Killer Elite (5.5./10)

Note to self. Don't look forward to Jason Statham movies. I stumbled into "Crank", "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch" and all those are great. "Killer Elite" was something I was anticipating for some time but I just left the theater feeling disappointed. This is not the movie they promised us. "Killer Elite" is a film that tries to act smart and cool but doesn't have the interest to back it up. "Munich" is a fantastic movie in part due to how interesting the plot was. "Killer Elite" is a big mess.

Danny (Jason Statham) is an assassin, or at least was one. He's been out of the business for about a year after a change of heart. Well his old mentor and friend Hunter (Robert Deniro) is captured and is held as ransom. In exchange for his release, Danny must kill three ex S.A.S soldiers who killed the kidnapping Sheik's son. Not only that but Danny must make every death look like a accident and record a confession too. Didn't Statham just kill people and made them look like accidents in "The Mechanic". Atleast that movie didn't try to be anything special. "Killer Elite" feels like a poor mans version of "Munich" with awful dialogue. Why do the secret organization known as The Feather Men have the need to explain who they are to each other? Also for a secret organization they hand out a lot of business cards. Spike (Clive Owen) works for these men. They protect ex soldiers incase men like Danny come after them. The film tries to set up a scenario where you root for either Statham or Owen but fails miserably. The good guys aren't that good and the bad guys aren't that bad. The audience just feels like a third party watching with little involvement or stake in this game. The film is billed as Owen vs Statham but they share about one and half fight scene. One really awesome scene is not worth the endlessly boring dialogue in between. "Killer Elite" is a failure but not the worst movie I've seen. Maybe I should just stop caring for Statham movies so that one day maybe he'll surprise me again.

5.5/10
Recommendation: Wait for the DVD and even then I'm sure there's something better out there. My theater seemed pretty bored and a few left half way through. Nothing compared to the excited and cheering audience I had for "Straw Dogs" For two actors I love (Owen and Deniro) and one I admit is a lot of fun sometimes (Statham) they all have better movies. Yvonne Strahovski may not have a lot to do but my god is she gorgeous. Also the amount they spent on B-roll of Paris must have been quite a lot. A good portion of the movie takes place in Paris. Yea... that was London. Just cause you put french words on signs doesn't mean the London underground isn't instantly recognizable.