Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.
Starring Jason Statham, Robert De Niro and Clive Owen
Directed by Gary McKendry
Killer Elite should have be titled Killer Ordinary.
Inspired by true events (and Ranulph Fiennes’ controversial non-fiction bestseller “The Feather Men”), Killer Elite is an action-adventure spy film that follows Danny (Jason Statham), one of the world’s most skilled special-ops agents.
Lured out of self-imposed exile, Danny reassembles his crack team of operatives to execute a near-impossible mission of retribution – to rescue his former mentor and partner Hunter (Robert De Niro). Together they must penetrate the highly feared and respected military unit, the British Special Air Service (SAS), to take down a rogue cell of soldier assassins and their leader Spike (Clive Owen) before their actions create a global crisis.
The only thing worse than a great cast in a bad movie is a bad cast in a bad movie. I’m not going to make any kind of leap by saying that Jason Statham is a great actor, but Robert de Niro and Clive Owen…they are not horrible. However, their star power can’t shine through all the murkiness of this one.
I blame the rookie director for most of that, because the story (which is based on actual events) is pretty good. But he was never able to get into a rhythm, instead the film moves at a breakneck pace. It felt more like I was watching the storyboards instead of the actual movie–one quick scene here, another one there and little to no character development.
There are a few decent fight scenes and car chases, but if you have seen any of Jason’s films, you have seen everything. Again it’s not elite…it’s very ordinary.
Sometimes every instinct tells you a movie is going to be a dud, but you watch it anyway just hoping for the best. Well, Killer Elite was a major disappointment – I say “Skip It.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There are two brief sex/nudity scenes. The one scene shows a man pulling off a woman’s bathing suit, and she is topless for a few seconds – moments later they are heard having sex. The other scene briefly shows a man and woman having sex.
The main reason for the R-rating is the violence and profanity. There is everything from a car exploding, people being shot, stabbed, and several fighting scenes. The film also contains over 50 f-words.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: While Danny has his fair share of faults, his greatest quality is his loyalty. With his friend being held captive, he is willing to do whatever it takes to rescue him.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: My guess is you don’t have a friend that is being held captive in some remote prison in the Middle East, but I would also guess that you have at least one friend who does not know Jesus as their Savior.
In the film Danny encounters several obstacles in his attempt at rescuing his friend and mentor. But Danny faces every challenge head on. What are some of the things that keep you from sharing the Gospel with your friends?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: What would a “whatever it takes” philosophy look like in your life? What if you decided that you were going to reach your friends with the gospel no matter what?
What can you do right now to get started?
Check out this amazing resource by Jonathan called Presenting the Gospel: Five Facts You Should Know from the Bible https://thesource4ym.com/trainingtools/article.aspx?id=30
