Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jason Statham | ... | Danny | |
Clive Owen | ... | Spike | |
Robert De Niro | ... | Hunter | |
Dominic Purcell | ... | Davies | |
Aden Young | ... | Meier | |
Yvonne Strahovski | ... | Anne | |
Ben Mendelsohn | ... | Martin | |
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | ... | Agent | |
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David Whiteley | ... | MI6 Man |
Matt Nable | ... | Pennock (as Matthew Nable) | |
Lachy Hulme | ... | Harris | |
Firass Dirani | ... | Bakhait | |
Nick Tate | ... | Commander B | |
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Bille Brown | ... | Colonel Fitz |
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Stewart Morritt | ... | Campbell |
Loosely based on a true story, Killer Elite pits two of the worlds' most elite operatives - Danny, a ruthless killer-for-hire (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) - against the cunning leader of a secret society of former Special Air Service operatives('Clive Owen'). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of revenge and deception - where things are not always what they appear to be. Written by Anonymous
I'm not sure what it was about Killer Elite that disappointed me, but it just didn't seem to live up to its potential. It might have been that the movie relied on Jason Statham to act, instead of just do action. He plays a retired hit man who gets pulled out of retirement to save a friend's life. But it just doesn't work, he's unconvincing. The retirement isn't convincing and neither is his reluctance to return to work. He was much better in the Mechanic which dealt with similar issues.
Overall the movie doesn't hold together very well. There is too much that they are trying to accomplish, but not enough gets developed. For instance, the romance between Danny (Statham) and Anne (Yvonne Strahovski) just seems to be cut in to the movie in a few places. The Feathermen (the group about whom the book the movie draws from is written) appear in a few scenes, yet they're role is barely explored. They are spliced in just enough to give Spike (Clive Owen) a support system.
It's not a terrible movie, but it could have been much more. I think it would make a better mini-series, so that the different parts could be explored properly. If not, eliminate the things that aren't given justice.