Talk about one very strange, put together film by legendary film-maker Sam Peckinpah. It's choppy as hell, rather mysterious and ambiguous in its intentions. I liked it, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel disappointed in this raw, explosive old-fashion action thriller with an exciting cast. We're thrown right into it at the beginning with a splintering explosion. Elite assassins and good friends Mike Locken and George Hansen work for a private crime fighting organization who handles the assignments that the CIA prefer not to touch. During a job this friendship comes apart when one of them is bought off by a higher bidder.
At this time Peckinpah had fallen out of favour with Hollywood, but was given another chance with "The Killer Elite" and plenty would say it's one of his lesser works, if not. One noticeable thing here was the violence was cut down to remove its graphic nature to allow for a PG-13 rating for commercial success, but even with that it still remained unpleasant in details. Rather disappointing, but its flaws were more than just that. The editing was all over-the-shop, but even the script just seemed to become even more bewildering and daft the further along the story's sinister scheming went. The clunky narrative is one big unscrupulous game, throwing in themes that always seem to pepper Peckinpah films in the shape of friendship, loyalty, honour and personal survival in a dog eat dog world. It was hard just making sense of what was transpiring, that in the end all you could do is marvel at the dazzling parade of fashionable violence done in slow-motion that was orchestrated in some stunning set-pieces like the climatic standoff in a battleship graveyard featuring ninjas(?!). Peckinpah confidently does it in style, but also with ticker.
Along for the ride is a top-notch ensemble cast featuring the likes of James Caan, Arthur Hill, Bo Hopkins, Burt Young, Robert Duvall, Gig Young and Mako. While I would say it was terribly overlong and ponderous, but I was still gripped due to Caan's enigmatically likable, but hardened performance. Watching his character go through the recovery stages after his serious injuries, fuelled by revenge and pushing himself to be fit again to carry out his job. You can't help but feel for him and want to see him succeed. The chemistry between Caan and the classy Duvall early on in the film offers some amusement. Even some scenes with the laconic Burt Young offer a laugh. Then there's the unpredictable Hopkins. Peckinpah makes great use of the San Francisco locations and long-time collaborator Jerry Fielding composes the thundering music score.
Bold, macho and gritty entertainment even though it has uneven plotting it provides the big bangs and chop-suey in its ludicrous format.
"You just retired Mike. Enjoy it"
At this time Peckinpah had fallen out of favour with Hollywood, but was given another chance with "The Killer Elite" and plenty would say it's one of his lesser works, if not. One noticeable thing here was the violence was cut down to remove its graphic nature to allow for a PG-13 rating for commercial success, but even with that it still remained unpleasant in details. Rather disappointing, but its flaws were more than just that. The editing was all over-the-shop, but even the script just seemed to become even more bewildering and daft the further along the story's sinister scheming went. The clunky narrative is one big unscrupulous game, throwing in themes that always seem to pepper Peckinpah films in the shape of friendship, loyalty, honour and personal survival in a dog eat dog world. It was hard just making sense of what was transpiring, that in the end all you could do is marvel at the dazzling parade of fashionable violence done in slow-motion that was orchestrated in some stunning set-pieces like the climatic standoff in a battleship graveyard featuring ninjas(?!). Peckinpah confidently does it in style, but also with ticker.
Along for the ride is a top-notch ensemble cast featuring the likes of James Caan, Arthur Hill, Bo Hopkins, Burt Young, Robert Duvall, Gig Young and Mako. While I would say it was terribly overlong and ponderous, but I was still gripped due to Caan's enigmatically likable, but hardened performance. Watching his character go through the recovery stages after his serious injuries, fuelled by revenge and pushing himself to be fit again to carry out his job. You can't help but feel for him and want to see him succeed. The chemistry between Caan and the classy Duvall early on in the film offers some amusement. Even some scenes with the laconic Burt Young offer a laugh. Then there's the unpredictable Hopkins. Peckinpah makes great use of the San Francisco locations and long-time collaborator Jerry Fielding composes the thundering music score.
Bold, macho and gritty entertainment even though it has uneven plotting it provides the big bangs and chop-suey in its ludicrous format.
"You just retired Mike. Enjoy it"