Cliches kill tough guys in 'Killer Elite'
In this film image released by Open Road Films, Jason Statham is shown in a scene from "Killer Elite." Credit: AP
The makers of "Killer Elite" clearly super-sized their order at the Macho McDonald's, driving away with not one but three cinematic tough guys: Jason Statham, Robert De Niro and Clive Owen as pistol-packing special-forces types. That may sound like a lip-smacking end-of-summer treat, especially when splattered with plenty of ketchup. But thanks to warmed-over cliches, flat dialogue and a sour outlook, "Killer Elite" leaves an unpleasant taste.
Based on a supposedly fact-based novel by Ranulph Fiennes, a former member of Britain's SAS special forces, "Killer Elite" opens in 1980 with Danny (Statham) carrying out a routine assassination in Mexico. This time, though, the victim's young son has been watching in horror. "I'm through with killing," Danny says, a sure sign that he's not.
After retiring to Australia and falling for local girl Anne (Yvonne Strahovski, NBC's "Chuck"), Danny learns that an Omani sheik has kidnapped his old mentor, Hunter (De Niro). The ransom is blood: Danny must kill three British SAS guys who executed the sheik's sons during a murky war.
You might think Danny would use his wits to avoid further bloodshed, but no -- he simply agrees and begins methodically murdering people. (The swift but soulless direction is by Gary McKendry.) Soon, Danny runs afoul of Spike (Owen), a human pit bull who protects a secretive committee of ex-SAS agents called the Feather Men ("because our touch is light," one helpfully explains). Can Danny liquidate his targets and save Hunter, or will Spike kill Danny first?
Who cares? Statham is solid enough, De Niro flashes his usual charm and Owen looks great in a Euro-porn mustache, but their mercenary, amoral characters are too repellent to root for. "Killer Elite" delivers some cheap thrills and a high body count, but even a mindless action flick needs to have a heart.
PLOT A former special ops agent comes out of retirement to rescue his kidnapped friend. (RATING: R)
CAST Jason Statham, Robert De Niro,
LENGTH 1:56
PLAYING AT Area theaters
BOTTOM LINE A promising tough-guy cast, but this cliched action flick is a waste of perfectly good testosterone.
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