On the surface the movie seem like a simple good guy vs bad guy mindless shooter. It is not. And I question the wisdom of other critics who have rated it so poorly. Yes the film has its flaws but it is far from terrible. There is plenty of spy vs spy espionage and intrigue. The biggest problem with the film is that there is not a true villain. The "bad guys" aren't really bad guys in the normal sense, they all just have different reasons for doing what they do. One of these characters is actually left out of the pot summaries and clips but the simplest motivation that begins the string of events in the movie is revenge.
A rich a powerful sheik in the middle east in exile wants revenge on some british now ex-special forces members that killed 3 of his sons in a past war (which was vaguely talked about). Not only do they have to be killed, it has to look like an accident. Deniro is taken hostage as an incentive for Statham to do the job. Clive Owen plays an british ex-special forces member, and member of a secret military society who becomes privy to the plot on his friends and takes it upon himself to stop Statham.
Although that is just brief rundown, which I left plenty of plot points out on purpose, you can see that everything isn't so cut an dry. The plot is in fact quite complex but strife with holes and unanswered questions. Even so it doesn't make the movie less enjoyable to watch or bad as some would have you think.
Plot holes and Clive's corny mustache aside, Killer Elite is a great action movie, with Statham still showing he's the best man in the action game.
I have not read the book, but it is stated that everything in it was fully denied by the British government as was any involvement related to the war vaguely described within. That only makes me want to read it more. If you can appreciate Killer Elite for its complexities and the intrigue it offers, as it did me for now wanting to read the book, you see its more than just the average action film.
Score: B
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