Angry Movie Lurker Honest Review 58: Killer Elite 2011 (3 STARS)

When his friend is kidnapped, a retired assassin/hitman is forced back into action. His job to kill 3 members of the S.A.S for their part in a mission many years ago in Oman.

The movie is based on a supposedly true story and book written in 1991 by Sir Ranulph Fiennes called "The Feather Men" whose character appears in the movie and who also was seconded to the S.A.S and served in Oman (The Dhofar Rebellion 1962-75) about which the book is mostly about and the reason for the contracts.

Set in 1980, Danny (Jason Statham) is a mercenary who has retired due to a mission which we see going wrong for him, his friend Hunter (Robert de Niro) is kidnapped by a Sheik who believes the S.A.s murdered 3 of his sons in the fighting in Oman years before, he forces Danny to take out these 3 men and make it look like an accident so as not to raise suspicion.

Along with 2 mercenary friends Davies (Dominic Purcell, brilliant in the role and great sideburns) and Mieir (Aden Young) they set out to do so but a society called the Feather Men (ex S.A.S members who protect and look after ex-S.A.S members) learn of the plot and set their man Spike (Clive Owen) plus others to find out and protect the targets.

I won't go into much more other than to say this is a good movie with a lot of action, moustaches, gore, sideburns and car chases. There is conspiracy and dodgy dealings all over it but it's not bad and Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah from Chuck the TV series) is in it.

Ranulph Fiennes has always been very vague about the book and story and was even confronted by a daughter of a character killed in the movie to which he admitted the story was fiction?

Definitely worth a watch and they should make a movie about Ranulph Fiennes (turned down by Cubby Brocolli for the part of James Bond for having hands that were too big and a face like a farmer!).