Killer Elite
Screen Rant ’s Ben Kendrick reviewsKiller elite group
If there ’s one thing that hotshot Jason Statham is known for it ’s straightforward anti - hero that get caught up in balls - to - the - rampart action set - pieces . With a pedigree that includesThe Expendables , Crank , The Italian Job , The Transporter , andSnatch , it ’s no surprise that even his " base on a dead on target tale " ( accent onbased)Killer Elitefilm check plentifulness of larger - than - spirit action .
At first glimpse , in a film diligence riddled with remaking , some filmgoers might assume thatKiller Elite , is actually a reimagining of the 1975 film , The Killer Elite , star James Caan and Robert Duvall from theater director Sam Peckinpah ( Straw Dogs ) . However , Stathams’sKiller Eliteis completely unrelated to the earlier movie and is actually an adaptation based slackly on the outcome detailed in Sir Ranulph Fiennes ' novel , The Feather Men . The novel itself , specially Fiennes ' claim that the ledger was " found on actual event , " caused mickle of disceptation around the time of its issue - and continues to be a source of stress today . Is the film version an equally provocative activity picture with compelling drama or just an excuse for Clive Owen and Jason Statham to beat each - other up ?
There ’s no doubtfulness thatKiller Eliteis go bad to gratify a band of Jason Statham faithfuls as well as fan of practical effects - driven action photographic film . However , even though there are a enough number of heavy - hitting action bent - patch , Killer Eliteis a narrative mess that convolutes a pretty square - forward game with loads of bizarre character family relationship and add up " dramatic play " in an attempt to elevate the motion-picture show beyond a thrown-away legal action experience .
The basic game ofKiller Eliteis simple enough , contract killer Danny Bryce ( Jason Statham ) seek to get out of the " game " after a job in Mexico turn atrocious . That is , until his closest admirer and mentor , Hunter ( Robert De Niro ) is captured by a fertile Dubai sheikh . for unloosen his admirer , Bryce must succeed in completing Hunter ’s assignment - to pour down three British Special Air Service ( SAS ) agents responsible for for slay the tribal sheik ’s three oldest boy in cold blood . Bryce quickly assemble a squad and gets to work - after cast the attention of former SAS operative , Spike Logan ( Clive Owen ) who will discontinue at nothing to protect the soldiers .
It ’s a middling introductory plot of ground - until the cinema attempts to pull in a series of side stories , admit government confederacy , a hush-hush society , and even a romantic through - line - all of which require on - the - nozzle and disjointed expounding that weigh down any potential for dramatic tension . Instead of a tightly - wound action mechanism risky venture film with a act of add political intrigue or compelling graphic symbol relationships , Killer Elitelumbers along for 105 minutes - saddled with too much clock time spent as Statham star out aeroplane windows ( cue flashback ) and Owen converses with greying bureaucrat .
It ’s unfortunate because there are some genuinely fun reference moments that smoothen through all of the anticlimactic drama - specifically any prison term De Niro is on covert . Not only is it fun to see the older superstar in a office where he can genuinely kick ass , the vet ’s on - projection screen mien helps buoy some of the performances from his colleagues . Statham and De Niro , have an especially enjoyable connection and watch the two trade barbs or fight together is surprisingly fun ( and credible ) . unhappily , the same ca n’t be said for the moral force between Statham and Owen , whose scenes mostly amount to verbal pissing competition that sometimes result in the duet discombobulate each other around for a few minutes .
The various " commission " are , for the most part , diverse and interesting enough to keep motion-picture fan enthrone - each of the contracts has to squeal to killing one of the Arab chief ’s sons and Bryce has to make each death depend like an stroke . However , it can be hard to suspend disbelief from sentence to time - count Bryce ’s team is supposed to include some of the slickest grampus on the planet . Sir Humphrey Davy ( Dominic Purcell ) , often referred to as the Welshmen in the cinema , is enjoyable to view but incredibly clumsy for someone who is opine to be successfully going head - to - school principal with SAS agent . likewise , some of the more hard to explicate elements of the film happen off - screenland , such as one of the SAS soldier ’s confession . These scenes are , for deficiency of a better term , cop - out and , as a result , run out to pay off built up tension - instead of get up to the occasion and delivering believable and satisfying " in the moment " drama .
That said , the big problem is the tempo - which , coupled with the convoluted segment of the game , surcharge the pic of any narrative momentum . Killer Elitefrequently jumps timeframes and locales - and as a resultant of various blossom patch constituent in the final act bear on out one anti - climax after another . Audience penis will be nervous when they are n’t suppose to be or blindside by abysmally handled , and unimaginative , twists that are poorly developed throughout the large tale . Despite a strong Statham - esque chase sequence mid - agency through human action three , the completion minutes ofKiller Elitefall middling flat - not to mention fail to make good on all that metre spent ruminating on contend political motives .
Killer Elite is a 2011 action thriller directed by Gary McKendry, starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert De Niro. The film is based on the book The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and follows a retired special operations agent who is called back into service to save his mentor from kidnappers. The mission pits him against a covert group of assassins and a rival operative.
Fans of Jason Statham will no doubt have some fun withKiller Eliteand there ’s one show - stop moment in the first Statham / Owen brawl that will certainly get a reaction from audiences , but for anyone look for either an over - the - top action motion picture or a smart - witted political thriller , the cinema go to live up to the sum of its respective part . What ’s left is a cartoony and mussy tale that is mostly style over substance - a similar unfavorable judgment to the ace , coincidently , that have been used in attempt to disbelieve the hardiness of Fiennes’Feather Mentell - all and/or novel .
If you ’re still on the fence aboutKiller Elite , check out the trailer below :
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Killer Eliteis now in theaters .
Killer Elite is a 2011 action thriller directed by Gary McKendry , starring Jason Statham , Clive Owen , and Robert De Niro . The cinema is ground on the Word The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and follows a retired peculiar mathematical operation agent who is called back into service to save his mentor from kidnappers . The mission pock him against a covert group of assassins and a rival intelligence officer .
