are elements of Heart of Stone that feel rather familiar and periodically fall back on genre conventions.

From the executive producers of The Old Guard and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Heart of Stone sets itself up as a strong action franchise for Gadot with some major Ethan Hunt vibes. Within the first 20 minutes establishing the film’s tone and direction, through enough mystery and action to pique your interest ahead of its very sharp and stylish opening credits sequence, we meet our hero in Gadot’s Rachel Stone. An unassuming computer tech agent, she is in an elite MI6 unit headed up by lead agent Parker (Dornan). However, her team doesn’t realize she is actually an operative for The Charter, a covert peacekeeping organization that keeps secrets from other agencies through its state-of-the-art AI technology used to counteract global threats. Though she has been trained to be a consummate professional and has maintained her cover in MI6 for over a year, things go awry when a routine mission gets derailed by a mysterious hacker named Keya (Bhatt). Rachel’s life and identity are soon catapulted into chaos as she races to protect her teams and The Charter’s most valuable yet dangerous asset, “The Heart” from an enemy team. As she strives to beat the odds and understand the formidable weapon’s power held by her organization, Rachel relies on her humanity to lead the way and save the world from mass catastrophes.

Once audiences understand what “The Heart” is and the power it wields, Heart of Stone might look like a carbon copy of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, but it manages to carve out its own identity and charm thanks to Gadot. The Wonder Woman star manages to bring a touch of heart and grace to the type of cliché espionage thrillers traditionally dominated by men. In stunts that would impress Tom Cruise or even James Bond’s Daniel Craig, Gadot manages to make solid use of a motorcycle and a flying suit. There is even a one-on-one, hand-to-hand fight sequence on a cylinder beam that would have Jason Bourne taking notes. The pacing is brisk with these action scenes choreographed extraordinarily well, giving us some of Gadot’s most beautiful combat sequences since Wonder Woman.

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‘Heart of Stone’ Transcends Trope
Image via Netflix

When Hollywood usually creates female action heroes, they are often dropped in a plot any man can perform — albeit with tighter clothing and a focus on her sex appeal. Instead of doing that, Heart of Stone revitalizes the age-old trope with a humanistic approach and makes way for a potential female-led franchise that creates a character who is thoughtful with her compassion serving as a driving force for her actions. Not to mention, the film balances its action very well with humor without it ever feeling forced thanks to a naturalness that develops between characters and the situations they each find themselves in.

When it comes to the cast, Heart of Stone manages a strong one that leads the way and closes any gaps not fulfilled in the writing. Gadot is incredibly fun to watch and as she manages to tear apart every gendered trope the spy genre encounters as her performance is engrossing and earnest. She has a wonderfully charming talent for making every experience personable and heartfelt through remarkable alertness. In conveying Rachel’s intuitive responses and rollercoaster of emotions with facial nuances and expressions, Gadot’s magnetism manages to elevate this film to a level unseen in other similar spy films. Getting to see her do movies like this is not only comforting, but something you can see Gadot genuinely has fun with and that makes the movie-watching experience all the more enjoyable. Thanks to the writing from Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder giving her a lot to work with in terms of a brainy, emotional character in an ambitious high-octane world, her expressiveness does more than serve the movie: it becomes its most organic part.

With Gadot exerting such star power in Heart of Stone, her performance is matched most successfully by Dornan as Parker, the MI6 team’s leader. While Parker might seem like he doesn’t appreciate Rachel’s unpreparedness as the team’s tech support, she manages to earn his respect very quickly. This creates a charming chemistry and tension between the two that leaves us curious about their dynamic. That said, Dornan also manages to keep some mystery to his character, which keeps us thoroughly engaged as to his aspirations and motives. Parker has an idealistic way of how the world should be, but not in the way audiences might originally expect, which creates some very dynamic and energetic sequences.

The Supporting Cast Fit Right Into ‘Heart of Stone’
Image by Netflix

That isn’t all as Indian film superstar, Bhatt, makes her English-language debut in Heart of Stone as the mysterious 22-year-old hacker who’s out to steal “The Heart” and disrupts the plans of MI6 and The Charter. Bringing humor to the film and an ardent conscience, Bhatt manages to work very well with what she is given for Keya. While some of the moments with Bhatt could have been elevated with stronger dialogue, she manages to make the most of it and plays captivatingly to the character’s greenness in a cutthroat world. Through this innocence, we see Bhatt quite emotive with striking expressions and an actress who can hold her own in some very spirited scenes with Gadot and Dornan.

Also joining Gadot in Heart of Stone is Matthias Schweighöfer as The Charter’s tech specialist and “Jack of Hearts,” who works closely with the AI at the center of operations. He is also, in many ways, Rachel’s personal handler, helping her every step of the way. Schweighöfer gives a likable performance with energy and humor sans clichés seen with characters in Mission: Impossible or James Bond. Also part of The Charter is Nomad. Played by Sophie Okonedo, she delivers a fierce and strong portrayal of a badass in charge, filled with light one moment and subtle darkness the next. The contrast she brings to the role is appreciated and adds much-needed intrigue to her character, especially as it opens the door to understanding Nomad’s motivations more for a potential sequel. With Rachel’s team stretching beyond just her MI6 and Charter family, the cast is rounded out by Jing Lisu, Paul Ready, BD Wong, and a special appearance by Glenn Close, who manages to capture our attention in some very specific scenes.

Spy genre fans who prefer movies with strong storytelling that balances smart and quick-paced action sequences will appreciate Harper’s direction with the writing from Rucka and Schroeder. While some moments feel unnecessary and the dialogue could have been stronger for some of its characters, the film still works and is set to an even pace that functions most suitably and delivers on its promise of an action film. Though the graphics could be better in a few scenes and at times feels like a production truly made for TV, Heart of Stone still gets it done and hides its budget constraints very well.

‘Heart of Stone’ Is the Latest Film to Tackle AI
Image via Netflix

As our world becomes more immersed in social technologies and artificial intelligence works to enable how we rethink information integration, the film also brings up a valid argument about the dangers that stem from such an authoritative tool and the nefarious forces threatening our security. Not to mention, Heart of Stone creates a gripping commentary in its two hours about humankind and their pursuit of absolute power as an ingredient to survival. Hollywood has long deconstructed AI in multiple action movies and, most recently, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, though Heart of Stone repackages that very threat into an application that helps humanity to avert a world crisis. However, with “The Heart” touted as an incredible force that changes everything once you have it, the film and its characters’ motivations serve as a cautionary tale of capitalism’s commodification of resources.

Heart of Stone is by no means a perfect movie, but it is a fun one that manages to break past some permeating gender stereotypes associated with this genre of film. This is not a feminist movie in any sense, but it finds its female characters empowered every step of the way, calling the shots and ensuring they are listened to. Gadot is not only the best actor for this role, but she also gives Rachel and the film’s premise some incredible charm not seen in so many of Netflix’s biggest budget projects. While Rachel Stone has plenty of ways to go, the film manages to deliver some pulse-pounding sequences and surprising twists and turns you wouldn’t imagine. Not to mention, a radiant, cold-hearted villain who plays the ruthless role immaculately and will have you wondering what their next move is.

With verve and style, Heart of Stone does a great job of creating a new character in the espionage thriller genre. Paced well despite some run-ins with common genre platitudes plus familiar action beats, the film still manages to thrill with its knockout sequences, humor, and performances. With the group of highly regarded actors in Gadot, Dornan, and Bhatt, the film delivers solid entertainment value through some very gratifying, high-powered fights and a storyline that works. Heart of Stone might seem on the surface like just another Netflix action movie that could fall into oblivion on the streaming platform, but it has a ferocious kick thanks to its lead. With relentless momentum through well-calibrated thrills and compassion, the film works as a standalone or a franchise starter. If it’s the latter, we will definitely want to see more.

Rating: B

The Big Picture

Heart of Stone brings a refreshing twist to the spy genre, breaking gender stereotypes and empowering its female characters to call the shots. Gal Gadot delivers a charming and earnest performance, showcasing her talent for action and making the movie-watching experience enjoyable. The film raises thought-provoking questions about the dangers of AI and capitalism’s commodification of resources, while still delivering thrilling action sequences and surprising twists.

Heart of Stone is available to stream on Netflix starting August 11.