The Killer Elite
A thriller about spies, duplicity and double-cross from director Sam Peckinpah. James Caan portrays a CIA assassin brought out of retirement to protect an Asian political leader (Mako). Robert Duvall plays the contracted killer after Mako. Duvall was the former comrade of Caan, and the man responsible for the wounds that, until now, have taken Caan out of the game. In a claustrophobic world shorn of all illusion, only blood can resolve the confrontation between the two former buddies. Some critics have called this movie an intentional parable of the Hollywood Studio System and the real subject of this action-packed film.
Worth a viewing... @tothlaw
This is neither Peckinpah's most famous nor is it his best. It is terribly dated especially in its seeming indifference to the differences between Chinese and Japanese culture (both seem to be smooshed together with careless disregard) but having said that, this film is stlll a joy to watch, in part for the performances of Caan and Duvall as well as all of the great character actors in it (Bo Hopkins, Burt Young, Gig Young etc.), and in part for the story line itself of betrayal and of Caan's character fighting back against a disabling injury and using Chinese martial arts to transform himself... well worth a viewing or two...
wrong movie poster on Apple TV app @nofreelunch2
Attention Apple: this movie does play when prompted on Apple TV app on my iphone 10r. However, the movie poster shows “Killer Elite,” Jason Statham’s movie with Robert DeNiro.
The Killer Elite @dec403
One of the worst movies ever made! Minus 8 stars! My High School Marching band was tougher than these guys! The movie never gets off the ground and then gets worse. Pitiful.
Killer Elite Misses The Mark! @Mister Allusion
Sam Peckinpah, Director of such Western classics as The Wild Bunch, misfires with this urban paramilitary exploitation film ‘The Killer Elite’. From the beginning the film suffers from an identity crises as it doesn’t quite feel exploitation enough, nor does it deliver a meaningful action plot. The most tragic part of this film however is how it underutilizes it’s two biggest stars in James Caan, playing the jaded and assassin whose double crossed by his partner (Robert Duvall) and sent into early retirement. When Caan finally gets the assignment he’s been waiting for (a chance for payback against Duvall) he’s outshined by his two new misfit partners (Burt Young & Bo Hopkins) who steal the show for the rest of the film. Although the films second half feels much more composed and rooted in some sense of reality, the drawn out conclusion of the film which ends with a ninja fight on a battleship, leaves plenty to be desired; namely the fate of the Asian dignitary and his young teenage daughter, who Caan was hired to protect. All in all I would say this is a far cry from Peckinpah’s best work, and quite arguably one of his worst. If I had to do it over again I would pass on this title.