Two estranged siblings partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives, and possibly lead to immortality. A film by Guy Ritchie, starring John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, Benjamin Chivers, Michael Epp, and Stanley Tucci.
FOUNTAIN of YOUTH
Guy Ritchie
(2025)
In Thailand, Luke Purdue (John Krasinski) races through crowded streets and a bustling market, desperately trying to escape Kasem (Steve Tran) and his gang. They’re after him because he stole a valuable painting from Kasem’s crime boss.
Luke finally shakes off his pursuers and catches a train to Chiang Mai, just like his partner Murphy told him to do. But his troubles aren’t over yet – on the train, he runs into the enigmatic Esme (Eiza González), known as the Hand of Mercy, who’s also hunting for the same painting. After a brutal fight, Luke barely manages to get off the train and continues his escape on foot.
In London, museum curator Charlotte (Natalie Portman) is going through a messy divorce with her husband Harold (Daniel de Bourg) while battling him for custody of their son Thomas (Benjamin Chivers).
At the museum where she works, Charlotte gets an unexpected visit from Luke after years of no contact. She immediately suspects something’s wrong as she can recall that Luke only shows up when he’s in trouble. Despite his claims that he just wanted to see her, Charlotte isn’t buying it.
While Charlotte is distracted by Luke’s sudden appearance, he manages to steal Rembrandt’s “Head of Christ” painting and bolts from the museum. Charlotte chases after him, desperate to get the artwork back. Once they’re outside, Luke somehow talks her into running away with him instead of calling security.
Later, Charlotte finds herself meeting Luke’s partners Patrick Murphy (Laz Alonso) and Deb McCall (Carmen Ejogo), who used to work alongside their late father. Charlotte then realizes that Luke’s been carrying on the treasure-hunting work. Luke claims that he’s trying to restore the recognition and respect their father never got while he was alive.
Murphy examines the back of the painting but comes up empty, making the piece worthless for their purposes. Realizing Charlotte is now too involved, Luke uses anesthetic spray to knock her out and leaves her on a park bench. His plan is to give her plausible deniability.
Charlotte wakes up and rushes back to the museum, where she’s confronted by Special Detective Jamal Abbas (Arian Moayed) who’s investigating the theft. He immediately suspects her of being involved since she’s Luke’s sister.
He reveals that Interpol has connected Luke to several high-profile art heists. Just when things look bad for Charlotte, they discover the stolen Rembrandt has mysteriously reappeared in its original spot on the wall.
Charlotte visits Luke and his team at their hideout, where she meets Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson), a dying billionaire who’s bankrolling their entire operation. Owen is desperately searching for the mythical Fountain of Youth, believing it can save him.
In the 1600s, six artists made a pact to reveal a location. Each one hid a clue in their paintings: Caravaggio’s The Taking of Christ, Rubens’s The Descent from the Cross, Wildens’s Christ and Disciples on the Road to Emmaus, Velázquez’s Christ Crucified, El Greco’s Christ Carrying the Cross, and lastly, Rembrandt’s Head of Christ. The team has hit a dead end after striking out with the last painting they stole which was supposed to contain the final clue to the Fountain’s location.
Realizing they need her expertise to crack the puzzle, Charlotte explains that the reason they didn’t find any markings on the painting Luke stole earlier is because it’s not the original Rembrandt. Even though Rembrandt himself painted it, he was notorious for creating multiple copies of his own work. But Charlotte has bigger problems than treasure hunting. She’s lost her museum job and is now fighting an uphill battle for custody of her son. Owen sees an opportunity and makes her an offer: help him find the Fountain of Youth, and he’ll use his resources to make sure she keeps Thomas. Charlotte doesn’t agree to anything. Still, before she leaves, she tell them look into Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt’s collection.
I thought nothing could be worse than Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE when it comes to big-budget adventure films, but apparently I was wrong. This movie doesn’t have a single memorable character. The opening chase scene in Thailand, set to a Thai version of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” is probably the only memorable moment in the entire film.
The pacing is painfully slow, bogged down by pretentious dialogue and family drama that’s meant to be funny. But when you beat the same comedic beats over and over, it just becomes exhausting to watch.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH is basically The Mummy meets Indiana Jones. On paper, that sounds like a winning combination, and I really wanted it to work. But it crashes and burns because the dialogue treats the audience like we’re five years old. Everything gets over-explained to death, making what should be a fun adventure feel like it drags on forever.
Fountain of Youth was released 23 May 2025, on Apple TV+.
