Small Details You Missed In Heart Of Stone

Contains spoilers for "Heart of Stone"

Following the release of "Extraction 2" with Chris Hemsworth, Netflix has continued its successful 2023 run of action movies with "Heart of Stone," led by "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot. Directed by Tom Harper (Prime Video's "The Aeronauts"), the film introduces audiences to Rachel Stone, an operative for a secret intelligence organization called the Charter. Operating outside of a traditional government hierarchy, the Charter's agents use a sophisticated artificial intelligence apparatus known as the Heart to guide them in peacekeeping efforts around the world.

On their latest mission, led by Stone, the Charter comes into conflict with unknown enemy agents who are trying to take down the Charter and steal the Heart. If they succeed, they will have the means to exert control over entire world governments, posing a threat greater than any the Charter has ever faced. 

With a complex plot that includes a number of shocking twists and plenty of stunning reveals, "Heart of Stone" is a spy thriller that will keep you guessing from start to finish. But while you'll have to keep your eye on a carefully unfolding plot, there are plenty of details you may miss. That's why we're here, because we've found more beneath the surface of "Heart of Stone" that deserves a look.

Spy movies are one of the action genre's oldest staples, so "Heart of Stone" is certainly nothing new. From "Mission: Impossible" to the "Bourne" movies, they've continued to soar in popularity in recent years, too. But "Heart of Stone" seems to be aiming for a certain energy and tone similar to the franchise that defined the format: James Bond. While 007's agency, MI6, is a real-life intelligence organization — far from the more mythical agency known as the Charter in "Heart of Stone" — the Bond version operates much more closely to the one seen in the Gal Gadot film: a shadowy, elite group of agents who boast bleeding edge, and indeed futuristic, technology and gadgets.

The film's striking opening credits sequence, with bold animation and a pop song punctuated by a sultry female vocalist ("Quiet," written and performed by Israeli singer-songwriter Noga Erez), also recalls Bond movies, which are known for similar opening themes and sequences. Even the incidental score, with its emphasis on horns, feels very "Bond."

The agents of the Charter, meanwhile, are also given secretive code designations, but rather than numbers like 007, their designations are the numbers and suits in a deck of playing cards. Clearly not coincidental in its similarities, Netflix — whose competitor Prime Video now owns the rights to Bond after acquiring MGM — may be hoping that "Heart of Stone" can kick off its own rival spy thriller series.

With superstar Gal Gadot in the title role as Rachel Stone — a tough-as-nails hero out to save the world from diabolical villains — Netflix's "Heart of Stone" has one obvious connection to DC's "Wonder Woman" movies. Stone and Princess Diana of Themyscira also have a lot in common beyond being played by Gadot, from their combat skills to their selfless nature, and even their ability to reach out to an enemy to make the world a better place. Yet the film has one more connection to DC's greatest female hero that you might not have noticed.

A close look at the film's credits reveals that the movie was written and produced by Greg Rucka. Movie buffs may recognize the name for his work on other female-led action movies like Charlize Theron's "The Old Guard" and Kate Beckinsale's "Whiteout," but Rucka is arguably better known for his work in the comic book industry, including a pair of iconic runs on DC's "Wonder Woman." 

Alongside artist J.G. Jones, Rucka penned "Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia," where Diana is forced into a showdown with Batman. Not long after, Rucka became the writer on DC's primary "Wonder Woman" title, on which he remained for several years, which became famous for its legendary covers by artist Adam Hughes.

At the heart of "Heart of Stone" is the Heart, a shockingly advanced artificial intelligence. It's the very core of the Charter, the worldwide agency that few know exists, and those that do believe is merely a legend. Thanks to its highly secretive quantum computing code, the Heart is able to hack into any computer system in the world. With that ability, it has access to untold gigaquads of information that allow it to serve as a predictive model of everything from an individual's behavior to the collapse of nations.

With astonishing accuracy, it's said, the Heart helps guide the Charter in its mission to make the world a better place. In the final moments of the film, though, Rachel Stone reveals that they can't rely on it alone, because it's not as perfect as it's made out to be. And for those paying attention, this is actually alluded to very early in the film. 

During Stone's daring first mission in the mountains, the Heart predicts that there is no way for her to accomplish her task after her parachute is stuck on a power line. That's because, Stone says, the Heart lacks human creativity, just as she uses the chute's straps to glide down the wire. It's a brief moment, but one that underscores that the A.I.'s supposedly perfect algorithms have some pretty obvious weaknesses, and human assets like Stone are more important than ever.

In the first act, audiences are introduced to a team of dedicated MI6 agents. The British super-spies are led by agent Parker (Jamie Dornan), whose team includes point man Bailey (Paul Ready) and cold-blooded sharpshooter Yang (Jing Lusi), alongside Gadot's computer expert Rachel Stone. During their mission, the friendly team members are frequently seen bickering over what music they're listening to, and it seems the filmmakers were careful to select choices for each one that matched up with their personality.

The fun-loving, wise-cracking Bailey is a big fan of '80s music: He's heard playing the hit 1987 Fleetwood Mac tune "Everywhere" from their album "Tango in the Night," an appropriately playful selection. When Yang has her say, though, the tone shifts to Lizzo's "Juice," a vibrant, fast-paced modern pop song with sass, which perfectly fits her strong, gung-ho attitude and exuberant energy, even when she's blowing away the baddies.

Parker, meanwhile — a straight-laced, suave man of mystery — prefers something more "cultured" and old-fashioned. His song of choice is "Fado Portugues," a 1970 song from fado artist Amalia Rodrigues. Fado music is a lesser-known genre known for its classical guitar and viola and can trace its origins back to the early 19th century. 

We've already talked about how the music chosen by each member of the MI6 team belies a clue as to their personality. But when it comes to Parker — who is eventually revealed as the true villain of the film — his own choice of music could actually be seen as a hint that he's really the hidden mastermind and the very enemy that the Charter is searching for.

Written by Amalia Rodrigues, "Fado Portugues" is taken from her album of the same name. The fado musical genre, meanwhile, hails largely from Lisbon, Portugal in the 1820s. Those who have seen "Heart of Stone" will already understand the significance of that location, because it's where the elusive Keya — the young woman allied with Parker in his scheme to steal the Heart — is located when the Charter tracks her down. In fact, they're in Lisbon when he plays the song, suggesting he may have picked it to fit in. But his familiarity with it may be a clue that he's listened to it before.

We're not sure if the choice of song is a sly hint by the filmmakers to plant the seed for Parker's betrayal, but it certainly seems suspicious in hindsight.