Review of Killer Elite (2011) by Filmdilettante — 24 Oct 2011

"Show me a beautiful woman, and I'll show you a bloke who's sick of her s**t." Davies, Killer Elite.

This is just one of several nuggets of meat-headed wisdom you will pick up from this cast of "blokes". Sure...this is a testosterone-driven guy flick, but there is enough regret, romance and moralizing to make it potentially palatable for the more adventurous members of the softer sex. The movie does assume you know the background of the story.

To enjoy this film in the proper context, you will need to know a little something about the Special Air Service ("SAS"), an elite British Army corp. Think of it as the equivalent of the American Navy Seals. According to my "sources" *, the SAS was originally commissioned in 1941, and since that time has been disbanded and then resurrected on numerous occasions, most recently for purposes of counter-terrorism. According to Michael Smith, author of the book Killer Elite, members of the SAS told him in confidence that the SAS did operate in Oman to protect British oil interests. It is interesting to note that because this Oman mission was secret, it would be difficult to document the veracity of these accounts, leaving the author with great latitude to embellish the details. The film Killer Elite is based on Smith's book, and it makes for a tense and riveting action movie, true or not.

With that background, the story opens on professional assassins Danny (Jason Statham) and his long-time mentor and partner Hunter (Robert De Niro) as they are making a hit in Mexico. After Danny blows the guy away in his limo, he sees there is also a child in the car. As Danny looks at the boy's stunned, blood-spattered face, he loses focus, almost botching the getaway. Immediately following, Danny vows to get out of the business and lead a quiet, respectable life with his lady love near his childhood home in Australia. Easier said than done. Danny is everyone's cash cow, and partner Hunter has a family to support. However, because it is Danny who is in demand, Hunter is suckered into becoming a decoy in Oman. In order to save him, Danny is coerced into taking an assassination job in England worth 6 million dollars.

And what a job. Danny must find the SAS operatives who killed the three sons of Sheik Amr, first obtaining a videoed confession AND making it look like an accident. Danny is more than capable, and with the assistance of Davies (Dominic Purcell), he makes it look easy. However, Danny does not count on the Feathermen, a secret society of former SAS who continue to carry out government objectives with a "light touch", except for renegade Featherman Spike played by Clive Owen, who cannot detach from the intensity of his former life in the SAS. When the "accidental deaths" of two comrades who served in Oman come to his attention, Spike's loyalty sets him on the path to prevent the death of the third. In the end, Danny is pitted against Spike for the final face-off. On top of this, the agent played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is willing to compromise Danny for his cut of the $6 MM.

The beauty of this film is not just the intrigue or the fight sequences, but how it ultimately elevates both a mercenary assassin and a renegade soldier to anti-hero status, ennobling their killing with higher purpose and redemption. It's worth watching just to appreciate this phenomenon alone. Jason Statham (Crank, Revolver) is in fine form, his menacing face and hardened body serving once again as an unstoppable fighting machine. Clive Owen (Duplicity, Children of Men), complete with damaged eye, looks and plays the part of Spike with grizzled passion. Robert De Niro (Limitless, Little Fockers) brings bumbling humor and good will to the role of Hunter, while Yvonne Strahovsky brings the sexy, girl-next-door sweetness to the woman waiting at home for Danny. If you are unfamiliar with the background, Killer Elite will leave you behind for the first 15-20 minutes, but it is no less riveting as you begin to piece the story together. I highly recommend this film for lovers of high octane action thrillers. * Wikipedia.

This review also appeared at www.filmdilettante.