Killer Elite is the latest Jason Statham action movie to hit theatres.  The script is based off of the novel “The Feather Men” which is in turn based off of a true story.  Robert De Niro co-stars with Statham, but Statham steals the show for himself.

The movie opens with the pair performing an assassination in Mexico.  At the end of the hit Statham’s character decides he is out of the game and is done with killing.  Cut to a couple of years later and he is contacted by the agent who used to set up their jobs.  Turns out De Niro’s character has been captured and the only way to free him is for Statham to get back in the game and kill some ex-SAS operatives.

Clive Owen plays an ex-SAS operative who is trying to protect the SAS targets.  He does a great job playing a washed up old soldier with a chip on his shoulder.

Playing Statham’s love interest is Yvonne Strahovski who plays Sarah Walker in Chuck.  She does an admirable job while not taking too much away from the action and espionage of the film. 

Overall the action was about on par with the Transporter and similar Statham flicks.  None of the actors really standout in the movie, nor do they seem to drop the ball.  The action scenes were pretty good, not great.   The special effects were subtle and well done but also not outstanding.

Where this movie shines is in story and character development.  Each of the main characters has you rooting for them at different parts of the movie and there are no real bad guys.  The interplay between the assassin crew is amusing but not so much that it detracts from the serious tone of the movie.

If you are a fan of movies like the Transporter or Jason Statham himself I recommend seeing this movie, but wait for it to come out on DVD.  It’s Geektime gives Killer Elite a comfortable 7 on the d10 of action flicks.