Throughout his career, global action starJason Stathamhas held his own opposite many Oscar-worthy stars. FromCharlize TheronandEdward NortoninThe Italian JobtoSylvester StalloneinThe Expendablesfranchise, Statham manages to stand out in ensemble pictures while never overshadowing his legendary castmates. The same would be true when he played opposite cinematic iconRobert De Niroin 2011’sKiller Elite.
The period action thriller by Irish filmmakerGary McKendrymarks a sharp departure from the check-your-brain-out-the-door type of film for Statham. An alleged true story that served as the basis of the 1991 novelThe Feather MenbySir Ranulph Fiennes, the film allows Statham to balance the real-world espionage element ofThe Bourne Identitywith more tactical action sequences akin to De Niro’sRonin. Though not as fast-paced as a typical Statham movie,Killer Elite’s solid performances from actors such asClive Owenmake for a gritty but effectively grounded thriller.
What Is ‘Killer Elite’ About?
Set against the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq War in the early ‘80s, mercenary Danny Bryce (Statham) and his veteran American mentor Hunter (De Niro) lead their team on an assassination plot in Mexico. Though successful, Bryce gets wounded after realizing he killed the target in front of his kid. He retires to Australia to spark a romance with his childhood friend Anne (Yvonne Strahovski).
A year after the Mexico job, Bryce is lured out of retirement when Hunter gets held captive in the country of Oman by The Agent (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) under orders by a Sheikh. To save Hunter’s life,Bryce must regroup with his mercenary colleaguesto finish his mentor’s $6 million assignment: to assassinate three ex-British SAS operatives responsible for the deaths of the Sheikh’s sons during the rebellion of Dhofar. In executing the jobs, however, Bryce’s team gets pursued by Spike Logan (Owen) and a group of ex-SAS agents working in secret as “The Feather Men.”
Killer Eliteis far from theusual Statham fareof playing mysterious characters taking on wrongdoers like drug dealers, digital scam artists, and heavily armed thieves. His character Brycesuffers from the trauma of exposing violence to a child. He does fewer death-defying stunts like the ones seen inThe TransporterandThe Mechanicfilms, as he often finds himself at odds with his dangerous profession. Much of Bryce’s conscience plays not only when hesitating to kill his targets in front of innocent people, but also in his relationship with Anne, where he’s initially reluctant to reveal his past life to her until the Feather Men set their sights on his home.
Similarly,Owen’s Loganis not a mustache-twirling bad guy inKiller Elite. As a family man who served with the SAS, Logan has a personal stake in each of Bryce’s targets. He gave his life to the SAS to the extent of losing one eye in combat. For an actor established in the action genre and well-accomplished in dramatic fare like Closer and Children of Men, Owen makes a formidable opponent to Statham.Their characters are, in essence, two sides of the same coinin terms of protecting their own: Bryce risking his life to save Hunter, while Logan seeks to protect his SAS colleagues.
Is ‘Killer Elite’ Based on a True Story?
WithKiller Eliteas something of an event for action fans to see Statham and Owen going up against each other, the action is far more dialed back than Statham’s usual action movies. Instead of mind-twisting action sequences, the film’s brutality factor is more direct and played straight.Statham and Owen’s standout battle involving Bryce tied to a chairis as close to aTransporter-like moment asKiller Elitegets. Yet, it’s their hospital fight scene where Statham pulls back the fancy martial arts in favor of a straight-up brawl with Owen that setsKiller Eliteapart fromThe Beekeeperstar’s memorable action sequences on film. Even De Niro gets hisRonin-like moments to shine at his older age, including a quick sequence in a train station where he beats down a Feather Men member in close-quarters combat.
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DirectorGary McKendrytakes a documentary-like approach to the cinematography to ground it in its third-world locations. Additionally, with the ‘80s setting, the use of technology is fully dialed back in favor of an old-school espionage thriller in the tradition ofThe Day of the JackalandScorpio. The attention to detail, whilepanned by critics for slowing the film down,raises questions about the legitimacy of the real story on which the film is based. Though the author Fiennes claimed there were real Feather Men in existence, he later backtracked in tellingThe Daily Beastthat the story was largely fiction and how his publishers wrote to studio Open Road to promote the movie with “words like ‘inspired by’ instead of ‘based on’.” To see Statham match wits next to Owen is worth watchingKiller Elitedespite itsnegative receptionat the time of its release. For action fans looking for something more grounded and less fantastical, the film delivers on the entertainment front while being supported by solid performances from Statham, De Niro, and Owen.
Killer Elite
