68%
——
98%
Average Rating: 4.7/10
Reviews Counted: 119
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 89
A rote, utterly disposable Jason Statham vehicle that just happens to have Clive Owen and Robert De Niro in it.
Average Rating: 4.9/10
Critic Reviews: 28
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 19
A rote, utterly disposable Jason Statham vehicle that just happens to have Clive Owen and Robert De Niro in it.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 26,628
Connect with Facebook and get a full-length movie from Flixster!
The gift movie added to
your Flixster Collection is...
A match-up made in tough-guy heaven -- Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro star in Killer Elite. Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world's most elite operatives - Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) - against the cunning leader of a secret military society (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
Sep 23, 2011 Wide
Jan 10, 2012
$25.1M
Open Road Films
All Critics (119) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (89)
I had a reasonably good time, on the whole...
Jason Statham cements status as top-level action star.
De Niro, in what amounts to an extended cameo, is radically miscast. That's still no excuse for his nonperformance, which is beyond lackluster.
Statham is just good enough to make one wish he'd challenge himself.
Jason Statham is enjoyable enough to watch that he can occasionally make one forget just how silly and dull a movie like Killer Elite really is.
The movie's not stupid. And that makes it more than bearable and often a little fun.
The Killer Elite is a flabby, cheap looking, mess that has a saving grace in the performance of Deniro.
McKendry doesn't pull off either the action nor the drama to any satisfaction.
While it promised to rock us like a hurricane, Killer Elite instead bores us with action movie clichés aplenty and uninspired action sequences.
It's an extraordinary (and almost plausible) story, and we can only wish that the filmmakers had told it better ... a great cast and plenty of tension, action and gunfire, but unless you know the basic story it is rather confusing, jumpy and jumbled
Fascinating but often frustrating, this Australian co-production rips along at a frenetic pace with edge-of-seat thrills as the action hots up, but loses its sizzle by a jumpy, clumsy screenplay and direction
Far more than just another Transporter clone, and far less than the sum of its parts, the result is an oddity you couldn't make up.
Stale and bland, Killer Elite is an emotionless, assembly-line actioner with little to keep even the hardest of hardcore fans interested.
...an uncompromising, better-than-average actioner that gets the job done on an impressively consistent basis.
a theatrical release with the star power behind this movie should have delivered something much better
Even die-hard De Niro fans may be disappointed in his choice this time around. 'Killer Elite' does indeed present an ensemble of terrific actors trying to kill each other. Problem is, this adds up to a serviceable actioner but nothing more.
While not an elite action film, and overall disappointing, its stars compliment a witty script, a couple of cool fight scenes, and exotic locales.
The film works well enough, despite the twisted plot, because of some nice performances by a talented cast and some well-staged action scenes.
[Jason Statham] may be going the way of Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Gary McKendry's 1980s period piece is admirably hard-nosed, but hamstrung by its rather routine action sequences and its utterly clichéd 'meaningful' dialogue ('Killing isn't hard. Living with it is,' intones Statham).
Can't even manage the not-terribly-artful task of being a good "Jason Statham growls and beats people up" picture.
The Killer Elite was one of Sam Peckinpah's worst movies, but even that 1975 dud was better than this.
I don't know which is more risible: Clive Owen's mustache, which would have been the envy of any 70s-era porn star, or the fact that someone as tough and charismatic as Owen could possibly be saddled with the name Spike.
The overlong, perfunctory Killer Elite is simply a series of (reasonably well-choreographed) assassination sequences.
I had a perfectly fine time watching the movie and the antics of its three stars.
The big stunts and action sequences simply dull the brain and the Oman angle is lost inside a scarcely-fathomable plot.
Just another explosion laden action flick with DeNiro and Clive Owen slumming and picking up a paycheck.
March 30, 2012
Super Reviewer
A very good action/thriller with a great cast and strong story based on a book about real SAS events in the 80's. Certainly a level above most of Jason Statham's recent action films which keep being churned out very often. If you like a bit of depth to back up the action this is the film for you.
July 31, 2011Super Reviewer
| 29% | The Vow |
| 94% | Mission: Impossible Ghost Protoc... |
| 87% | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
| 28% | Underworld Awakening |
| 85% | Chronicle |
| 65% | The Woman in Black |
| 25% | This Means War |
| 94% | The Secret World of Arrietty |
| 36% | Red Tails |
| 88% | Certified Copy (Copie Conforme) |
Open up and say aaaargh!
Will Smith's best-reviewed movies
Trailer: The Roaring '20s goes pop
Trailer: The legend continues!
Top Critic
