IT’S a tale of two movies this week … one I come to praise, and the other to bury.
Let’s start with “The Killer Elite” which takes the title of man-movie of the month, and possibly the year.
From the opening credits, this film is an homage to the hard-bitten man films of the’70s and ’80s.
A river of testosterone flows from the screen, flooding the aisles.
Hard-boiled? This egg has been cooked for about two days.
Under the microscope are dirty little wars between ex-Special Forces soldiers around the world.
De Niro kicks off with a cracking shootout, introducing us to the main character played by Jason Statham.
After being shot during this assassination, Statham decides he wants out, and retires to our own Yarra Valley, where he finds a little blonde love interest.
So far, so true to life.
But life in a van in wine country proves far too relaxing for our always grimacing, ever grunting hero, who is incomplete without a gun in his hand.
Statham is at his frowny best, refusing to crack even a half-smirk for the entire film.
This film is so ’70s that I swore at one point I saw my first car, a 1974 Ford Cortina … but this one wasn’t orange.
Watch also for some of the man dialogue.
Statham: “I’m done with killin’.”
Expendable character: “Maybe killin’ ain’t done with you …”
Parts of the film were shot in Victoria – every second male actor is an Aussie – and there’s a lot to like about this little film with a big heart and even bigger cojones.
“CONTRABAND” is a film with a much bigger budget, but a heart the size of a pea.
There are a few ideas at play here, as Mark Wahlberg plays a character whose brother-in-law drags him back into the smuggling caper he left.
Certainly, the film does offer some insights into smuggling methods, and lifts a veil on a world most of us never see.
Interestingly, the authorities don’t seem to feature much in the smugglers’ world – it’s all about taking on and ripping off other smugglers.
A lot of the action is completely confected – especially an armoured car robbery that seems to happen just to boost the body count.
And the ending is contrived and pretty unbelievable.
If you don’t much like heist films, then avoid this one at all costs.
– Jason Beck
