Guns, fights, explosions, mystery, crime, stunts and more explosions — all typical ingredients that make the stereotypical action thriller “Killer Elite.”
“Killer Elite,” based on a true story, stars Jason Statham (“The Expendables”) as Danny Bryce, an ex-assassin who retires after a botched job. After his year-long retirement, Danny finds himself back in the business to save his good friend and father-figure, Hunter, played by Robert De Niro (“Taxi Driver,” “Meet the Parents”) who was kidnapped and held hostage by an exiled oil sheik.
The sheik’s demands for Hunter’s release are similar to what sent Danny to retirement the year before, but he knows he must do what he can to save his friend.
Danny must find the British Special Air Service soldiers who killed each of the sheik’s three sons, kill them, make their deaths look like accidents and videotape the confessions from each of them, as per the sheik’s personal request. In pursuit of these SAS soldiers, Danny runs into ex-SAS soldier Spike (Clive Owen) who fights to stop Danny from killing his colleagues.
“Killer Elite” has a convoluted plot, filled with twists and turns, some unexpected and some pretty predictable. Because of the turns, the movie requires the viewer to pay attention, or else it may be confusing as to why everyone is beating each other up. Avoid bathroom breaks or quickly answering that text message, because confusion will ensue.
No worries for the chick-flick enthusiasts out there. There is a subplot in the film that consists of a love story between Danny and Anne (Yvonne Strahovski, “Chuck”). Their story occasionally creeps its way into the killing madness, and towards the end, plays a pivotal role in Danny’s mission.
Statham, De Niro and Owen do well in their “tough guy” roles. They all possess the star power to be much more than bulky action heroes, but the film doesn’t require them to go beyond those roles. It’s unfortunate that the movie centers around saving Hunter, since it means the audience does not get the opportunity to see much of Owen.
“Killer Elite” is just an average action thriller. It supplies any random need for adrenaline, shows impossible stunts that are always fun to watch and offers a complex plot for the audience to piece together.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
