Limacher Low Down: “Killer Elite” has the star power and action to make it a solid contender for action blaster of the season. The previews do a great job of setting up the action and fight scenes without giving away everything for free, which is usually my biggest complaint about these films. The trailers are purposely misleading, and you get a visually impressive film with an intellectual edge.
“Killer Elite” starts off with Danny (Jason Statham) and Hunter (Robert DeNiro) on a mission to eliminate a “target”. Everything starts off as planned; but something unexpected happens, and Danny starts to question his line of work. The opening sequence does a great job of breaking down Danny’s character.
Flash forward a year, and Danny is, not surprisingly, out of the business and living a different life in Australia. But he gets a package that sinks his heart . . . Hunter has been captured and is being held captive. It’s quickly evident that for Danny to get Hunter back, he needs to pull off one last mission. Trouble is, he needs to eliminate several former Special Air Service (SAS) Members (think British Navy Seals) who managed to humiliate a high ranking Middle East figure. Now shamed and exiled, he wants Danny and his team to eliminate those that brought shame to his family.
Danny, Meier (Aden Young), and Martin (Ben Mendelsohn) are back together and, with the intel they were provided, start to do some recon work on the people they are supposed to eliminate. Word gets back to the retired members of the SAS, one in particular, Spike (Clive Owen), is not big on defense, he prefers to be the hunter, not the hunted.
Now shit really starts moving quickly as the transitions strafe from scene to scene, which gives the audience something to enjoy.
When Danny and Spike have their confrontation, well, it is something you have to experience for yourself; the moves were quick, crisp, and clean. I wanted to see the scene in slow motion just to see the scene at a frame rate that my eyes could keep up with. Unfortunately it didn’t last as long as I hoped, but the movie had to continue to develop story.
From there, parts seemed to be dragging – there was opportunity to give more action, but it started to drag. New twists and turns are revealed which were rather unexpected, and helped make the movie more enjoyable, though still slow-paced.
As revealed in some of the previews, Statham does some AWESOME Chair-Fu shit. But, ultimately (perhaps, because it was based on real life) the movie ends with fewer bangs than I had anticipated. I wish there would have been more interaction between the characters of Danny, Hunter, and Spike.
“Killer Elite” was a great popcorn action flick, it had enough action and violence to satisfy most people. There were slower moments that didn’t add much to the movie. And, if you go expecting to see a LOT of DeNiro, you may be disappointed. Ultimately, the film delivers on many fronts. If you want an enjoyable time at the movies, with plenty of action, violence, and some of the best fight scenes in recent memory, “Killer Elite” is a DEFINITE must see!
