DVD & Movie Review:THE KILLER ELITE(1975)**1/2 out of **** & KILLER ELITE(2011)*** out of ****

Since the recent film KILLER ELITE is in theaters and is a remake in name only to the Sam Peckinpaw 1975 espionage thriller,here is my review/comparison of both KILLER ELITE motion pictures:

THE KILLER ELITE(1975)**1/2 out of**** Directed by Sam Peckinpaw Starring Robert Duvall,James Caan, Mako, Gig Young, Bo Hopkins,Arthur Hill.Rated R 122 minutes Released by MGM/UA Home Video

This later film in Sam Peckinpaw's film career in the 1970's is a lesser work in the great controversial movie director's career who did such previous film hits like THE WILD BUNCH, THE GETAWAY and STRAW DOGS. This espionage thriller has Robert Duvall and James Caan play two mercenary hitmen for hire working freelance for the CIA in which Duvall betrays Caan on a mission leaving him for dead. But Caan survives and goes thru intense physical rehabilitation learning martial arts and returns to the fold with a new group of hitmen being assigned by his CIA bosses to stop Duvall and his rogue group of hitmen from killing an Asian politician. Although the film has various well staged violent action sequences that Peckinpaw always directs well but the script is conf using and convoluted and while Duvall and Caan are fine as the leads then the rest of the cast sleepwalk through their roles in this film.

KILLER ELITE(2011)*** out of **** Directed by Gary McKendry Starring Jason Stratham, Robert De Niro, Clive Owen, Dominic Purcell, Yvonne Strohovski, Rated R 100 minutes Released by Open Road Films

The only thing that this 2011 film has in common with the Sam Peckinpaw 1975 film of the same name is the film's title and the concept of mercenary hitmen in battle with one another. But this film is more based on a fictional espionage novel called The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes about a secret fraternity made out of former British SAS officers who are involved in covert operations thruout the world and allegedly based on a true story. In this film Jason Stratham and Robert De Niro are two mercenary agents f or hire who survive a botched assasination attempt on a Mexican politician and because of which Stratham resigns from his profession because he loses his taste for killing. But a year later his partner De Niro is kidnapped and taken prisoner by a dying Muslim leader in order to force Strathan out of retirement into accepting a deadly mission to kill four former British SAS officers responsable for killing the Muslim leader's three sons. For that Stratham is offered 6 million dollars and the freedom of his partner De Niro if he successfully completes his mission. But the four targets are being well guarded and protected by a former SAS officer/mercenary played by Clive Owen who receives his order by a secret covert group of former SAS officers called " The Feather Men" which makes Stratham's mission very difficult to accomplish. Stratham, Owen and De Niro perform very well their roles in this film with De Niro being a standout in a role similar to the one he did in John Frankenheimer's RONIN(1997) The fight and action sequences between Stratham and Owen are very well done and staged with the actors doing the mayority of their own stunts and fight scenes which are quite brutal. Although the plot can be somewhat confusing, KILLER ELITE is quite watchable and more enjoyable than Sam Peckinpaw's KILLER ELITE.