Killer Elite (2011)

So I watched Killer Elite last night. I previously watched this movie in the theater when it came out, back in 2011, and enjoyed it. Robert DeNiro and Jason Statham are in the movie - how can I not enjoy it? I have not watched it since. Like all movies I enjoy in the theater, I appreciate watching them again. However, I do not remember Killer Elite coming up on any of the cable channels while channel surfing, because if it did I probably would have watched it. I thought it was available recently on Netflix or HBO, but when I searched for it - nothing.

What I did watch recently and enjoyed is a television show called Rectify. I binge-watched the four seasons available on Netflix and was disappointed when it ended. Not only did I believe there were more episodes in Season 4 than there are, but the show was ultimately cancelled. One can predict where the story line was going, however I would have liked some closure to the story. The show starred Aden Young who is amazing - a performance in which you want to watch this actor in other films or shows he may have starred in. Why am I bringing this up? Aden Young is one of the actors in Killer Elite. When I found out Young was in Killer Elite, I was motivated to finally watch it again.

Killer Elite is about an assassin (Statham) who comes out of retirement to help his former partner (DeNiro) who is being held captive in the Middle East. In order to secure the release of (Deniro), (Statham) has to find and eliminate three former SAS operatives. Not only does he have to eliminate these three former SAS operatives, he has to identify who two of them are, get each of the operatives to confess to a killing, and make each death look like an accident. SAS stands for Special Air Services - the UK's military special forces; one of the world's premiere special forces. Of course Statham can not do this alone, maybe his characters in some of his other movies can, but in Killer Elite, he enlists the help of two operatives he has worked with in the past. These operatives are played by Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) and Aden Young (Rectify).

What I liked about this movie is the cast. Not only does this movie star DeNiro and Statham. There is the aforementioned Purcell and Young. Then Clive Owen (Children of Men), Ben Mendelson (Rogue One), Matt Nable (Riddick), and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Oz, Lost).

What I didn't like is that most of the actors, including Aden Young, are underutilized. A movie with the star power and talent of these actors combined with an interesting premise should be absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, it is not what it could have been. I am not saying this is not a good movie because it is. However, I get disappointed when a film does not live up to its potential. This is an entertaining rainy day movie to watch if you come across it on one of the cable channels.

Killer Elite is based on a true story from a book entitled "The Feather Men." The book is a solid four stars on Amazon and, as with any book made into a film, better than the movie. Reportedly, the SAS calls the book a work of fiction.

Trivia: Robert DeNiro is the only American born actor in this film.