‘Killer Elite’ Blu-ray Review: Great Actors, Premise Squandered In Weak Execution
by John NolteSupposedly based on a true story, director Gary McKendry’s “Killer Elite” boasts a terrific premise. After a close call involving a child, Danny (Jason Statham) decides that it’s time to get out of the elite assassin-for-hire business. After a year of bliss in the wilds of Australia with a lovely blond lovely and innocent enough to save any man’s soul , Danny’s friend and mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro), is kidnapped, and the ransom is a job. An Omani sheik promises to execute Hunter unless Danny avenges the death of the sheik’s three sons at the hands of a trio of British SAS officers. The sheik not only wants the three deadly and highly-skilled SAS agents killed, he wants them to confess to their crimes on tape. In exchange, Hunter will be freed, carrying six million in cash as a bonus.
Danny’s also up against the clock. He has to finish the job before the aged and ailing sheik dies, so he quickly assembles a team of fellow mercenaries to track down the three men and figure out a way to not only get them to confess but also to make their deaths look like an accident. The hitch in the plan is Spike Logan (Clive Owen), the leader of a secret organization of former SAS-types who have banded together to protect themselves from outside forces… such as Danny.
The set-up is solid; in fact, it’s inspired — not only in its simplicity but in making the audience understand immediately both the stakes and how difficult the mission will be. The problem is the execution, which is nowhere near as exciting or clever as you anticipate. The killing of these SAS agents is absurdly easy, as is extracting their confessions. Once the second act kicks in, you sit back expecting the script to take us into the fascinating details of how assassins who work at the highest level operate. Unfortunately, nothing that follows even rises to the level of a standard “Mission: Impossible” episode.
De Niro looks good in the role of a grizzled mercenary unwilling to give into age, but he’s barely in the movie. Statham, a genuinely charismatic action star who needs to pick better scripts, is perfectly capable of carrying a film on his own, but all he’s given here is a choppy plot disguised as an international thriller, plus a few unexciting action sequences filmed with the shaky-cam and edited for maximum confusion.
Naturally, the politics are dumb and clichéd. Western imperialists. Oil. Yawn.
If you’re looking for brain candy, a couple of legitimately good action scenes (both take place in the first 30 minutes), and to bask in the charisma of the stars, you could do worse than “Killer Elite.” But when you consider the premise and the actors they had to work with, both the director and screenwriter could and should have done a lot better.
“Killer Elite” is available at Amazon.com.
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38 Comments
Go with the Sam Peckinpah Caan v Duvall fest from the 1970s-way cool.
It seems that the latest the action/thriller film, the more I pine for the Golden Age of Hollywood.
That is the problem, when you make remakes they tend to be not very good with some rare exceptions. Prisoner of Zenda comes to mine. The 1937 version i B+W with Ronald Coleman and Madeline Carrol was a fine movie, the Color remake in 1952 with Steward Granger and Deborah Kerr works just as well and is a fine movie. The later 1979 version well it was not very good. Its hard to do a remake, and for the most part its just a lazy way out. Thou good stories can be retold, and are retold, it takes a very good Director, with good actors, and and even better writer to pull it off. When it happens it can be pure poetry on film, when it don't work like Around the World in 80 days ( they should have just re released the original), it leave a very bad taste in ones mouth.
I found the full version uploaded on YouTube a few weeks ago and watched it that way. Amazing that it hadn't been taken down yet. I have to say, I'm glad I didn't waste a spot on my Netflix queue let alone spend cash on a theater ticket.
Jason Statham can indeed do better and he has, with the surprisingly fun remake of The Mechanic. It's predictable as hell but it's well done and Ben Foster is cool too. He has a sequence where he takes on a huge guy in a house and gets tossed around like a rag doll. The flick isn't any longer than it needs to be either, clocks in at just under 90 minutes.
"it blew up, real good",is not enough anymore; is it that hard for film-makers to figure out?
I needed to do something for the two hours before I fell asleep last night, so I watched Killer Elite, figuring I couldn't miss with Stratham, DiNiro and Clive Owen. Got my moneysworth.
One of the points that jumped out was that the production was Hollywood, not European, but DiNiro was the only American actor. The Left, in general, is attempting to replace, for American consumption, media leaders and role models with non-USA talent – usually English. In terms of casting, this flick was a perfect example.
The strategy is to get Americans to follow the British accent, so that when more of their socialist and communist media folks inundate the USA that we will be more used to accepting them as presenting a reasonable point of view – when in fact, in will be, more often than not, Commuist.
I had one other problem. A character remarks that (more or less – not a direct quote) the British SAS makes the CIA look like Boy Scouts. The years 1776, 1812 and 1944 kept flowing through my mind.
A weak film based on a discredited theory.As for SAS, they seem to be recognised by American special forces as the unit to beat/emulate. 1776…Englishmen fighting Englishmen. 1812…Whitehouse burnt down Canada made secure …1944, we appreciate the help and always will but In 1940 we stood alone against the world whilst Americans enjoyed a quiet life …easy to throw stones hey?
"but In 1940 we stood alone against the world whilst Americans enjoyed a quiet life …easy to throw stones hey"
You stood alone because "you'd" spent the preceding four years attempting to reason with and placate a madman. Why some people believe that America should have rushed to the rescue of Europeans suffering the results of European stupidity, has always escaped me.
1776: failed attempt by the English to enslave Americans.
1812: after agreeing in 1776 to end the attempt to enslave Americans, the Brits returned and again got their asses kicked.
1944: in 1940, England stood against the world, not because they were particularly noble, but because they had no choice. Without the "help" of the Americans, England today would probably be speaking German.
"As for SAS, they seem to be recognised by American special forces as the unit to beat/emulate." I seriously doubt that. Where's your documentation?
Further, my basic point stands: Hollyweird Leftists are more and more replacing Americans with the Engllish to condition us to accept communism.
"Killer Elite" is better than most of the action films they have thrown at us lately. Choose it over "Contraband".
In the remake of the Mechanic, our hero (Statham) gets to live–Bronson got killed in the original. It leaves the option for a sequel open which works for me.
Saw it in the theater, liked it, don't remember a thing about it. Which is sad because I really was expecting a good, solid action flick with some gravitas, something to buy on blu-ray so you can show the grandkids what real action movies used to be like. I also agree that Mr. Statham could do much, much better. He's my new Bruce Willis.
Muddled story. Is it a "Commando"-revenge story to save DeNiro or something else? It can't decide whether Statham or Owen is really running things, and I'm getting bored with Statham's indestructibility. The story's only saving grace is Yvonne Strahovski.
The 70s one with Caan/Duvall is better, though it came out as ninjas were getting in vogue so the story took an odd turn. Read the book instead. And BTW, the killers are ALL British in the book.
Killer Elite 2011 isn't a remake. It's the film version of The Feathermen, a book that purports to tell a true story. It's not a story about assassinations and the ethos of the hitman; it's an old-fashioned procedural, albeit with both good guys and bad guys operating in the underbelly of society.
1776 was an attempt to enslave Americans in the same sense that 1861 was an attempt to enslave South Carolinians.
"1812: after agreeing in 1776 to end the attempt to enslave Americans, the Brits returned and again got their asses kicked"
I believe it was Washington that burned, not London. You know why it's called The White House don't you? Because the scorch marks on the original yellowish stone had to be painted over.
1812 is a war both sides don't talk about because both sides feel as though the other side won, although it did wonders for Canadian pride.
1944, 1940. Fair enough except for the bit about speaking German. As Jimmy Carr said on the same point, the English are s*it at learning foreign languages.
So, the story is, he should kill 3 "good guys" to save his friend? If he is an "elite" assassin, why not kill the guy ordering the hit to save his friend?
Agree. I liked this 70s era-feeling film. Owens, Statham and DeNiro make this flick work. I disagree with the cliché comment by the reviewer. Sure, it takes a hit at oil and Empirism, but paints the Arabs as no better. I could in fact argue the film accurately displays how self-interest is a natural exposition of all political regimes, not to mention individual behavior as well, which we see played out with the lead's squeeze. Survival is a natural, but ugly beast no matter how you cut it.
Contraband, on the other hand, came off as 70s era-schlock films that approves criminal behavior, painting it as a noble endeavor. The ending was totally and unemotionally flat. The second act heist (and it's outcome) was senseless and predictably served as the end's Mcguffin – saw it coming the minute it happened (being vague so as not to spoil it). This was a letdown considering the cast. Star power with decent acting skills will almost always outperform pure acting.
Good point. It's kind of what the son was wanting anyway. However, the guy had a small army at his disposal, and even if the sheik had been 'hit,' there would have been little doubt who was responsible. Not to mention the prisoner would be freed as the result of the shiek's death is not certain. The soldiers being taken out, on the other hand, were on the outside of their hypocritical leaders, with fewer resources, not to mention not knowing who was truly responsible for taking them out (pick a country).
Of course, ALL film, stories require some suspension of belief. No matter how factual the source, we always have to question the viewpoint of whose telling the story.
unominous…you made some fair comments there. As for enslaving americans…considering americas history of slavery that is pretty rich.
1776 was a response to the British extortion racket, taxation without representation and a number of other offenses like forcing Americans to house foreign troops. It was definitely a rip-off, which is loosely speaking – at the massive level the English thought they could enforce – in fact slavery.
You are seriously bragging about the 1812 voiding of the agreements the English made in 1783? Their attempt was to enslave the United States, to force us to work for and pay taxes to them whether we wanted to or not. In fact, they were willing to murde their way to power in North America.
Further, my basic point stands: Hollyweird Leftists are more and more replacing Americans with English accents to condition us to accept communism. One of their strategies is to use Islam to weaken our form of democratic free-enterprise.
Further, it looks like Europe isn't going to have the balls to stand up to Islam, so Brits are running here to the USA and attempting to teach us how to lose our freedoms and country just like they are.
If you believe that the Brits had balls the size of baseballs because they burned the White House back in 1812, just watch them continue to handle Islam with the ball size they have today. Before it is over, Allah's minions will torch Buckingham Palace. Take it to the bank.
What an unusual take on history…work for them…them was in fact you. Americans being english had to pay tax just like the rest of us. as for england becoming islamic well I expect that america will be hispanic long before then as your open southern border and birth levels make it inevitable whereas England has a 95% native born population, no wonder you seem so bitter.
I liked it. From my perspective it was Danny vs Spike (and hence the Feathermen), not so much Danny vs the SAS.
It's not like the Sheik was running around in public making himself an easy target like Iranian nuke scientists, he was terminally ill and staying put in his "fortress". The film shows the futility of assassinating the Sheik by having Danny attempt to free to Hunter, and they almost get away, but two men against larger numbers, and larger numbers win. If Danny stuck around in Oman and tried to figure out a way to kill the Sheik and free Hunter without anyone being the wiser, there is someone in the movie that would have known that Danny wasn't "on the job" and would have passed that information to the Sheik, and Hunter would be killed.
I wasn't bragging about anything. British violations of the peace treaty were dishonorable and the impressment of sailors off American-flagged ships was despicable, but the US was not strong enough at the time to use war as a means to solve those problems; Madison was a fool to ask Congress to declare war and Congress was foolish to agree. Thank goodness the British were occupied with Napolean at the time.
The burning of Washington was a reprisal for our troops' sacking and burning Toronto, which was the Canadian capital at the time. The British made sure to limit the damage to government buildings. It wasn't ballsy but it was an understandable reaction to what what was essentially a war crime.
The whole English accent=communism is just bizarre, it makes so little sense.
Wellll, most of America's history of slavery was actually Britain's history of slavery (1620-1776 vs 1776-1865). We were British citizens until we seceded from the empire in 1776. You could spend all day counting the masts of the slave ships in Liverpool as Britain was virtually the monopoly international slaver. And although Britain's role in the slave trade ended before America's, it was certainly more intense, given the life expectancy on the sugar plantations. No one's hands were clean in that business.
I'm writing this overlooking Liverpools river Mersey so our part in the slave trade is pretty much enshrined in local history. I'd like to think the royal navys sweeping of the seas clean of all traders made up for some of our past misdeeds although the establishing of a confederate states consulate here does muddy the waters!
Luckily fighting a war against America whilst taking on Napoleon is a neglected era of history here as it doesn't sit well with the democracy for all meme that America projects. As for accents, well mine is Liverpool Irish so I could be quoting Das Kapital or The Hobbit and nobody would undestand a bloody word I said.
We bit and wished we hadn't. Awful movie.
America had a (too) small part in that between the time we banned the importation of slaves and finally ended the institution. More muddying of the border between democracy's ideals and human nature.
Tangentially, though, it's weird, ain't it, how Liverpool's ships brought slaves over to America. Then American ships took slaves' descendants' music over to Liverpool where Lennon and McCartney could hear it?
Most working class Liverpudlians of a certain age grew up listening to music brought back by seafaring relatives known here as Cunard Yankees hence the Beatles.Liverpools ties with the new world resulted in my family moving to america over several generations. I keep a house in the bay area but live in England for 8 months of the year.I'm still a believer in the special relationship which is why the ignorance shown by original commentator is so annoying as it just strengthens those that would do harm to both nations.
My take is not at all unusual. "Taxation without representation," was one of the major points of the Declaration of Independence. If you really want to argue about what Revolutionary War was all about, you should begin by reading it. It lists the American grievances.
Britain flat out refused to give Americans a seat in their Parlment and simultaneously began taxing the hell out of us – after about 100 years of not really giving a f**k.
Another biggie was the conscription of American troops to use as fodder in their wars in the Caribbean.
Once more, you need better information to keep up in this argument. Try Mark Steyn's (Canadian with an English accent, not Jewish) America Alone. It clearly explains white Europeans being outnumbered by 2040 by Islam who are having up to 6 kids per family while the West is killing off its future with abortions.
If you don't understand the difference between Catholic Mexicans and Muslims, it's another area that you need to get up to speed on. The main problem is that Mexicans are undereducated and prone to follow commie leaders. They don't aspire to convert us to their religion or cut our heads off. We have problems coming up with encouraging or forcing them to live within democratic free enterprise – but that is a mere blip compared with Europe's Islamic malaise.
The other major issue is drug cartels South of of border. Mexico has experienced about 45,000 murders in the last five years. If their military is unable to put those b**tards out of business, I am certain that the Marines will handle it.
Ten years ago, the English were immigrating off the island at about the rate of 4,000 a month. Many of those were Islamics who went home, but many many, more were white Brits running from the Muslim invasion.
As for the English accents, you probably aren't paying attention, but more and more they are inundating our media, espcially the more Left leaning outlets.
Stuart Varney is conservative, as is Mark Steyn, the Canadian-American who speaks with a British accent. Beyond that, though, all the news outlets are hiring the Brits, and nearly all of them are Left leaning. Hell, even 60 Minutes now has an English female as a regular contributer.
Seeings as I live in both countries I can see which way the wind is blowing…your dream of Americas military dealing with a problem in Mexico is just that, a dream. Mark Steyn is a good writer but he needs to sell books and so he exagerates wildly, just check when Ammericas white population is due to become a minority. Europe may be suffering a native birth crisis but In England the native population is expanding quite rapidly as England may be of europe but we have never truly been in Europe.Our govt is conservative, our prime minister english through and through whilst america has president with what middle name exactly? and a socialist agenda…do enjoy.
You confuse Americans with Europeans who, in the tradition of monarchy rule, will put up with dung until it drips out of their ears. The cartels at our Southern border are finally trying to export their gang BS inside of our borders, including kidnapping American teen girls and forcing them into sex slavery South of the border. You are the one who is dreaming if you believe that we will put up with it.
Steyn doesn't have to exaggerate the birth rates. They are public record. The USA is at 2.11 per couple. England is 1.6. If I remember correctly, a society needs 2.3 just to maintain its current numbers. Many argue that that is why we are allowing so many Mexicans in. England – for all your bluster – is going backwards – and that isn't counting all of you who see what's coming and are running away.
Until fairly recently, your government has been slanting to the Left especially compared to the USA. Your spies have been notorious for their communist sympathies. Our country has always been and still is a center-right nation. B. Hussein O. Jr. was elected mostly because he was never vetted by the commies who have taken over much of our media. The next election will tell you exactly how Americans feel about Black, commie rat, politicians. Take it to the bank.
Bruce Willis isn't still Bruce Willis?
"like Iranian nuke scientists?" LOL!!
The figures are much closer to that, a fact you should think on whilst enjoying a cerveza and a burritto. ( you future national food)..I must run now as I'm sure I can hear the Islamic horde battering at my door….give my regards to that wonderful president of yours.
Hey, I really like burritos.
And if I remember correctly (I might not), Nolte, the editor of this site is married to a woman of Mexican decent.
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