Killer Elite is a Hollywood made version of supposedly true events. It pretty much retells the story of a mercenary Danny (Jason Statham) whose best friend and mentor Hunter (Robert De Niro) is kidnapped by a rich Arabic man, who in return, wants to avenge the death of his three sons to the hands of British S.A.S. agents. At the same time, an S.A.S. agent by the name of Spike (Clive Owen) tries to prevent the deaths from happening.
This is pretty much a typical Jason Statham flick. If you like one of them, then chances are you pretty much like all of them. At times, the action feels just like ''The Mechanic'' (who came out earlier this year). As for the performances, Owen and De Niro give out some strong performances. While their performances aren't exactly what I'd consider Oscar worthy (I'm talking about two actors who were nominated for/won Academy Awards before), the performances still remind us that they are, even today, some really great actors. Statham is as good as ever, but this comes from a Jason Statham fan.
However, the film could have been so much more, and I know what I'm talking about. The opening scene, followed by De Niro's ''escape'' from the Arabic men, are very epic scenes. I actually wanted the film to continue in the same direction as it's beginning. However, the film turns typical Hollywood/Statham movie, and the action (although the film says it's inspired by true events) quickly becomes over the top. Furthermore, a part of the film seems to slow down the plot for nearly 20-30 minutes...The dialogue at times also feels awfully cheesy.
So overall I'll give it a seven out of ten. Not because it's a bad movie per Se. I'm sure typical Jason Statham who pay to see this in theatres will get what they're looking for. But simply because it could have been excellent movie, and that it unfortunately decided to go down another path. Still, for the most part I was entertained, with the first 15-20 minutes and the Clive Owen/Jason Statham fight being some of my favourite action scenes I've seen this year.
This is pretty much a typical Jason Statham flick. If you like one of them, then chances are you pretty much like all of them. At times, the action feels just like ''The Mechanic'' (who came out earlier this year). As for the performances, Owen and De Niro give out some strong performances. While their performances aren't exactly what I'd consider Oscar worthy (I'm talking about two actors who were nominated for/won Academy Awards before), the performances still remind us that they are, even today, some really great actors. Statham is as good as ever, but this comes from a Jason Statham fan.
However, the film could have been so much more, and I know what I'm talking about. The opening scene, followed by De Niro's ''escape'' from the Arabic men, are very epic scenes. I actually wanted the film to continue in the same direction as it's beginning. However, the film turns typical Hollywood/Statham movie, and the action (although the film says it's inspired by true events) quickly becomes over the top. Furthermore, a part of the film seems to slow down the plot for nearly 20-30 minutes...The dialogue at times also feels awfully cheesy.
So overall I'll give it a seven out of ten. Not because it's a bad movie per Se. I'm sure typical Jason Statham who pay to see this in theatres will get what they're looking for. But simply because it could have been excellent movie, and that it unfortunately decided to go down another path. Still, for the most part I was entertained, with the first 15-20 minutes and the Clive Owen/Jason Statham fight being some of my favourite action scenes I've seen this year.