Killer Elite

There is so much testosterone in this movie, women walk into the theater looking like Taylor Swift, but they walk out looking like Chaz Bono.

Supposedly based on a true story (which is in dispute), Jason Statham stars as Danny - a big time assassin for hire who walked away from the game, but they pulled him back in! His best pal and mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro), has been kidnapped by the Sheikh of Oman, who wants revenge for the murder of his sons at the hands of British secret service agents.

Now, Danny has to eliminate those retired agents while obtaining their confessions to gain Hunter's freedom. However, (yes, this is getting complicated) a secret cadre of former British agents, led by Spike (Clive Owen), isn't about to let those comrades be taken out by anybody.

Will Danny be successful?

Is there something more going on here?

Will Danny figure it out?

De Niro and Statham together is more awesomeness than one man can handle, but the movie doesn't quite live up to your hopes and dreams.

Killer Elite starts off as a solid thriller with some good action, enjoyable performances by De Niro and Statham, and a gritty story that is easy to understand, but it becomes a full-fledged mess by the end. After a good start, co-writer/director Gary McHendry and co-writer Matt Sherring (based on the novel by Ranulph Fiennes) try too hard to make the movie more intricate and complicated, when it doesn't need to be.

They might be trying to stay true to the novel and supposedly true story, but McHendry and Fiennes suddenly drop in a bunch of twists and turns too late in the movie to make any sense, especially a whole bunch of political-socio-economic-global intrigue junk. They need to escalate the mystery slower, in more measured ways. Instead, all of the action and characters' motivations are back end loaded so late in the movie you just couldn't care less and Killer Elite becomes more confusing than it needs to be as if the team felt more intrigue was needed for intrigue's sake instead of for our sake or the sake of the movie.

Sadly, the movie wastes some great acting talent. Statham is as intense as ever and every man in the theater will be reacting to Danny's brutal showdown with Spike. I like Statham, especially when he stretches himself to take a movie like this where his acting talent is as needed as his ability to kick booty (which he does with a vengeance), but the forced insertion of a mostly forgotten and ignored love story is a signal for every guy in the audience to take off to the bathroom when that subplot raises its ugly head.

Killer Elite should have been so much better. The potential is there.

Killer Elite is rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity