Prior to "The Killer Elite", Sam Peckinpah's last commercial hit had been 1972's "The Getaway", another project undertaken for money rather than love. But sadly that's where the similarity ends because the San Francisco-set "The Killer Elite" is an all too lightweight affair, rather obviously trying to capitalise on the craze for martial arts movies that followed in the wake of "Enter the Dragon".

Thematically similar to previous Peckinpah films, with an emphasis on surveillance and clandestine activities that reflected the director's growing paranoia, "The Killer Elite" is nevertheless riddled with a self-mocking and insecure jokiness and isn't helped by unconvincing performances by leads James Caan and Robert Duvall.

Interestingly, this was the film in which, according to long term associate Katy Haber, Peckinpah started snorting large amounts of cocaine, resulting in the haemorrhaging of his creativity that was to lead him to the multiple pile-up of a movie that was… more »

Prior to "The Killer Elite", Sam Peckinpah's last commercial hit had been 1972's "The Getaway", another project undertaken for money rather than love. But sadly that's where the similarity ends because the San Francisco-set "The Killer Elite" is an all too lightweight affair, rather obviously trying to capitalise on the craze for martial arts movies that followed in the wake of "Enter the Dragon".

Thematically similar to previous Peckinpah films, with an emphasis on surveillance and clandestine activities that reflected the director's growing paranoia, "The Killer Elite" is nevertheless riddled with a self-mocking and insecure jokiness and isn't helped by unconvincing performances by leads James Caan and Robert Duvall.

Interestingly, this was the film in which, according to long term associate Katy Haber, Peckinpah started snorting large amounts of cocaine, resulting in the haemorrhaging of his creativity that was to lead him to the multiple pile-up of a movie that was "Convoy".

For those unfamiliar with Peckinpah's work, this undemanding film will probably be a perfectly acceptable way of filling a couple of hours. However, for those like myself who regard films like "The Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs" as cinema landmarks, "The Killer Elite" presents the sad spectacle of a great talent starting to unravel.

After the critical and commercial failure of 1974's "Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia", Peckinpah was a decidedly less than bankable, A-list director. His previous two films had bombed, so he had to accept this assignment, even though he was hardly enthusisatic about the material. His reaction was to treat it with a certain amount of contempt. He seems to have encouraged his actors, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Burt Young, to do likewise.

The script itself is trashy but quite good fun: Caan and Duvall are agents working for an undercover department of the CIA called Comteg. When Duvall turns traitor, wounding his former friend and partner in the knee and elbow, it's clear that scores are going to have to be settled.

Caan's CIA operative makes a miraculous recovery in record time and starts brushing up on his martial arts skills as soon as he is well enough to discharge himself from hospital. Hooking up with fellow professionals Burt Young and Bo Hopkins, Caan fires up… more »

After the critical and commercial failure of 1974's "Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia", Peckinpah was a decidedly less than bankable, A-list director. His previous two films had bombed, so he had to accept this assignment, even though he was hardly enthusisatic about the material. His reaction was to treat it with a certain amount of contempt. He seems to have encouraged his actors, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Burt Young, to do likewise.

The script itself is trashy but quite good fun: Caan and Duvall are agents working for an undercover department of the CIA called Comteg. When Duvall turns traitor, wounding his former friend and partner in the knee and elbow, it's clear that scores are going to have to be settled.

Caan's CIA operative makes a miraculous recovery in record time and starts brushing up on his martial arts skills as soon as he is well enough to discharge himself from hospital. Hooking up with fellow professionals Burt Young and Bo Hopkins, Caan fires up their yellow Taxi and goes looking for some serious payback.

The action scenes, typically of Peckinpah, are remarkably staged, and the script is often very funny. By the final scene, the whole thing has got so ridiculous that even the actors seem to be laughing up their sleeves.

While obviously not an important Peckinpah film, it is still fun to watch.