Killer Elite

Killer Elite doesn’t appear to have much going for it. A dodgy poster, a (with respect) first time director and stars Jason Statham (we all love him, but hardly the sign of a quality film) and Robert De Niro (honestly now, when was the last time he was in anything decent?). Therefore you won’t be too surprised when I tell you the film has a lot of faults. On the flip side though it also has a lot of positive aspects and if you can overlook its problems there’s an enjoyable thriller here. Based on Sir Ranulph Fiennes bestselling book The Feather Men, the film sees retired hit man Danny (Statham) forced back into action when an Arab Sheik kidnaps his ex-partner (De Niro) and will only release him if Danny kills three former SAS agents who the Sheik claims murdered three of his sons during the Oman war. Recruiting a small team (including Dominic Purcell) Danny begins his mission, but before long he has attracted the attention of a secret society of former agents (Clive Owen amongst them) and a game of cat and mouse develops with the line between who’s good and bad blurred beyond recognition. This is quite a bit smarter than the average Statham vehicle, so it’s a shame it hasn’t been advertised better. The moody poster of men wearing shades and holding guns will probably alienate a good portion of potential audience, which is a shame as there’s more to this than just senseless gunplay and punch downs (though if that is your thing there are still plenty of those to enjoy). With this being his debut feature, director Gary McKendry handles the balance between action and dialogue well, though there are plenty of goofs to spot, including Owen’s disappearing and reappearing “blind” eye from scene to scene and the notion that the film is set in the early 1980’s, though most of the time it looks like it was shot last week. McKendry has been aided by a decent screenplay, but that also varies wildly in quality at times, from the ridiculous (“We don’t want blood on our pinstripes” utters an old boys network suit at one point) to some laugh out loud quips. On the acting front Statham is, well, Statham, De Niro hardly appears, but Owen is good, putting more effort into his part than the rest. Purcell is the most memorable though, sporting an outrageous horseshoe moustache and a few one-liners, the film misses him whenever he is not on screen. Though the film claims to be based on a true story there’s plenty of controversy as to how much of Fiennes book is true. It’s probably best just to reserve judgement and watch the film for what it is. Oh yeah and the film itself is an American Anglophiles dream view of the UK with enough red buses, red telephone boxes and “Bloody’s”, “Blimey’s” and “Cheers’” to shake a Dick Van Dyke at.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

Not “Killer” or “Elite” (sorry, couldn’t help that) and though the quality rating varies from scene to scene, this is still a smart (if silly) debut for McKendry. Rating: 7/10