{2jtab: Movie Review}

Killer Elite - Movie Review

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3 Stars

Based on Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ novel The Feather Men, Killer Elite brazens across the screen with three leading men- Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro -  in one action-packed movie.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t swagger as much as it does stroll.  There’s a lot going on in director Gary McKendry’s debut.  There’s just not much finesse to the flick.  Not as air-tight as The Bank Job, but it does the job of fulfilling its genre while not pushing the audience too far with its credibility or its structure.

After an opening which highlights a good reason for resignation, Danny Bryce (Statham) – once a star assassin – finds himself with nothing to do but fish and live off the land.  Until he receives an envelope with a picture of his former mentor Hunter (De Niro) playing the part of kidnapped victim.  Turns out, Bryce is being lured back into the world of assassinations by a Dubai sheik who wants to see a revenge job through to the bitter end.  Pissed by both the actions of the assassins and the sheik who hires them is a dusty collection of retired SAS soldiers called The Feather Men.  They employ Spike (Owen) to hunt down Bryce and his team and find out who is responsible before the whole world knows exactly what is at stake.

Much of Killer Elite has been seen before.  From its violent-drenched opening to its final showdowns; the set-ups; the twists and turns; all squeak and creak across the screen making the film seem eerily familiar.  Yet, the time period and the location adds an exciting twist to what many don’t realize is a slice of non-fiction.  Several moments of torture and torment are gripping and, with Statham not departing from the role he is so successful at, the acting is to be expected.  De Niro’s scenes are brief, but he’s trim and sturdy and still kicks enough ass to be a dominating threat.  Owen has a bit of fun with the whole cat-and-mouse structure of the film and flirts with the camera in appearance and a few wink-wink-nudge-nudge moments; for the most part, he also kicks his own fair share of ass.

Unfortunately, McKendry doesn’t take advantage of the charisma of this three leads.  Several scenes go by with our stars hopelessly adrift in standard punch-and-run moments without any appeal.  While these moments are never insulting nor do they encourage any hair-pulling, it certainly seems wasteful for all the parties involved not to be used to their full effect.  The story, written by Matt Sherring, is fairly straightforward considering the espionage background, yet doesn’t quite hit the home run it could have.  The revenge aspect is a little overplayed and the heart of the piece underplayed.

Killer Elite is an all meat-and-potatoes action piece with no room for salad or desert...just like this review.

{2jtab: Film Info}

Killer Elite - Movie ReviewMPAA Rating: R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.
Director: Gary McKendry
Writer
: Gary McKendry & Matt Sherring
Cast: Jason Statham; Clive Owen; Robert De Niro; Dominic Purcell; Aden Young
Genre: Action | Thriller
Memorable Movie Quote:
"You have no idea who you're messing with."
Tagline:
May the Best Man Live.
Distributor:
Open Road Films
Official Site:
www.killerelite.com
Release Date: September 23, 2011
Blu-ray Release Date:
January 10, 2012

Plot Synopsis: When his mentor (Robert De Niro) is taken captive, a retired member of Britain's Elite Special Air Service (Jason Statham) is forced into action. His mission: kill three assassins dispatched by their cunning leader (Clive Owen).

{2jtab: Blu-ray/DVD Details}

Killer Elite - Blu-ray Review

Component Grades
Movie

Blu-ray Disc
3 stars

3 stars



Blu-ray Experience
3 stars

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - January 10, 2012
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, Spanish
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs:
50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; DVD copy; BD-Live; D-Box; Mobile features
Playback: Region A

The video market heats up with this 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer from Universal.  While a bit stylized (never overly so), the picture’s palette is a regional affair.  Hot and dusty to cool and moist, the picture is ripe with bright color and warm skin tones.  Greens are leafy and shadows cool.  The grittiness of the locale is also felt with superb poise and wonderfully heavy lines.  While the picture’s grain level is a bit uneven at times, the sound – presented in a purposeful DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 that absolutely kicks with gunplay and mighty explosions - there’s literally nothing worth complaining about in its overall presentation.  Make no mistake about it, Killer Elite is a sharp affair.

Supplements:

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

Those critics that complained about some of the holes in the narrative get those gaps filled with three deleted scenes.  The scenes are finished and obviously last minute cuts that add a total of 10 minutes to the narrative.  They do help out the story, but that is all you get.  We can wonder why and scratch our heads in vain at the many reasons Universal decided to dump this property without beefy supplemental materials (when the norm is do the opposite), but, know this, there will be no other release of this film for quite some time.

  • Deleted Scenes (10 min)

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