What is ‘The Charter’ in Heart of Stone? Is it a Real Agency? We discuss the 2023 Netflix movie and a key plot point.
Gal Gadot plays Rachel Stone in Tom Harper’s international spy thriller Heart of Stone.
The stylish adventure features secret agents, stunning locations, and action set pieces, and I have no doubt that everyone involved hopes that the production will lead to a franchise that can equal Bourne or Mission: Impossible.
So far, the film has had a lukewarm response, with audiences and critics left underwhelmed by the movie.
You can read a full review of the production right here on Ready Steady Cut to get a feel for the movie, and it has to be said that in a genre that has had so many incredible films, it was always going to be an upward struggle to find a way to differentiate this one from so many others that are just like it.
One of the ways was to try and develop a world that had depth and lore, and the writers introduced various building blocks, including The Charter, to help create a strong base for the characters to operate within.
Creating an interesting back story for characters can be the difference between one genre of film and another, so it is always important that writers and directors make an effort to present viewers with some substance.
A good example would be the John Wick movies, which slowly layers the narrative with various elements that help develop the characters and the world in which they operate.
In Heart of Stone, we are introduced to The Charter, and this article will break down what the agency is.
What is the movie Heart of Stone about?
The film follows the story of Rachel Stone, codename Nine of Hearts, who is a super spy from a covert agency called “The Charter.” Stone is an agent who cleans up other spy agencies’ messes.
In the film, she infiltrates an MI6 team led by an agent called Parker, a novice agent, and attempts to salvage their mission. After the target dies, she is recalled back to Charter headquarters.
She learns of a plot to steal The Heart, which is a quantum computer that can be used to hack into any mainframe.
This acts as the driving force of the movie, with Stone trying to stop The Heart from falling into the hands of Keya.
What is ‘The Charter’ in Heart of Stone?
Charter is the name given to the secret covert organization that Rachel Stone works for. Charter is made up of a number of different agents from all across the world who move into situations that have been compromised by other agencies.
They fall into four groups: Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs, and each group has a team leader called Kings and codenames. Rachel is Nine of Hearts.
They act like fixers or a clean-up team and often infiltrate other organizations, acting as double agents.
The Charter is a very well-kept secret, but it does seem that their dependence on The Heart is also their greatest weakness.
Is Charter in Heart of Stone based on a real agency?
The agency is fictional, but it does embrace many conspiracy theories about the powers of hidden organizations that operate in the shadows without being governed by any official means or public involvement.
You can decide for yourself whether or not you believe such agencies exist.
What does The Charter do?
They are basically a peacekeeping operation, so thankfully they are usually motivated by keeping the world safe.
They often have to mop up any mess made by other agencies such as MI6.
