A Real Time Killer

by Thomas Willett

1:00pm PST, September 28, 2011

Many movies have used the phrase “Based on a True Story” to help sell their work. It’s supposed to impact it by implying that fact is stranger than fiction. This week has seen titles likeMachine Gun Preacher and Moneyball hit the screen, while allowing for some fictional flourishes for entertainment value. These flourishes are by no means a great altercation to the reality. 
However, the same cannot be said about director Gary McKendry’s Killer Elite.

Based on The Feather Menby Ranulph Fiennes, the story follows Danny (Jason Statham) as an ex-special ops agent who is forced to kill the men of a secret military society, lead by Spike (Clive Owen). Along with Danny’s mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro), the story covers the numerous kills around the globe. It also features a subplot about Danny’s wife, Anne (Yvonne Strahovski), which provides some conflict with his desire to kill.There are possibilities that these events actually happened, but this film lends argument to the reality. The first piece of skepticism is Statham, whose reputation has become the typical action hero with a rugged voice, great instincts, and being thrown into ridiculous situations. Compared to the Crank movies, this is tame, but no more realistic. Whether he’s chasing Clive Owen through a hospital or jumping from rooftops, there’s plenty of real world escapism. Another issue with the phrase “Based on a True Story” is that it feels like an unedited recounting of the entire journey. Even the most pointless kills are given extended scenes just to try and show Statham being the hero. It could be gratifying for fans of high-octane, but the realistic kills are not always that interesting. In fact, there are too many meandering moments to make the few big explosions seem amazing. Statham does the best with what he’s given, but seems bored of the continual additions to the original story, dragging into an unnecessary 20 minutes.While the romantic subplot plays conveniently into the end, it feels like a misstep for the rest of the movie, adding an unnecessary complexity to Statham’s bad boy image. Even Clive Owen’s menacing presence is undermined by pointless fights and an arc that is overall confusing for the first 80 minutes. Some would call it suspense, but in order to achieve it, the set up needs to be made clear real quick. Even De Niro’s presence seems to lack the sage advice necessary to be called a mentor. This movie has the potential to be a big bang, explosive thrill ride. It would be, if it didn’t pay respects to the true story elements. The majority of the film is mixed with tame action sequences and unnecessary character establishment without stating their career titles or overall goals. The story fails to mesh the two concepts together of reality and disbelief, causing a lot of doubt. If it had just been an 80 minute assassin movie with no recollection of reality, then it might be fun. As it stands, it’s one of Statham’s lesser works.In the end, Killer Elite joins the ranks of Fargo and Texas Chainsaw Massacre as movies that abused the “Based on a True Story” concept. Unlike those, Killer Elite failed to make the tag either a running joke or so ingrained that its truth is a blur. There is probably an interesting story in here, but the execution to film is easily forgettable as just another minor action movie. While it isn’t a total waste of Statham and Owen, it feels like the audience will get more out of reading the book. At least there the exaggerated action scenes might seem thrilling.