With a pretty basic plot and very recognizable action sequences, Killer Elite is as stereotypical as any action movie comes.

There really isn’t much to this movie beyond a bit of intense action and a few moments of curiosity, but unfortunately sometimes it is more confusing than it is fun.

The plot is about Danny (played by Jason Statham) and his mentor Hunter (played by Robert DeNiro), who is captured and used for bait after refusing a killing contract. In order to rescue Hunter, Danny must avenge the separate deaths of an Arabian kidnapper’s three sons.

The targeted assassins are all ex-Special Air Service members, an elite level of British military, and their friend Spike (played by Clive Owen) is not just going to let their mysterious deaths go uninvestigated.

This plot brings about a lot of action but it brings a lot of repetitiveness as well. Somebody is spying on somebody else, and then they chase each other. Then the tables turn and the spies are now being watched then chased before it flips again.

The movie left itself open for multiple opportunities for more creative action, which is something it tried in a few half-assed attempts. The ‘Matrix Move’ or patented move each action movie brings was already a trailer moment – doing a flip while tied to a chair.

Jackie Chan can do that with his eyes closed, and even that’s not impressive. The only other interesting attempt at intelligent action movie-making won’t be revealed, but it feels like something James Bond has shown us a million times.

The trouble these characters find themselves in would be a lot more intriguing but for the amount of very recognizable action sequences.

The only significant female character (played by Yvonne Strahovski) seems to have been thrown in as a love interest to add marketability. The only thing she offered was more collateral for Danny.

Some of the characters names and the written dialogue make this movie sound like it should be a Saturday morning kids’ show, which is funny because this was based on a true story.

Both Statham and Owen did as well as they have in their previous action movies. It was nice to see Statham with higher caliber actors again though, since it seems that his movies since The Transporter have mostly been under the radar.

If you’re coming to see DeNiro though, don’t hold your breath. He makes few appearances and the only ones he does make are just not to the same level of badassness that you’d expect from DeNiro. Granted he is older, but DeNiro will never be a weak actor and these filmmakers just didn’t take advantage of having him on board.

Overall Killer Elite had everything it needed for a cool action flick, but presented itself too weakly to back it all up. Suffering from this, the story came out uneven and though everything was wrapped up, it felt generally unsatisfying.