The Killer Elite (1975) United Artists/Action RT: 123 minutes Rated PG (violence and language, brief nudity) Director: Sam Peckinpah Screenplay: Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant Music: Jerry Fielding Cinematography: Philip Lathrop Release date: December 17, 1975 (US) Cast: James Caan, Robert Duvall, Arthur Hill, Bo Hopkins, Mako, Burt Young, Tom Clancy, Gig Young, Tiana Alexandra (as “Tiana”), Kate Heflin, Sondra Blake, Walter Kelley, Billy J. Scott, Hank Hamilton, Helmut Dantine, Takayuki Kubota, Victor Sen Yung, Carole Mallory, James Wing Woo, George Kee Chung. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ** ½
In the hands of any other director, The Killer Elite might have been a pretty good action picture. In the hands of Sam Peckinpah, it should have been great. This is the same man who gave us the classic revisionist westerns The Wild Bunch (1969) and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), the cool Steve McQueen actioner The Getaway (1972) and the highly underrated gritty action piece Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). The Killer Elite, featuring Godfather co-stars James Caan and Robert Duvall, should have been a slam dunk. Instead, it’s a mildly diverting action piece that doesn’t quite come together like it should.
Caan and Duvall play Mike Locken and George Hansen, agents of a clandestine government agency known (or NOT known) as ComTeg, short for Communications Integrity. They handle covert assignments for the CIA. They’re friends as well as partners. That is, until George goes rogue and kills the guy they’re supposed to protecting. Then he shoots Mike in the elbow and knee, effectively retiring him from active duty, before disappearing.
So begins a long sequence that depicts Mike’s rehabilitation which includes learning martial arts. He becomes quite adept even learning to use his cane for more than just a walking aid. He also starts a relationship with Amy (Heflin, Mr. Billion), the nurse who took care of him while he was in hospital. Mike wants to get back out in the field, not out of a sense of duty to his country but to find George so he can exact his revenge. The agency director Collis (Hill, The Amateur) balks at the idea saying he’s only fit for desk duty.
Things change when CIA agent O’Leary (Clancy, NOT the author) drops an assignment in their lap. A Taiwanese politician (Mako, Conan the Barbarian) is in town and needs protection. Somebody has it out for him. Guess who’s involved with the bad guys? Why, none other than Mike’s old friend George. Collis gives Mike the assignment. He, in turn, assembles his old team which consists of unhinged gun nut Miller (Hopkins, The Getaway) and driver Mac (Young, the Rocky movies). Together, they try to keep their client alive until he can safely leave the country. George and his team won’t make it easy.
The Killer Elite sounds pretty good on paper, but its execution is flawed big time. The screenplay by Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant is convoluted. There’s some business about a power struggle between Collis and his supervisor Weybourne (Young, Game of Death) that the writers fail to develop beyond a few scenes. It should have been more integral to the plot. The narrative is flabby with too much time devoted to Mike’s rehab. Other scenes go on longer than they need to. They slow down the film’s momentum and make it drag. The whole thing with Amy is superfluous and amounts to nothing. It’s dropped and forgotten once Mike has his old job back.
There’s no problem with the two lead performances. Caan makes a great tough guy and Duvall is perfect as the arrogant turncoat even though he’s absent for a long stretch. When he is present, The Killer Elite picks up. His scenes with Caan are good. They have decent chemistry throughout. Mike’s hatred of his former pal is palpable. Hopkins and Young lend solid support as does Mako and Tiana Alexandra (aka Mrs. Stirling Silliphant) as the politician’s daughter. Really, there are no bad performances here, just underdeveloped characters.
The action scenes are well executed, the centerpiece being an ambush by George and company as Mike and his guys escort their charge and his people to a waiting taxi (with special features). Oh, did I mention there are ninjas? Well, there are. Just one problem, I thought these guys were trained to avoid bullets. Is that true or have I seen too many Sho Kosugi movies?
The Killer Elite is far from the worst action movie that I’ve ever seen, but it certainly should have been a lot better with Peckinpah at the helm. It’s a bit of a letdown really. I’m not exactly sure what happened here. Maybe it’s the constraints of the PG rating? He couldn’t include his customary graphic violence. Then again, one could make the same argument about The Getaway which was also PG. It’s frustrating to watch a movie you know could have been great, but isn’t because of some poor choices. It’ll keep the viewer’s attention but won’t follow through with anything truly great. It’s like a light afternoon snack. It satisfies one’s craving, but it’s not as fulfilling as a full meal.
BTW, play close attention to the movie’s opening tiles; specifically, the “interview” with Weybourne. It says it was conducted on September 31, 1975. Do you see the mistake? How did that one get by the editors?
