149, Killer Elite

I actually saw this one about a month ago but completely forgot about it!  That's not to say the movies forgettable though as regulars will know I'm a Jason Statham fan who would watch him paint a fence if they filmed it and stuck it in the cinemas, so how does Killer Elite compare to his other recent outings?

Well, back in the 80's we find ourself with Statham and mentor assassin De Niro picking off hits like they are cup cakes until Statham decides enough is enough and wants out of the game.  Initially let go its when old friend De Niro takes an almost impossible job on and get captured by an Iraqi warlord does Statham have to re-load his guns to complete De Niro's hit and allow the Iraqi prince to release his old friend.

Quite sweet really, for Assassins that is!

Initially the plot is Statham has to take out four ex SAS personnel responsible for the brutal torture and murder of the Iraqi's eldest sons, with his youngest holding the fort at home, too scared (or too lazy) to do anything about it himself.  Ethically, Statham as a Londoner takes all of two minutes to work out if its right to "off" British service personnel for the Iraqi's but does manage to slowly start picking them off with the help of a few acquaintances.  What does make it easier, the SAS guys are complete idiots. 

Hot on Stathams heels is Clive Owen, an ex SAS guy himself working partly for the police but also for the Feathermen, a top secret band of money men who secretly protect the ex armed forces.

But not is all as it seems and each soon to be dead serviceman keeps giving clues away to the actual culprit, someone who remains elusive until near the end and that's where fact meets fiction as you have to wait and see who the main culprit actually is! 

Wether this is a fictional movie made from a factual book starring a factual character or a factual movie based on a fictional book also written by a factual character is debatable - having never read the Feathermen I can comment - but its very very good nevertheless.

Statham is his normal chiseled self, De Niro is looking slightly too old to play an Assassin and Clive Owen pulls off 80's SAS moustache brilliantly.

The cars are great, the language is gritty and the action could easily have been taken straight out of the Sweeney.  Just as you think its over it changes direction again, then again - oh, and again so you never actually know when its going to end.

I am starting to warm to Clive Owen more and more, he still has not really nailed it for me but that's because I am not always a great fan of the movies he has been in, not necessarily him.

If you want down and dirty action using fists and cars rather than hi-tech weaponry then this is a must see.........or by now, probably a must rent!