Let’s be honest: “Killer Elite” is not the year’s most enlightened film, nor the most experimental or exciting. But it’s worth watching for the simple fact that it brings together, for the first time, England’s two most watchable action stars. Clive Owen, of course, isn’t really an “action star.” He’s a serious actor who was (rightly) nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his work in “Closer.” Jason Statham, on the other hand, has done almost nothing but action, known for his terse but intelligent performances. Even better, “Killer Elite” pits the pair against one another — but in an ingenious way that allows us to cheer for them both.
Based on a book that controversially claims to have been based on fact, “Killer Elite” takes place in the early 1980s (hence Owen’s unfortunate mustache). Statham is Danny, a killer for hire who’s left the business to retire to a quiet life in the Australian outback with the childhood sweetheart with whom he’s just reconnected. But as often happens in the movies, he’s forced to do one last job.
