The Killer Elite 1975 by all accounts, a legendary fiasco of a production, the director drunk most of the time and everyone else snow blind. This is the film where (allegedly) a crew member introduced Sam Peckinpah to cocaine, which didn't seem to help "Bloody Sam's" moody irascibility. James Caan and Robert Duvall give bizarre performances, manic and weird (cocaine is a hell of a drug) and even Burt Young looks glassy-eyed and ringy. The resurrection of the body is the theme. Caan's collapse in a restaurant is briskly cut for maximum shame and helplessness, followed by "Cleft chins and true hearts are out." Then it is mid-70s martial arts on the road to rehabilitation and revenge. After reinstatement, Caan announces, "I'm gonna need some things." and Arthur Hiller says, "Get em," and hands over a huge wad of cash. Burt Young and Bo Hopkins have Caan's back: "One is retired, the other is crazy." Hopkins makes his first appearance shooting skeet with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, "The Poet of Manic Depressives" with his shy smile and aw shucks charm, surely the stand-in for Peckinpah: "I didn't think your company would hire me." Mako gets to sword fight at the end. Absurd. The surprise is how watchable it is.
55 Reviews
Confused, pasted-together, a blur
gmaileatsyourlunch11 April 2021
The Killer Elite feels like a series of shots and scenes that wax and wane in connectedness to a plot that's also on shaky ground. It feels like it was directed and acted by a team that partied late every night, dragged itself out of bed at noon, and then had to get it together to make a movie before it got too dark. Oh, and no one is really sure how to end it.
It's reported that Sam Peckinpah was near his worst in terms of drugs and booze and you can see it. As one scene shambles and stumbles, the next feels like an honest attempt was made to "get it together". And yet in the following, we're back to trudging through mud.
The best is certainly in the first half where a betrayed and crippled James Caan has a slow road to recovery. Caan seems like he's actually putting in work, here, and his recovery, set against the backdrop of 1970s San Francisco is done well enough to keep our interest.
The second half of the film is a mess. Now mostly recovered, Caan gets back on the job when he finds out the partner who betrayed him is working for the other side. With revenge in mind, he's tasked with escorting some Chinese political dissidents out of the US. What follows is an hour of the most boring "protect the client" action and dialog put to film.
I could go into detail but I'll just say this: Burt Young, who played Paulie from the Rocky films (yes, fat, out of shape, badly balding Paulie) does hand-to-hand combat with hopelessly ineffectual ninjas. If that doesn't tell you how wildly off-track this goes, I don't know what will. There are themes of honor and living life for causes worth dying for, but it's all so poorly and murkily put to screen you're never sure what to latch onto. Everything devolves into a bad B movie with little resolved before the credits mercifully roll.
It's reported that Sam Peckinpah was near his worst in terms of drugs and booze and you can see it. As one scene shambles and stumbles, the next feels like an honest attempt was made to "get it together". And yet in the following, we're back to trudging through mud.
The best is certainly in the first half where a betrayed and crippled James Caan has a slow road to recovery. Caan seems like he's actually putting in work, here, and his recovery, set against the backdrop of 1970s San Francisco is done well enough to keep our interest.
The second half of the film is a mess. Now mostly recovered, Caan gets back on the job when he finds out the partner who betrayed him is working for the other side. With revenge in mind, he's tasked with escorting some Chinese political dissidents out of the US. What follows is an hour of the most boring "protect the client" action and dialog put to film.
I could go into detail but I'll just say this: Burt Young, who played Paulie from the Rocky films (yes, fat, out of shape, badly balding Paulie) does hand-to-hand combat with hopelessly ineffectual ninjas. If that doesn't tell you how wildly off-track this goes, I don't know what will. There are themes of honor and living life for causes worth dying for, but it's all so poorly and murkily put to screen you're never sure what to latch onto. Everything devolves into a bad B movie with little resolved before the credits mercifully roll.
Peckinpah's 'curate's egg' provides interesting insights
FilmFlaneur3 August 2002
Peckinpah's 1975 thriller is infuriatingly uneven. It is also one of his most interesting films, throwing the director's preoccupations into relief. It was made between the gothic thriller Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974), and his last great film, Cross Of Iron (1977). As the critic Pauline Kael noted, it was a way of proving himself alive to the Hollywood establishment, a "transparent disguise for... determination to show Hollywood that he's not dead yet... that, despite the tabloid views of him, frail and falling down drunk, he's got the will to make great movies." It's no accident that this is a film in which the director stresses his auteurism with more than the usual self-consciousness (the words 'directed by' and 'Sam Peckinpah' are separated by an emphatic crosscut in the opening credits). Neither that it is one in which the theme of rehabilitation or, more specifically, recuperation - dominates the dramatic matter in hand, giving the narrative a lopsidedness from which it never really recovers.
Kung Fu plot notwithstanding, at the centre of The Killer Elite is the relationship between Locken (James Caan) and Hansen (Robert Duvall). The shifting balance between two men, who find themselves on opposite sides of the law, recall similar relationships in Ride The High Country (1962), between Steve Judd and Gil Westrum, or in The Wild Bunch (1969), between Pike Bishop and Deke Thornton. "I can't figure why he didn't put the third one in my head," says Locken, brooding in hospital. "He's your buddy," is the characteristic reply. Locken and Hansen may travel further apart than the other examples of broken camaraderie in Peckinpah's work, but their mutual respect remains intact to the end. In the shoot out at the darkened quay, despite his thirst for revenge, Locken walks away from his former partner in disgust and he's not responsible for the final bullet.
The relationship between the two men is what focuses Locken's life and gives his actions perspective. Once his buddy is dead, his character loses all motivation, and then the movie its soul. What's left is a ramshackle kung fu killer plot, which any competent straight-to-video producer could have scribbled down on the back of an envelope. Peckinpah's other films frequently end when the central partnership was irrevocably dissolved. For all of its martial pyrotechnics, The Killer Elite just goes on too long.
The most successful part of the film is contained within the opening third. The first operation, Hansen's initial betrayal (which occurs in a world of surveillance that anticipates The Osterman Weekend, 1983), and the mechanics of Locken's physical reconstruction are, by turn, engrossing. It's a time of development and learning for Locken. From the casual sex of the opening the injured agent has to adjust, restrain his bitterness ("I'll just limp out of here"), and establishes a more permanent relationship with his nurse while on the mend. From embracing a broad, Locken ends up clutching a bedpan, then grasps at any chance to re-establish himself as whole. Peckinpah found delineating the mending processes so engrossing that the belated introduction of Negato Toku (Tak Kubota) as "Godfather of all the ninja assassins," and then Locken's fortuitous assignment to protect Yuen Cheung (Mako) against death within the USA are like dramatic afterthoughts, tellingly summarised in conversation over the airport fight.
These airport scenes, however expertly cut together by the director, are perhaps amongst the most gratuitous scenes of violence in his oeuvre. The fighting is dwelt on purely as a means to patch over a glaring narrative fault line, carrying along some clumsy verbal exposition. It has none of the catharsis, or brutal poetry, familiar from the director's other films. Locken's recuperation has proved a distraction. After his hospital a scene, the belated 'catching up' scene feels at best rushed, at worst intrusive. Worse, we sense Peckinpah is just not as emotionally engaged with martial arts as he is with the matter of the Old West. (A feeling underlined when Locken watches the final ninja swordfight with calculated disinterest, calmly betting on the result.) An obvious sop to those fans who wanted more of the action exemplified in Clouse's Enter The Dragon of two years previously, the kung fu in Peckinpah's film is vigorous, filmed with style, but remains peculiarly unconvincing. Strip away the martial arts and what remains is far more interesting and consistent with Peckinpah's personal philosophy. As in his other films there is a theme running through The Killer Elite, one of honour and the inexorable passing of the old ways. One thinks of the mothballed fleet the scene of the final confrontation, a veritable graveyard of former pride and glory. "You've just been retired Mike, enjoy it," says Hansen after crippling Locken. "You just retired, Cap," echoes Locken in irony, when addressing his traitorous superior at the end. In The Killer Elite, a new order is recognised: that of power systems, none of which care about civilians, or integrity - a recognition enunciated rather surprisingly by the shambling Miller (a scruffy Bo Hopkins). Cap Collins (Arthur Hill) had earlier put these changes more succinctly: "Would you believe that heroism has become old fashioned?" So half-baked and ludicrous is the action plot that much of the film's other pleasure comes from incidentals. The initial friendship between Locken and Hansen for instance, or Miller's girlfriend calling everyone 'Mr Davies'; the editing of the explosive opening sequence; or the bomb-under-the-car scene, ending with the distant explosion (pure comic 'business' rare in Peckinpah); Caan's sensitive performance. Allied to this is Jerry Fielding's score, an outstanding contribution from a composer who worked with the director on several occasions, as well as the acting in support from Peckinpah regulars like Hopkins. In short, The Killer Elite is something of curate's egg, only good in parts but, with all its unsatisfactory elements, still essential viewing for admirers of this director.
Kung Fu plot notwithstanding, at the centre of The Killer Elite is the relationship between Locken (James Caan) and Hansen (Robert Duvall). The shifting balance between two men, who find themselves on opposite sides of the law, recall similar relationships in Ride The High Country (1962), between Steve Judd and Gil Westrum, or in The Wild Bunch (1969), between Pike Bishop and Deke Thornton. "I can't figure why he didn't put the third one in my head," says Locken, brooding in hospital. "He's your buddy," is the characteristic reply. Locken and Hansen may travel further apart than the other examples of broken camaraderie in Peckinpah's work, but their mutual respect remains intact to the end. In the shoot out at the darkened quay, despite his thirst for revenge, Locken walks away from his former partner in disgust and he's not responsible for the final bullet.
The relationship between the two men is what focuses Locken's life and gives his actions perspective. Once his buddy is dead, his character loses all motivation, and then the movie its soul. What's left is a ramshackle kung fu killer plot, which any competent straight-to-video producer could have scribbled down on the back of an envelope. Peckinpah's other films frequently end when the central partnership was irrevocably dissolved. For all of its martial pyrotechnics, The Killer Elite just goes on too long.
The most successful part of the film is contained within the opening third. The first operation, Hansen's initial betrayal (which occurs in a world of surveillance that anticipates The Osterman Weekend, 1983), and the mechanics of Locken's physical reconstruction are, by turn, engrossing. It's a time of development and learning for Locken. From the casual sex of the opening the injured agent has to adjust, restrain his bitterness ("I'll just limp out of here"), and establishes a more permanent relationship with his nurse while on the mend. From embracing a broad, Locken ends up clutching a bedpan, then grasps at any chance to re-establish himself as whole. Peckinpah found delineating the mending processes so engrossing that the belated introduction of Negato Toku (Tak Kubota) as "Godfather of all the ninja assassins," and then Locken's fortuitous assignment to protect Yuen Cheung (Mako) against death within the USA are like dramatic afterthoughts, tellingly summarised in conversation over the airport fight.
These airport scenes, however expertly cut together by the director, are perhaps amongst the most gratuitous scenes of violence in his oeuvre. The fighting is dwelt on purely as a means to patch over a glaring narrative fault line, carrying along some clumsy verbal exposition. It has none of the catharsis, or brutal poetry, familiar from the director's other films. Locken's recuperation has proved a distraction. After his hospital a scene, the belated 'catching up' scene feels at best rushed, at worst intrusive. Worse, we sense Peckinpah is just not as emotionally engaged with martial arts as he is with the matter of the Old West. (A feeling underlined when Locken watches the final ninja swordfight with calculated disinterest, calmly betting on the result.) An obvious sop to those fans who wanted more of the action exemplified in Clouse's Enter The Dragon of two years previously, the kung fu in Peckinpah's film is vigorous, filmed with style, but remains peculiarly unconvincing. Strip away the martial arts and what remains is far more interesting and consistent with Peckinpah's personal philosophy. As in his other films there is a theme running through The Killer Elite, one of honour and the inexorable passing of the old ways. One thinks of the mothballed fleet the scene of the final confrontation, a veritable graveyard of former pride and glory. "You've just been retired Mike, enjoy it," says Hansen after crippling Locken. "You just retired, Cap," echoes Locken in irony, when addressing his traitorous superior at the end. In The Killer Elite, a new order is recognised: that of power systems, none of which care about civilians, or integrity - a recognition enunciated rather surprisingly by the shambling Miller (a scruffy Bo Hopkins). Cap Collins (Arthur Hill) had earlier put these changes more succinctly: "Would you believe that heroism has become old fashioned?" So half-baked and ludicrous is the action plot that much of the film's other pleasure comes from incidentals. The initial friendship between Locken and Hansen for instance, or Miller's girlfriend calling everyone 'Mr Davies'; the editing of the explosive opening sequence; or the bomb-under-the-car scene, ending with the distant explosion (pure comic 'business' rare in Peckinpah); Caan's sensitive performance. Allied to this is Jerry Fielding's score, an outstanding contribution from a composer who worked with the director on several occasions, as well as the acting in support from Peckinpah regulars like Hopkins. In short, The Killer Elite is something of curate's egg, only good in parts but, with all its unsatisfactory elements, still essential viewing for admirers of this director.
Peckinpah starts it out great but doesn't know when to quit
sc803124 July 2008
Here's a Peckinpah movie that starts out really good but falls apart in the last third. It's a story about high-level contract killers and mercenaries hired out in secret by the CIA. The story investigates the friendship between Mike Locken (James Caan) and George Hansen (Robert Duvall), two of the high-class mercenaries working to protect VIPs and radical international diplomats.
The early character development is good, the dialog and accents are all pretty enjoyable on the ears, the camaraderie between the mercenaries is fun to watch (you don't see chemistry like this in action movies anymore!) and the action scenes -- as expected of Peckinpah -- are intense and well thought-out.
There is a considerable amount of hand-to-hand combat on display here. Some of the dojo scenes with Karate/Judo stuff are not bad, but not totally amazing either. It's cool that Peckinpah wanted to include this stuff, but why would high level secret operatives train in Gendai (modern, sportified, public, organized) Japanese martial arts? I thought that was pretty hokey.
And then we have the real problem: later in the film the bad guys are a bunch of ninjas. Ninjas, huh? I understand that the movie is kinda tongue-in-cheek and is about unrealistically tough contract killers and so forth, but the cheesy ninja costumes and the poorly choreographed fight scenes with them (not to mention the abstract and borderline offensive duel regarding "honor") instantly date this movie and make it something of a novelty.
Peckinpah had serious substance abuse problems at this point and maybe that's what causes the weird pacing. Had this movie been shorter and ended at the end of the second third with a more concise message, it would've been pretty solid. It also could've developed some of the supporting characters more than it did.
Still, there are some pretty good things to be found here. Really good action scenes, some memorable characters and dialog, and some decent commentary on corrupt power-players who run politics and business. It's just too bad everyone involved seems to be on autopilot.
The early character development is good, the dialog and accents are all pretty enjoyable on the ears, the camaraderie between the mercenaries is fun to watch (you don't see chemistry like this in action movies anymore!) and the action scenes -- as expected of Peckinpah -- are intense and well thought-out.
There is a considerable amount of hand-to-hand combat on display here. Some of the dojo scenes with Karate/Judo stuff are not bad, but not totally amazing either. It's cool that Peckinpah wanted to include this stuff, but why would high level secret operatives train in Gendai (modern, sportified, public, organized) Japanese martial arts? I thought that was pretty hokey.
And then we have the real problem: later in the film the bad guys are a bunch of ninjas. Ninjas, huh? I understand that the movie is kinda tongue-in-cheek and is about unrealistically tough contract killers and so forth, but the cheesy ninja costumes and the poorly choreographed fight scenes with them (not to mention the abstract and borderline offensive duel regarding "honor") instantly date this movie and make it something of a novelty.
Peckinpah had serious substance abuse problems at this point and maybe that's what causes the weird pacing. Had this movie been shorter and ended at the end of the second third with a more concise message, it would've been pretty solid. It also could've developed some of the supporting characters more than it did.
Still, there are some pretty good things to be found here. Really good action scenes, some memorable characters and dialog, and some decent commentary on corrupt power-players who run politics and business. It's just too bad everyone involved seems to be on autopilot.
Overlong film doesn't hit the mark.
gridoon2 October 1999
This Peckinpah thriller is poorly plotted, sometimes confusing and generally doesn't hit the mark. Peckinpah provides a few exciting action scenes, but the film is ultimately defeated by overlength. The very poor sound quality is another problem: it's often hard to understand parts of the dialogue. Decent performances.
Sub-par Peckinpah.
BA_Harrison30 November 2017
I was drawn to The Killer Elite by a still of James Caan brandishing a walking stick at a ninja; a crippled Caan versus ninjas could surely only mean fun, especially with Sam Peckinpah behind the camera. Sadly, the scene isn't anywhere near as bad-ass as it sounds on paper, and to get there we have endure an awful lot of sluggish exposition that will most likely disappoint the majority of the director's fans.
The film opens explosively enough, with Mike Locken (Caan) and George Hansen (Robert Duvall) completing a job for ComTeg, a private agency contracted by the C.I.A. to handle work of a more 'sensitive' nature. Locken and Hansen, friends as well as colleagues, are then tasked with protecting a defector, but things take an unexpected turn when Hansen, who has been bought out by a rival group, executes their ward and then turns his gun on Locken, shooting him in the arm and leg.
Critically wounded, Locken is rushed to hospital and undergoes emergency surgery followed by months of intensive physiotherapy. Against all odds, Locken recuperates to the point where he is once again able to work, driven by the idea of taking revenge on his old buddy Hansen.
With Locken's gradual rehabilitation taking up the bulk of the movie, The Killer Elite is remarkably devoid of the brutal violence and slow-motion bloodshed that one associates with Peckinpah, with even a machine gun shootout in a crowded street resulting in only one dead body. Worse still, the ninja showdown that had first attracted my attention comes right at the end of the film and consists of uninspired and poorly choreographed fight action featuring some of the most inept ninjas imaginable.
Apparently, the film was made by Peckinpah while he was experiencing the new-found pleasures of cocaine, which goes a long way to explain why it is such a mess.
The film opens explosively enough, with Mike Locken (Caan) and George Hansen (Robert Duvall) completing a job for ComTeg, a private agency contracted by the C.I.A. to handle work of a more 'sensitive' nature. Locken and Hansen, friends as well as colleagues, are then tasked with protecting a defector, but things take an unexpected turn when Hansen, who has been bought out by a rival group, executes their ward and then turns his gun on Locken, shooting him in the arm and leg.
Critically wounded, Locken is rushed to hospital and undergoes emergency surgery followed by months of intensive physiotherapy. Against all odds, Locken recuperates to the point where he is once again able to work, driven by the idea of taking revenge on his old buddy Hansen.
With Locken's gradual rehabilitation taking up the bulk of the movie, The Killer Elite is remarkably devoid of the brutal violence and slow-motion bloodshed that one associates with Peckinpah, with even a machine gun shootout in a crowded street resulting in only one dead body. Worse still, the ninja showdown that had first attracted my attention comes right at the end of the film and consists of uninspired and poorly choreographed fight action featuring some of the most inept ninjas imaginable.
Apparently, the film was made by Peckinpah while he was experiencing the new-found pleasures of cocaine, which goes a long way to explain why it is such a mess.
Typical '70's action/thriller stuff.
Boba_Fett113828 December 2005
This movie is certainly watchable enough but the movie at times falls flat with its story, that at times becomes quite ridicules.
It was great to see Robert Duvall and James Caan together again in this movie. Their scene's together were highly enjoyable and great to watch. The scene's in which they are together are highly professionally act in but those scene's are too few present in the movie. For some reason the movie highly under uses Robert Duvall.
At points the story is dragging and it never takes the right pace. On top of that there are some highly unlikely and to be frank totally uninteresting elements in the story which makes this movie an at times uneven one to watch.
Still "The Killer Elite" is an enjoyable '70's flick. This is of course mainly due to the presence of Caan and Duvall and some other fine well known actors but also thanks to the great action direction from director Sam Peckinpah. There really are some good action sequences that are well constructed and executed.
The '70's style and atmosphere and way of movie making is clearly present during the whole movie, which makes this movie a great one to watch for the fans of that movie period.
It's a perfectly watchable little '70's action/thriller but by no means it's a must see. When you get the chance, it's worth watching though.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
It was great to see Robert Duvall and James Caan together again in this movie. Their scene's together were highly enjoyable and great to watch. The scene's in which they are together are highly professionally act in but those scene's are too few present in the movie. For some reason the movie highly under uses Robert Duvall.
At points the story is dragging and it never takes the right pace. On top of that there are some highly unlikely and to be frank totally uninteresting elements in the story which makes this movie an at times uneven one to watch.
Still "The Killer Elite" is an enjoyable '70's flick. This is of course mainly due to the presence of Caan and Duvall and some other fine well known actors but also thanks to the great action direction from director Sam Peckinpah. There really are some good action sequences that are well constructed and executed.
The '70's style and atmosphere and way of movie making is clearly present during the whole movie, which makes this movie a great one to watch for the fans of that movie period.
It's a perfectly watchable little '70's action/thriller but by no means it's a must see. When you get the chance, it's worth watching though.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
CIA Stands For Carelessly Incoherent Actioner
slokes19 June 2009
The problem with "The Killer Elite" is that just by seeking this film out, and investing time to watch it, you are putting more effort into the experience than many of its principals did, particularly director Sam Peckinpah.
The already volatile Peckinpah was heading into rough weather with this film. According to at least one biographer, this was where he became acquainted with cocaine. Add to that his binge drinking, and it's no wonder things fell apart.
It's a shame, because the concept behind the film is a good one, and the first ten minutes promise much. Mike Locken (James Caan) and George Hansen (Robert Duvall) are private contractors who do a lot of dirty work for the CIA. They move quick, live well, and seem like the best of friends - then something happens to shatter their brotherhood.
An opening scene shows them blowing up a building - why exactly we aren't told, par for the course in terms of this film's murky motivation. But the implication is these guys hurt people and don't really care - antiheroes much like the Wild Bunch of Peckinpah's not-so-long-ago. An opening title tells us they work for ComTeg, then adds with obvious tongue in cheek "...the thought the CIA might employ such an organization for any purpose is, of course, preposterous." That's a pretty clever way of letting the audience know all bets are off.
Add to that a traditionally strong Peckinpah backup cast, including Burt Young, Gig Young, and Peckinpah regular Bo Hopkins in the plum role of a madman who can't pass up an opportunity to be shot at for $500 a day, and you only wish that the scriptwriters, including the celebrated Sterling Silliphant, tried to do something more with the story than turn it into a platform for lazy one-liners and bad chop-socky knockoffs. An attempt at injecting a dose of liberal social commentary is awkwardly shoehorned in. "You're so busy doing their dirty work, you can't tell who the bad guys are," someone tells Locken, as if either he or we need it pointed out.
Worse still are Peckinpah's clumsy direction and sluggish pacing. We're 40 minutes into the film before we get our first battle scene, a completely chaotic collection of random shots where a bunch of people we haven't even met before are seen fighting at San Francisco Airport, their battle intercut with a conversation in an office suite.
By the end of the film, what's left of the cast is having a battle inside a fleet of mothballed Victory Ships, ninjas running out in the open to be gunned down while Caan tosses off one liners that undercut any hint of real suspense. "Lay me seven-to-five, I'll take the little guy," he wisecracks just before a climatic samurai duel between two ninja warriors - from China, which we all know is the land of the Ninja. (The battle takes place in San Francisco, but surprisingly no Mounties arrive to break things up.)
Caan is much better in smaller scenes, like when Locken, recovering from some nasty injuries, is told by one of his bosses, played by a smooth Arthur Hill, that he's been "Humpty-dumped" by the organization. Caan refuses to stay down, and his recovery scenes, though momentum-killing for the movie, feature fine acting from him and Amy Heflin, Van's daughter, as a supportive nurse. Caan was one of the 1970s' best actors, and his laconic byplay with Heflin, Duvall, Hopkins, and both Youngs give "Killer Elite" real watchability.
But you don't watch "Killer Elite" thinking about that. You watch it thinking of the film that got away.
The already volatile Peckinpah was heading into rough weather with this film. According to at least one biographer, this was where he became acquainted with cocaine. Add to that his binge drinking, and it's no wonder things fell apart.
It's a shame, because the concept behind the film is a good one, and the first ten minutes promise much. Mike Locken (James Caan) and George Hansen (Robert Duvall) are private contractors who do a lot of dirty work for the CIA. They move quick, live well, and seem like the best of friends - then something happens to shatter their brotherhood.
An opening scene shows them blowing up a building - why exactly we aren't told, par for the course in terms of this film's murky motivation. But the implication is these guys hurt people and don't really care - antiheroes much like the Wild Bunch of Peckinpah's not-so-long-ago. An opening title tells us they work for ComTeg, then adds with obvious tongue in cheek "...the thought the CIA might employ such an organization for any purpose is, of course, preposterous." That's a pretty clever way of letting the audience know all bets are off.
Add to that a traditionally strong Peckinpah backup cast, including Burt Young, Gig Young, and Peckinpah regular Bo Hopkins in the plum role of a madman who can't pass up an opportunity to be shot at for $500 a day, and you only wish that the scriptwriters, including the celebrated Sterling Silliphant, tried to do something more with the story than turn it into a platform for lazy one-liners and bad chop-socky knockoffs. An attempt at injecting a dose of liberal social commentary is awkwardly shoehorned in. "You're so busy doing their dirty work, you can't tell who the bad guys are," someone tells Locken, as if either he or we need it pointed out.
Worse still are Peckinpah's clumsy direction and sluggish pacing. We're 40 minutes into the film before we get our first battle scene, a completely chaotic collection of random shots where a bunch of people we haven't even met before are seen fighting at San Francisco Airport, their battle intercut with a conversation in an office suite.
By the end of the film, what's left of the cast is having a battle inside a fleet of mothballed Victory Ships, ninjas running out in the open to be gunned down while Caan tosses off one liners that undercut any hint of real suspense. "Lay me seven-to-five, I'll take the little guy," he wisecracks just before a climatic samurai duel between two ninja warriors - from China, which we all know is the land of the Ninja. (The battle takes place in San Francisco, but surprisingly no Mounties arrive to break things up.)
Caan is much better in smaller scenes, like when Locken, recovering from some nasty injuries, is told by one of his bosses, played by a smooth Arthur Hill, that he's been "Humpty-dumped" by the organization. Caan refuses to stay down, and his recovery scenes, though momentum-killing for the movie, feature fine acting from him and Amy Heflin, Van's daughter, as a supportive nurse. Caan was one of the 1970s' best actors, and his laconic byplay with Heflin, Duvall, Hopkins, and both Youngs give "Killer Elite" real watchability.
But you don't watch "Killer Elite" thinking about that. You watch it thinking of the film that got away.
Peckinpah On The CIA And Foreign Intrigue
virek21311 May 2012
By the mid-1970s, the career of director Sam Peckinpah had basically hit the skids. He had seen one more film of his (PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID) butchered by a studio (MGM) in 1973; then, in 1974, his most overtly personal film, the admittedly ghoulish-sounding BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA, was roundly trashed by audiences and critics alike. And on top of that, the excesses that had been plaguing him on and off for years were starting to dominate his life. Yet through all of this, he somehow managed to pull off the good when he was sober. A case in point was the action thriller THE KILLER ELITE, released near the end of 1975.
In this film, James Caan portrays an employee for a CIA-sponsored offshoot group called ComTeg (Communications Integrity) who, in protecting a German political figure (Helmut Dantine), is maliciously wounded by his partner (Robert Duvall) in the leg and arm. Though his superiors in ComTeg (Arthur Hill; Gig Young) tell him that those injuries are so severe that he may never be able to walk fully again, Caan vows to get back into the game, exposing himself to strenuous rehabilitation and martial arts exercises. When Hill gives him the chance, via protecting a Japanese politician (Mako) until he can be gotten out of the country, Caan immediately grabs onto it, especially with the fringe benefit of knowing Duvall has resurfaced and is gunning for Mako on his own. The whole operation turns out to be part of an internecine battle of wills inside ComTeg between their two superiors, first resulting in a fatal confrontation at the Bethlehem Steel shipyard, and then a high-energy showdown aboard a mothballed World War II vessel in Suisun Bay involving Japanese kung-fu masters.
It is easy to simply dismiss THE KILLER ELITE (which, however, shouldn't be confused with the similarly-titled, but unrelated and much more violent, 2011 film of the same name) as lesser Peckinpah, but he should still be given credit for having taken a strictly commercial property (much like his big 1972 hit THE GETAWAY), and turning it into a solid action film with some bursts of sardonic humor, plus points being made about the dirty business of the CIA at a time when the agency was being battered in the press for its foreign shenanigans and domestic spying, plus its role in covering up Watergate. He would return to this theme in his last film, 1983's THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND.
Under Peckinpah's direction, both Caan and Duvall, who had appeared together before in THE GODFATHER, do solid work as the two friends set up against one another; and Hill and Gig Young (the latter of whom made for a dispassionate killer in ALFREDO GARCIA) are equally good in their bureaucratic roles. Burt Young and Bo Hopkins do good solid turns as Caan's two partners in the protection of Mako's ambitious Oriental political figure. As is typical with Peckinpah, the action scenes are shot and edited in that characteristic Peckinpah style; and the on-location cinematography by Philip Lathrop, whose credits include 1965's THE CINCINNATI KID (from which Peckinpah was unceremoniously fired), is also superb. And finally, Jerry Fielding, working with Peckinpah one final time, comes up with another iconoclastic music score that combines jazz, dissonance, and Far Eastern music elements.
The end result may not have been "classic Peckinpah" (it is certainly less bloody than THE WILD BUNCH, STRAW DOGS, or ALFREDO GARCIA), but THE KILLER ELITE is still far superior to most of the ultra-violent action flicks that would follow in Peckinpah's wake.
In this film, James Caan portrays an employee for a CIA-sponsored offshoot group called ComTeg (Communications Integrity) who, in protecting a German political figure (Helmut Dantine), is maliciously wounded by his partner (Robert Duvall) in the leg and arm. Though his superiors in ComTeg (Arthur Hill; Gig Young) tell him that those injuries are so severe that he may never be able to walk fully again, Caan vows to get back into the game, exposing himself to strenuous rehabilitation and martial arts exercises. When Hill gives him the chance, via protecting a Japanese politician (Mako) until he can be gotten out of the country, Caan immediately grabs onto it, especially with the fringe benefit of knowing Duvall has resurfaced and is gunning for Mako on his own. The whole operation turns out to be part of an internecine battle of wills inside ComTeg between their two superiors, first resulting in a fatal confrontation at the Bethlehem Steel shipyard, and then a high-energy showdown aboard a mothballed World War II vessel in Suisun Bay involving Japanese kung-fu masters.
It is easy to simply dismiss THE KILLER ELITE (which, however, shouldn't be confused with the similarly-titled, but unrelated and much more violent, 2011 film of the same name) as lesser Peckinpah, but he should still be given credit for having taken a strictly commercial property (much like his big 1972 hit THE GETAWAY), and turning it into a solid action film with some bursts of sardonic humor, plus points being made about the dirty business of the CIA at a time when the agency was being battered in the press for its foreign shenanigans and domestic spying, plus its role in covering up Watergate. He would return to this theme in his last film, 1983's THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND.
Under Peckinpah's direction, both Caan and Duvall, who had appeared together before in THE GODFATHER, do solid work as the two friends set up against one another; and Hill and Gig Young (the latter of whom made for a dispassionate killer in ALFREDO GARCIA) are equally good in their bureaucratic roles. Burt Young and Bo Hopkins do good solid turns as Caan's two partners in the protection of Mako's ambitious Oriental political figure. As is typical with Peckinpah, the action scenes are shot and edited in that characteristic Peckinpah style; and the on-location cinematography by Philip Lathrop, whose credits include 1965's THE CINCINNATI KID (from which Peckinpah was unceremoniously fired), is also superb. And finally, Jerry Fielding, working with Peckinpah one final time, comes up with another iconoclastic music score that combines jazz, dissonance, and Far Eastern music elements.
The end result may not have been "classic Peckinpah" (it is certainly less bloody than THE WILD BUNCH, STRAW DOGS, or ALFREDO GARCIA), but THE KILLER ELITE is still far superior to most of the ultra-violent action flicks that would follow in Peckinpah's wake.
This would have even sucked in 1975
rcys-7622124 September 2020
I can't believe that they wasted 30 minutes on detailed rehab details that could have been finished in a 1 minute montage. Very little gratuitous sex and poor "action" scenes. Ninja fight scenes at full speed seemed like slow motion. A go no where class of joe to create characters no one cares about.
Very good film, but not good for those who want the quick rush...
rixrex29 December 2005
I have a friend who likes action films, but is not familiar with action films of the 70s. Every time I bring over a 70s flick, like this one, she complains that it's too slow and boring. I tell her that it's because there is a plot and character development that modern action films lack. She doesn't care about that, she just wants to see the action scenes and the violence. This is pretty typical of those who are hooked into music videos and video games that have no plot, no character development, are finished quickly, and exist only for immediate gratification of the need for an adrenaline rush, like one minute carnival rides. If this is what you like, you won't like this film. But if you enjoy good character and story development, you won't be disappointed.
Lesser Peckinpah is interesting if flawed and overlong
tbyrne417 July 2006
I give "The Killer Elite" a 7 only because it was directed by Peckinpah. This is an interesting action film, about a covert group of guys who work in tandem with the CIA and carry out various hits and rescues and stuff (although their job mainly seems to be guarding people who are going into the witness relocation program - I think. It's a little unclear).
Anyway, Caan and Duvall play a partner team in the operation and in the beginning Duvall sells out to a competitor and shoots Caan and kills the guy they're guarding. The rest of the movie involves Caan's rehabilitation (the best part of the film) and Caan basically getting back at Duvall (the weakest part).
The first third is quite promising, with a great opening reminiscent of the opening of Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron" where we hear children singing a jump rope song over footage of a bomb being planted. Extremely effective and intense.
Also, Caan's rehabiliation is presented with unusual precision by Pecknipah. He really makes it fascinating. Just watching them take out Caan's stitches is presented with great care.
This was Peckinpah's only stab at the kung fu genre/spy genre (a la "Enter the Dragon") and he does some interesting things with it. He uses some slo-mo during the action. Not a lot, however. At this point in his career he had basically been drummed out of Hollywood. I believe he made "The Killer Elite" to show people he was still employable.
I think it could have benefited from having more Robert Duvall in the film. He has a wonderful, icy presence. There's a great scene where he calls the ninjas a bunch of "clowns". The snake-like disdain in his eyes is wildly intense. Unfortunately, he only shows up at the beginning and the end.
Film has some wonderful set pieces (The scene where Burt Young discovers a bomb underneath a car probably being the best) but somehow they just don't hold the film together. Ultimately, it goes on far too long. The ending takes forever. I wasn't even sure what was happening by the end of the film.
Anyway, Caan and Duvall play a partner team in the operation and in the beginning Duvall sells out to a competitor and shoots Caan and kills the guy they're guarding. The rest of the movie involves Caan's rehabilitation (the best part of the film) and Caan basically getting back at Duvall (the weakest part).
The first third is quite promising, with a great opening reminiscent of the opening of Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron" where we hear children singing a jump rope song over footage of a bomb being planted. Extremely effective and intense.
Also, Caan's rehabiliation is presented with unusual precision by Pecknipah. He really makes it fascinating. Just watching them take out Caan's stitches is presented with great care.
This was Peckinpah's only stab at the kung fu genre/spy genre (a la "Enter the Dragon") and he does some interesting things with it. He uses some slo-mo during the action. Not a lot, however. At this point in his career he had basically been drummed out of Hollywood. I believe he made "The Killer Elite" to show people he was still employable.
I think it could have benefited from having more Robert Duvall in the film. He has a wonderful, icy presence. There's a great scene where he calls the ninjas a bunch of "clowns". The snake-like disdain in his eyes is wildly intense. Unfortunately, he only shows up at the beginning and the end.
Film has some wonderful set pieces (The scene where Burt Young discovers a bomb underneath a car probably being the best) but somehow they just don't hold the film together. Ultimately, it goes on far too long. The ending takes forever. I wasn't even sure what was happening by the end of the film.
Not vintage Peckinpah but is good enough.
alexanderdavies-9938228 June 2017
"The Killer Elite" is a rather uneven film that contains some of the typical Peckinpah magic but the plot is the big drawback here. It seems to take a while for James Caan to catch up with Robert Duvall after what happens at the beginning. Then the plot includes unnecessary distractions that have nothing to do with anything. The action scenes compensate a lot and I do like the Kung Fu moments (though not in the league of Bruce Lee). The setting in being that of San Francisco, is a good idea. It makes from it being either New York or Los Angeles.
Sam Peckinpah delivers surface level entertainment with excellent shootouts
a_chinn15 January 2018
Lesser Sam Peckinpah film is still solid entertainment, even if it's nowhere close to his artful masterpieces of "The Wild Bunch," "Straw Dogs," or "Ride the High Country." James Caan plays an off-the-books CIA/black ops type who's double crossed by his partner, Robert Duvall, and left crippled. Caan goes through arduous physical therapy and learns martial arts and how to fight with his new cane in order to enact his revenge on Duvall and the organization that's abandoned him. Although this film does have it's defenders, "The Killer Elite" is pure surface level entertainment. When Peckinpah was asked how he prepared for this film, he said he watched a bunch of Bruce Lee movies, which is a pretty good indication he wasn't focused on his usual themes of men-out-of-time, masculinity, and violence. However, Sam Peckinpah knows his way around an action sequence better than most and he delivers a number of exiting shootouts. The martial arts sequences are admittedly not as good as his shootouts, but Peckinpah's use of slow potion and montage during those scenes is interesting none-the-less. The shootouts though are, as you would expect, a knockout! Overall, this story isn't all that clever or interesting, but thanks to the talents of the director, the action here was more than enough to hold my interest. FUN FACT! Monte Hellman is credited as casting the film.
Boom then Bust
ashleyallinson8 March 2005
It was almost unfathomable to me that this film would be a bust but I was indeed disappointed. Having been a connoisseur of Pekinpah cinema for years, I found this DVD, drastically reduced, for sale and thought it was worth a shot. The opening few credits, iconic to Pekinpah fans, has the inter-cutting between man and animal, but here we have non-diegetic ambient noise of children playing in a schoolyard while a bomb is being planted. Fantastic suspense. Then, when the perps, Caan and Duval, travel to their next mission, Duval drops the bomb on Cann that his date last night had an STD, found only by snooping through her purse while Cann was being intimate with her. The ensuing laughter is fantastic, and is clearly paid homage to in Brian Depalma's Dressed to Kill, at the short-lived expense of Angle Dickenson. The problem with The Killer Elite is that after the opening credits, the film falls flat. Even Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia has stronger production value, a bold call for anyone who knows what I'm talking about. I use Pekinpah's credits as supplementary lecture material, but once they are finished, turn The Killer Elite off.
"Are you connected with the CIA?"
lost-in-limbo25 August 2012
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"
The WORST of Peckinpah.
CatRufus559120 November 2020
The name 'Sam Peckinpah' was synonymous with action (specifically, 'slow- motion action')
in the 1960's. So my friends and I went to see 'The Killer Elite' in 1975, anticipating another great film from THE MASTER OF SLOW-MOTION MAYHEM. We waited...and waited...
and waited...for action- ANY KIND of ACTION -in this movie. Well, it finally showed up- a tepid fight scene of some sort (aboard a ship, as I recall?)near the finale.. But that was it.
Junk, junk, junk. A must miss.
What would you take to sell your friend?
george_chabot23 May 2002
Entertaining and fairly gritty look at the real life undercover spooks who do the CIA's dirty work or sometimes are bought by the highest bidder.
Contains some parallels to Peckinpah's greatest film THE WILD BUNCH in that it explores themes of obsolescence, integrity, loyalty, and friendship. Caan and Duvall are at the top of their game and supporting actors Burt Young, Bo Hopkins, and Gig Young lend credibility as guys who are willing to play the dirty game.
Jerry Fielding score as in THE WILD BUNCH is superb. 4 out of 5 stars
Contains some parallels to Peckinpah's greatest film THE WILD BUNCH in that it explores themes of obsolescence, integrity, loyalty, and friendship. Caan and Duvall are at the top of their game and supporting actors Burt Young, Bo Hopkins, and Gig Young lend credibility as guys who are willing to play the dirty game.
Jerry Fielding score as in THE WILD BUNCH is superb. 4 out of 5 stars
Sure it sucks...
charlietuna4 April 2001
I don't think its hyperbole to say that "Killer Elite" is Peckinpah's most pedestrian effort. While he didn't have a hand in the writing (which was bad!), he over came this in the past with a good cast and his deft direction. If you stand "Killer Elite" next to "Junior Bonner" you have two under written films whose characters experience little transformation. Yet J.B. is a tightly crafted film. Peckinpah wastes little time telling us his story. His signature portrayal of his male protagonist as super stud is handled in one ridiculous scene (the bar fight) and we move on. Peckinpah gets the most out McQueen, Robert Preston, and Mary Murphy. In K.E. we start the film with Caan in bed and then digress again as he wins over his nurse. Peckinpah obviously had a thing with nurses since the tryst in "Cross of Iron" had Coburn over coming his injuries to win the heart of his pliant healer. The "Killer Elite" is too long, too slow, and in many moments just plain ridiculous. James Caan and Robert Duvall do little to distinguish themselves or raise the level of this film. Arthur Hill, Bo Hopkins, Mako, and Burt Young deliver familiar performances as the familiar characters that kept them employed but rightfully won them no praise. All in all, a movie that woefully underachieves and is at best, forgettable.
there's a reason why I view "contractors" with suspicion
lee_eisenberg23 September 2021
"The Killer Elite" has a plot similar to "Three Days of the Condor" (released the same year). In both cases, a man works for a government agency - although in this case it's a CIA contractor - and finds himself betrayed by his supposed allies. This one comes across as somewhat silly by adding martial arts for the fight scenes, especially since it depicts white people causally making mincemeat of Asians.
All the cast members put on effective performances, and director Sam Peckinpah brings a strong flair. It's not a bad movie, just awkward. Impressive shots of San Francisco, though.
All the cast members put on effective performances, and director Sam Peckinpah brings a strong flair. It's not a bad movie, just awkward. Impressive shots of San Francisco, though.
second rate
winner5523 June 2006
As with many lesser Peckinpah films, scenes and images from the killer elite will haunt one for some time - which only makes the film as a whole all the more disappointing.
After trashing himself in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, which was really a small budget independent feature, Peckinpah clearly took on the Killer elite project as a means of getting back to being "a good whore" for Hollywood producers (as he remarked in an interview at the time). Unfortunately, Peckinpah had never been a "good whore" for Hollywood, nobody in Hollywood ever thought he was, and none of his potential audiences ever expected him to be. So that makes the Killer elite even more frustrating to watch, because we know he's trying to give us a film he thinks we want, when in fact we don't want it.
The giveaway to all this is the embarrassing inclusion of Chinese martial arts sequence. That might have looked good as 'high concept' to some studio hack - "the Wild Bunch guy does kung fu". But Peckinpah has no interest in it, and can't think of a clever way to portray it on film.
Caan and Duvall (more high concept, they are here getting paired off as in the Godfather of 2 years previous) look as though they are still waiting to read the script before the movie starts, only to discover that the movie has already started. The rest of the cast look as though they're making a TV show, and pause occasionally for a commercial that never plays. The editing is a mess, the plot is banal B-movie material.
Peckinpah's next attempted Hollywood prostitution would be the utterly disastrous Convoy. Why? I don't think even Peckinpah could ever answer that adequately.
After trashing himself in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, which was really a small budget independent feature, Peckinpah clearly took on the Killer elite project as a means of getting back to being "a good whore" for Hollywood producers (as he remarked in an interview at the time). Unfortunately, Peckinpah had never been a "good whore" for Hollywood, nobody in Hollywood ever thought he was, and none of his potential audiences ever expected him to be. So that makes the Killer elite even more frustrating to watch, because we know he's trying to give us a film he thinks we want, when in fact we don't want it.
The giveaway to all this is the embarrassing inclusion of Chinese martial arts sequence. That might have looked good as 'high concept' to some studio hack - "the Wild Bunch guy does kung fu". But Peckinpah has no interest in it, and can't think of a clever way to portray it on film.
Caan and Duvall (more high concept, they are here getting paired off as in the Godfather of 2 years previous) look as though they are still waiting to read the script before the movie starts, only to discover that the movie has already started. The rest of the cast look as though they're making a TV show, and pause occasionally for a commercial that never plays. The editing is a mess, the plot is banal B-movie material.
Peckinpah's next attempted Hollywood prostitution would be the utterly disastrous Convoy. Why? I don't think even Peckinpah could ever answer that adequately.
Not Exactly Elite
brileyvandyke21 August 2021
I watched this film because I am a huge James Caan and Robert Duvall fan. While both men are great in this, I came away disappointed with the film. At the start of the film there is a disclaimer that the idea the CIA would employ an agency to assassinate unwanted agents would be absurd. That sets the theme of this film. Parts of it are absurd. Again, Caan and Duvall were strong in this, as was Burt Young, but there are numerous plot turns which gives the impression that Sam Peckinpah's drug addled mind was fogged over and not focused. Indeed Peckinpah was hospitalized for excessive cocaine usage during filming and it shows. At one point this film employs ninjas in broad daylight on deck of a ship armed with swords and staffs rushing mindlessly headlined into automatic machine gun fire. Other parts of the film feel like a conspiracy theory or a sophomoric rant. The Kung fu nonsense at the end was the usual kicking and screaming.
I really wanted to like this film, but it was a great disappointment. Sorry.
I really wanted to like this film, but it was a great disappointment. Sorry.
A surprising gem.
lemme_caution1 October 2005
No one mentions Killer Elite when they talk about Peckinpah...maybe they should. When you think Peckinpah you think The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs because that's all that anyone thinks is relevant about his career. A career that is fabled to have collapsed under the pressures of his excessive lifestyle and personality. It is for this reason I was surprised to find this movie in the local video store the other day.
This film shows a fantastic amount of maturity about its characters as displayed through the patience with which Peckinpah walks us through the Duvall and Caan's relationship (take for instance the scene with them crossing the Golden Gate bridge...its seldom that a director takes this amount of time with dialogue that is so trivial but subtext that is so important in an indexical sort of way) and Caan's lengthy rehabilitation. The meatiest parts of this films emotional resonance is dealt with in the first act before a majority of the action.
The real strength of the film is that it allows an insight not just into Duvall and Caan but the other mercenaries who are all, in one way or another, fractured people. Though I have to admit that this particular aspect of the film could have been emphasized more I think it is something that is, unfortunately, being overlooked by some of the other people who commented on this film.
Another user drew a parallel between this film and the honor among thieves them at the heart of the Wild Bunch. There is a similarity between the two but to say that Peckinpah is making the same statement in both films is a bit myopic. James Caan's character is not William Holden's character. I can't help but feel though, that either more screen time or a solid R rating would have more clearly delineated the difference.
One last word about this film. I have always been a giant fan of Peckinpah's editing. Wild Bunch was an orgy of (true) montage editing that would have made Eisenstien blush and Straw Dogs would be less of a movie were it not for the free associative cuts into the characters mind that can only been found in the days when American Cinema was busy dry humping the New Wave (i.e. Francis Ford Coppola's the Rain People). In Killer Elite Peckinpah is DW Griffith inspired crosscutting as Sergio Leone is to the ringing phone.
This film shows a fantastic amount of maturity about its characters as displayed through the patience with which Peckinpah walks us through the Duvall and Caan's relationship (take for instance the scene with them crossing the Golden Gate bridge...its seldom that a director takes this amount of time with dialogue that is so trivial but subtext that is so important in an indexical sort of way) and Caan's lengthy rehabilitation. The meatiest parts of this films emotional resonance is dealt with in the first act before a majority of the action.
The real strength of the film is that it allows an insight not just into Duvall and Caan but the other mercenaries who are all, in one way or another, fractured people. Though I have to admit that this particular aspect of the film could have been emphasized more I think it is something that is, unfortunately, being overlooked by some of the other people who commented on this film.
Another user drew a parallel between this film and the honor among thieves them at the heart of the Wild Bunch. There is a similarity between the two but to say that Peckinpah is making the same statement in both films is a bit myopic. James Caan's character is not William Holden's character. I can't help but feel though, that either more screen time or a solid R rating would have more clearly delineated the difference.
One last word about this film. I have always been a giant fan of Peckinpah's editing. Wild Bunch was an orgy of (true) montage editing that would have made Eisenstien blush and Straw Dogs would be less of a movie were it not for the free associative cuts into the characters mind that can only been found in the days when American Cinema was busy dry humping the New Wave (i.e. Francis Ford Coppola's the Rain People). In Killer Elite Peckinpah is DW Griffith inspired crosscutting as Sergio Leone is to the ringing phone.
The Characters Are Better Than The Movie
damianphelps31 January 2024
The Killer Elite is an old school action featuring James Caan and Robert Duvall, which is a nice bit of throw back fun.
The performances, notably by Caan and Duvall, inject depth into their characters as this movie slides down the highway.
However, it's worth noting that renound director Sam Peckinpah, often hailed as a visionary, might be somewhat overrated, as the film doesn't reach any great heights.
Nevertheless, The Killer Elite offers a snapshot of 1970s action cinema, with its suspenseful atmosphere and intricate espionage elements providing some entertainment and a bit of movie soul :)
The performances, notably by Caan and Duvall, inject depth into their characters as this movie slides down the highway.
However, it's worth noting that renound director Sam Peckinpah, often hailed as a visionary, might be somewhat overrated, as the film doesn't reach any great heights.
Nevertheless, The Killer Elite offers a snapshot of 1970s action cinema, with its suspenseful atmosphere and intricate espionage elements providing some entertainment and a bit of movie soul :)
A film that sputters instead of Bangs...
joker-scar17 September 2018
I like Pekinpah's work and finally saw this film. A friend had an insert poster on his walls in the 1980's and it always caught my eye since I like a good 70's action film. I had no idea of the plot but the art work suggested it.
As it seems to be the norm now, gag...., the inevitable reboot with the only balding actor that can pull off that look, Jason Statham came with a bang and left with a usual whimper. I was going to see it "cause I was bored" but decided to buy the video of this older film instead.
I love the Wild Bunch... but not the much exalted slo-mo blood soaked ending, I like everything else leading up to it instead. The Getaway is a cool shoot-em-up but while this film started out good, slow pace as was the norm back in the 70's, but towards the end it just felt like stuff was tossed in to keep the action and the film going. I found the final confrontation at the end long and drawn out with its slo-mo fight sequences. I'm glad I saw it but feel like the film could have been a lot better story and pace-wise.
Caan does his best with what he is given within the script. Duval does his usual good work and it's fun to see them teamed up again fresh from their Godfather triumph.
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