Killer Elite indeed. They say this movie is based on a true story. If by true story, they mean a discredited non-fiction book that the writer admits was dramatized to sell better, then yes it's based on a true story.
I'll just say that at best it's a mixed bag. The action is good, but at times not shot very well. Sometimes the action scenes get repetitive, but then something interesting happens. But what kills this movie is the atrocious dialogue. After about an hour, I was finishing the lines of dialogue before they opened their mouths. And then I looked at my watch and saw there was another hour to go! I can almost forgive the cliche story, the at times boring action, the poor acting, but I just can't get over the dialogue. NOBODY TALKS LIKE THAT! It's like the movie Commando but more annoying and not funny.
Let's play a little game. It's called, "Finish the cliche." I'll set up the dialogue and you try to guess the answer. I'll post the answers at the bottom. Here we go.
1) Clive Owen says, "What? That's it? You think you just get to walk away?" A:
2) Jason Statham asks, "Why did they want me?" A:
3) Evil British person says, "I look at you and I see the 2%. The 2% that just love killing. That's why you will never get out." A:
4) Man has a drink in his hand and it's early in the day. A:
Robert DeNiro was completely wasted too. He wasn't on screen much but when he was, he stole the show. He even got a few laughs out of me toward the end.
Jason Statham. I admit I have a softspot for the guy. I liked him in the Transporter, The Bank Job, and The Expendables. I feel like I've been tricked into thinking he is a good actor. Really, he's a good action star. He does great stunts and he can do some impressive fight scenes, but he is such a wet blanket in this movie. Just that grumbling all through the movie about how he's done and doesn't want to do this. There wasn't any emotion attached to him. I really didn't care if he succeeded because I was too busy trying to figure out who the bad guys were.
And who the hell are the Feathermen? I was going to make that question number 5 but I didn't know how to word it correctly. "We have a light touch. That's why we are called the Feather Men." They are some kind of secret society of former British SAS agents. What is their role in the movie? Almost none. But they are in it. Somehow.
But the majority of the plot revolves around the job Jason Statham does for some Shiek in exile. He wants the men who killed three of his sons to confess and then killed. Danny (Statham) in return would get six million dollars and his friend Hunter (DeNiro) back because Hunter was kidnapped by the Shiek.
Added into the story are of course the standard action cliches. The hot girlfriend that doesn't know what's happening, the obligatory wife and kids who are mentioned but never seen, the plucky antagonist who won't let it go, the reluctant protagonist that just wants out of the game, etc.
The dialogue is terrible, the story cliche, and the action while good at times was redundant and poorly shot. Take a pass on it.
And here are your answers to today's game, "Finish That Cliche"
1) You can always be found.
2) Because you are the best.
3) That's what I've done. Not who I am.
4) It's 5:00 somewhere in the world.
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