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The Killer Elite

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Killer elite, common sense media reviewers.

Violence prevails in exciting but uneven action movie.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Characters attempt to do the right thing, but circ

The main character has some morals, even though he

Very strong violence based around killing, assassi

A gangster's girlfriend is seen topless. A support

Language is very strong but not constant. Words in

Minor characters drink beer in a pub; others are s

Parents need to know that this book-based action/thriller/drama about an assassin who tries to quit the business but is drawn back in has lots of strong violence, including blood, dead bodies, guns and shootings, stabbings, and explosions. There's also a shot of a topless woman, as well as some sexual innuendo,…

Positive Messages

Characters attempt to do the right thing, but circumstances prevent them from succeeding. Revenge is a powerful motivator for the main character.

Positive Role Models

The main character has some morals, even though he's an assassin; he decides to quit after his actions endanger a kid, but revenge later forces him back into the business. He seems to regret killing and tries not to whenever possible, but when it's time for action, he jumps right in.

Violence & Scariness

Very strong violence based around killing, assassinations, and revenge. Lots of guns and shootings, stabbings, fighting, gory dead bodies, blood, and explosions.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A gangster's girlfriend is seen topless. A supporting character hires a prostitute for sex, though nothing is shown. Sex noises are heard off screen. The main character is seen flirting, as well as kissing a woman he's romantically involved with.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language is very strong but not constant. Words include "f--k," "s--t," "a--holes," "balls," "goddamn," "son of a bitch," "oh my God" (as an exclamation), "prick," "d--k," "bugger," "hell," "damn," "bollocks," and "schtupping."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Minor characters drink beer in a pub; others are seen smoking cigarettes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this book-based action/thriller/drama about an assassin who tries to quit the business but is drawn back in has lots of strong violence, including blood, dead bodies, guns and shootings, stabbings, and explosions. There's also a shot of a topless woman, as well as some sexual innuendo, kissing, and flirting. Language is strong and includes both "f--k" and "s--t," and minor characters drink and smoke in a background way. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (6)

Based on 2 parent reviews

loved it :)

What's the story.

Danny ( Jason Statham ) and Hunter ( Robert De Niro ) are professional assassins. While working on a new mission, Danny is stunned when a kid turns up in the line of fire and decides to quit the business for good. But then he receives word that Hunter has been kidnapped, and he must accept a job -- killing three British SAS agents who murdered the sons of an exiled oil sheik -- in exchange for the older man's release. Danny reluctantly takes the assignment, but unfortunately, an ex-SAS man, Spike ( Clive Owen ) -- who's part of a secret organization called the "Feather Men" -- is hot on Danny's trail. Worse, Danny's new girlfriend, Anne ( Yvonne Strahovski ), is now in danger, too. Can Danny get out of this fix alive?

Is It Any Good?

Directed by Gary McKendry , KILLER ELITE has enough good scenes to satisfy action fans, as well as those looking for a bit more depth -- but as a cohesive whole, it's rather mixed. The action stuff is pitched to the lowest common denominator, using reckless, ramshackle shaky-cam to document the painstaking choreography. Meanwhile, the drama sometimes doesn't make sense; both Hunter and Spike's characters seem haphazardly thrown in, and it sometimes feels like extra scenes were written and added in at the last second to accommodate their star power.

Part of the time, it seems as if the movie (which is based on a book by the adventurer Ranulph Fiennes) is interested in getting audiences to think about the world's pathological dependence on oil and the extreme measures nations will take to get their hands on it. But at other times, the movie asks audiences not to think at all and just enjoy the ride. It's an uneven mix, though it still delivers in fits and starts.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the movie's violence . What impact does killing for a living have on the main character? Are his decisions believable?

How does the movie present revenge? Is it a valid reason to pursue violence? Do the ends ever justify the means?

The story is presented as being based on actual events, though there's some speculation about whether that's the case. Why might filmmakers want audiences to think it was based on a true story? Why might some facts be changed?

Movie Details

• In theaters : September 23, 2011
• On DVD or streaming : January 10, 2012
• Cast : Clive Owen , Jason Statham , Robert De Niro
• Director : Gary McKendry
• Studio : Open Road Films
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 105 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity
• Last updated : April 29, 2024

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The Killer Elite Review

01 Jan 1975

Killer Elite, The

In a brusque, middle-order slice of Sam Peckinpah pump-action cinema, James Caan is an ops agent, betrayed and crippled by his partner-in-espionage Robert Duvall, and driven by the hunger for revenge and the need to make sense of his gung-ho world.

Familiar macho ethics and riotous blood-baths ensue in a modern, genre-swapping retelling of The Wild Bunch - men who bond on the violent, distilled fringes of society.

Peckinpah is never quite as comfortable with the high-rise terrain (including sloppy kung fu) as he is with the dusty rawhide of the West, but it still shows up the slick trigger-edits of new action cinema for the gutless vacuum it has become.

Review: True Story or Not, ‘Killer Elite’ Is a Fairly Solid Action Movie

Killer Elite begins by stressing that what on the surface appeared to be little more than a run-of-the-mill Jason Statham-Clive Owen action flick is in fact a serious evocation of the chaotic geopolitical scene circa 1980, and based on a true story. Naively, I felt a twinge of eager anticipation. Could this actually be a serious globe-trotting thriller, a chance for Statham to showcase some dramatic range?

Not so much.

Gary McKendry ’s movie, based on the novel The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, is in fact only dubiously based on fact at all (there’s been an ongoing controversy over its claim to be a “true adventure” since its publication in 1991).

Beyond that, the flick is basically the full-throttle machismo fest that’s the natural outcome when Statham and Owen get top billing on the same film, with Robert De Niro checking in for good measure. There’s butt-kicking in Oman, France and England, with hilariously idyllic Australian fantasies interspersed throughout. The picture entertains, at times legitimately and at others in a cheesy, ’80s action sort of way. The tough-as-nails stars, however, imbue the narrative with more credibility than would have Schwarzenegger or Stallone.

Statham plays arguably the most elite of all elite killers, the mysterious Danny. He’s sick of murder, however, and wants nothing more than to build his rural Australian home while romancing the beautiful, horse-riding Anne ( Yvonne Strahovski ). Naturally, just when he thought he was out he’s thrust back in by an Omani sheik ( Rodney Afif ), who has kidnapped Danny’s mentor (De Niro) and won’t release him until Danny kills the highly-trained British soldiers that killed the sheik’s sons during the Dhofar Rebellion.

Might as well forget all that, though, and trust that Killer Elite transforms into the expected mano-a-mano affair pitting Statham against Owen, who plays a secret agent pursuing him. There’s lots of posturing and plotting, spying in parking lots and drive ways, machine gun violence and brutal fisticuffs, and elaborate killing set-pieces as Danny sets about his work.

This is fun stuff, well-staged by McKendry and driven by the leads’ vivid rage. The action scenes have a brisk, tight feel; bodies careen through space with the fluidity and confidence of a filmmaker unafraid of longer takes. The stars are very, very angry, as per their general customs, but they play it well. Their shared ferocity brings a crucial intensity to the production, which is enhanced by a supporting cast that also includes the spirited Dominic Purcell. The single-mindedness with which each individual character pursues his individual mission commands the audience’s attention, even as the plot lags.

Killer Elite isn’t a groundbreaking portrait of global corruption or a penetrating, soulful depiction of the burdens of killing someone, despite Danny’s assertion that “living with it is hard.” If this story actually happened, it sure didn’t happen like this. But as a B-grade action picture, it delivers the goods.

The Upside: There’s some good action here, and leads Jason Statham and Clive Owen bring a lot of credibility to the story.

The Downside: At times, the movie gets almost irredeemably goofy.

On the Side: Robert De Niro’s appearance here continues the legend’s slide into general hackdom, though he does get to beat the crap out of some people.

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Movie Review: Killer Elite (2011)

• Charlie Juhl
• Movie Reviews
• One response
• --> September 25, 2011

Killer Elite is saddled with a vague and forgettable title but at least it sounds more lethal than “The Feather Men,” the book it is based upon written by Sir Ranulph Fiennes (face it, an evil cabal known as the Feather Men does not inspire too much fear). These ex-SAS (Special Air Service) members, and now business leaders, chose the name themselves to signify their light touch on situations which concern them. So when shady characters start asking around about an old mission in Oman which involved SAS men, this falls right in the wheelhouse of issues the Feather Men are watching out for.

“The Feather Men” novel is allegedly based on a true story but none of the facts have ever been verified. Sir Fiennes described the book as “factional” which does not bode well for the story’s authenticity. However, the plot is intriguing, especially for a shoot ’em up first, ask questions later action fest. The background and set up are complicated enough which makes you want to follow it closely. I do not want to provide an exact plot synopsis, but essentially Danny Bryce (Jason Statham) must kill some ex-SAS men to save his assassin mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro), from some Omani oil sheiks. Spike Logan (Clive Owen), also an ex-SAS man, but not one of the marked men, has his sixth sense kick into overdrive and tries to save his mates from Danny’s bullets as any good Feather Man would. Sir Fiennes actually claims to be one of those marked SAS men.

The script portrays Danny as an assassin who has lost his taste for killing and vows after every trigger pull that “this is my last job.” He is supposedly from Australia but oddly maintains a thick and native British accent. Since every assassin must have someone to come home to, his girlfriend Anne (Yvonne Strahovski) waits impatiently for him as he disappears on his missions. Strahovski is a real life Australian and has a matching accent to prove it. She has been outstanding in the “Chuck” television series so it is enjoyable to see her finally cross over into mainstream film.

Even though the plot is deeper than your average thriller, the dialogue of Killer Elite does not rise above mediocrity and has the exact same platitudes as most other actions films. The worst example is:

“He knew what he was getting into when he joined the club.” “What club?” “The killer’s club.”

There is also the obligatory conversation about the woe is me assassin which includes the gem, “The killing is easy, living with it is hard.”

First time feature film director Gary McKendry is very good at filming one on one hand fighting scenes. Statham and Owen impressively use the entire room and every prop in it to beat each other senseless. For the ladies, they still keep their film star looks even after they are done taking turns butchering each other. What McKendry has yet to master are car chases. The edits are too fast which turns each of them into a messy muddle. Opening one weekend after “ Drive ” which contains outstanding car sequences makes these awkward scenes in Killer Elite look even worse by comparison.

The overall look to Killer Elite is good, however. Even though it was mainly shot in Melbourne, the skies are usually England gray and the Brecon Beacons mountain range sequence is shot well. This film is right in that middle range where I am unsure still at this point rather to recommend it or not. It is much better than the garbage in its genre such as “ The Expendables ” but fails to reach up to the higher level of Statham actioners like “Crank” or “ The Bank Job .” I marginally recommend Killer Elite for its absorbing plot and intricate assassination sequences, but be warned, this film is not anything more than average.

Tagged: hitman , novel adaptation , rescue , true story

I like movies and they like me right back. You can find out how much by visiting my personal site Citizen Charlie .

Movie Review: The Gatekeepers (2012) Movie Review: Beautiful Creatures (2013) Movie Review: Warm Bodies (2013) Movie Review: Parker (2013) Movie Review: Mama (2013) Movie Review: 5 Broken Cameras (2011) Movie Review: Gangster Squad (2013)

'Movie Review: Killer Elite (2011)' has 1 comment

October 3, 2011 @ 7:52 am Bill

a thoroughly forgettable film.

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Screen Rant's Ben Kendrick reviews Killer Elite

If there's one thing that star Jason Statham is known for it's straightforward anti-heroes that get caught up in balls-to-the-wall action set-pieces. With a pedigree that includes The Expendables , Crank , The Italian Job , The Transporter , and Snatch , it's no surprise that even his "based on a true story" (emphasis on based )  Killer Elite film contains plenty of larger-than-life action.

At first glance, in a movie industry riddled with remakes, some filmgoers might assume that  Killer Elite, is actually a reimagining of the 1975 film, The Killer Elite , starring James Caan and Robert Duvall from director Sam Peckinpah ( Straw Dogs ). However, Stathams's Killer Elite is completely unrelated to the earlier film and is actually an adaptation based loosely on the events detailed in Sir Ranulph Fiennes' novel, The Feather Men . The novel itself, especially Fiennes' claim that the book was "based on actual events," caused plenty of controversy around the time of its publication - and continues to be a source of tension today. Is the film version an equally provocative action flick with compelling drama or just an excuse for Clive Owen and Jason Statham to beat each-other up?

There's no doubt that Killer Elite is going to satisfy a lot of Jason Statham faithfuls as well as fans of practical effects-driven action films. However, even though there are a decent number of heavy-hitting action set-pieces, Killer Elite is a narrative mess that convolutes a pretty straight-forward plot with loads of bizarre character relationships and added "drama" in an attempt to elevate the film beyond a throwaway action experience.

The basic plot of Killer Elite is simple enough, contract killer Danny Bryce (Jason Statham) attempts to get out of the "game" after a job in Mexico turns ugly. That is, until his closest friend and mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro) is captured by a rich Dubai sheikh. In order to free his friend, Bryce must succeed in completing Hunter's assignment - to kill three British Special Air Service (SAS) agents responsible for murdering the sheikh's three oldest sons in cold blood. Bryce quickly assembles a team and gets to work - subsequently drawing the attention of former SAS operative, Spike Logan (Clive Owen) who will stop at nothing to protect the soldiers.

It's a pretty basic plot - until the film attempts to pull in a series of side stories, including government conspiracy, a secret society, and even a romantic through-line - all of which require on-the-nose and disjointed exposition that weighs down any potential for dramatic tension. Instead of a tightly-wound action adventure film with a bit of added political intrigue or compelling character relationships, Killer Elite lumbers along for 105 minutes - saddled with too much time spent as Statham stares out airplane windows (cue flashbacks) and Owen converses with greying bureaucrats.

It's unfortunate because there are some genuinely fun character moments that shine through all of the anticlimactic drama - specifically any time De Niro is on screen. Not only is it fun to see the aged star in a role where he can genuinely kick ass, the veteran's on-screen presence helps buoy some of the performances from his colleagues. Statham and De Niro, have an especially enjoyable connection and watching the two trade barbs or fight together is surprisingly fun (and believable). Sadly, the same can't be said for the dynamic between Statham and Owen, whose scenes mostly amount to verbal pissing contests that sometimes result in the pair throwing each other around for a few minutes.

The various "missions" are, for the most part, diverse and interesting enough to keep moviegoers invested - each of the contracts has to confess to killing one of the sheikh's sons and Bryce has to make each death look like an accident. However, it can be hard to suspend disbelief from time to time - considering Bryce's team is supposed to include some of the slickest killers on the planet. Davies (Dominic Purcell), often referred to as the Welshmen in the film, is enjoyable to watch but unbelievably clumsy for someone who is supposed to be successfully going head-to-head with SAS agents. Similarly, some of the more difficult to explain elements of the film occur off-screen, such as one of the SAS soldier's confessions. These scenes are, for lack of a better term, cop-outs and, as a result, fail to pay off built up tension - instead of rising to the occasion and delivering believable and satisfying "in the moment" drama.

That said, the biggest problem is the pacing - which, coupled with the convoluted segments of the plot, rob the film of any narrative momentum. Killer Elite frequently jumps timeframes and locales - and as a result of various unfolding plot elements in the final act push out one anti-climax after another. Audience members will be nervous when they aren't supposed to be or blindsided by terribly handled, and uninspired, twists that are poorly developed throughout the larger narrative. Despite a solid Statham-esque chase sequence mid-way through act three, the closing minutes of Killer Elite fall pretty flat - not to mention fail to make good on all that time spent ruminating on competing political motives.

Fans of Jason Statham will no doubt have some fun with Killer Elite  and there's one show-stopping moment in the first Statham/Owen brawl that will certainly get a reaction from audiences, but for anyone looking for either an over-the-top action flick or a smart-witted political thriller, the film fails to live up to the sum of its respective parts. What's left is a cartoony and messy narrative that is mostly style over substance - a similar criticism to the ones, coincidentally, that have been used in attempt to discredit the validity of Fiennes' Feather Men tell-all and/or novel.

If you’re still on the fence about  Killer Elite , check out the trailer below:

[poll id="194"]

Follow me on Twitter @ benkendrick  - and let us know what you thought of the film below:

Killer Elite   is now in theaters.

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Killer Elite

Review by brian eggert september 25, 2011.

You wouldn’t know it from watching Killer Elite , but there’s an interesting and complex backstory that takes place in the grey zone of international espionage surrounding the film’s characters, all based on “factional” ones from The Feather Men , a 1991 novel by Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Members of Britain’s Special Air Service were situated in the Arab state of Oman during the 1970s to combat Soviet-funded communist forces from East Germany stationed in Yemen. First-time screenwriter Matt Sherring ignores why the SAS was in Oman, however, and paints a black-and-white picture with the black-ops Brits as slaughterers and their war crimes the stuff of action movie villainy. Fortunately, Jason Statham arrives to punch and kick and shoot everyone, regardless of nationality or politics, making the reasons all but pointless. In other words, take the “based on a true story” title with a grain of salt.

The story begins in Mexico around 1980, where hired guns Danny (Statham) and Hunter (Robert De Niro) take down a dignitary’s motorcade. But when Danny can’t finish the job after the target’s young daughter appears in the caravan, he decides it’s time to retire. Cut to a couple of years later, when Danny has disappeared to an Australian country house with his newfound girlfriend, Anne ( Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski). He receives word from his former mercenary handler (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) that Hunter is being held by an Oman sheikh. Danny comes out of retirement to help his ex-partner and learns from the sheikh that the SAS killed three of the sheikh’s four sons in Oman. Disgraced by this, the sheikh’s people will not let him return home until the wrongdoers are dead. To get Hunter released from the sheikh’s custody, Danny must not only kill the three SAS men responsible for the death of the sheik’s sons, but acquire taped confessions.

Danny quickly hops a plane to England, where he recruits two fellow mercs—muscle Davies (Dominic Purcell) and tech-wiz Meier (Aden Young)—and together, the trio proceeds to systematically case and execute the SAS men responsible. But Danny’s plan has alerted ex-SAS operative Spike (Clive Owen) to their presence, leading to a series of cat-and-mouse setups that prove to be more actionized violence than twisting, clever spy games. As a result, Statham and Owen have plenty of opportunities for over-edited shootouts and hand-to-hand bouts, all exciting in a very unimposing way. Meanwhile, first-time director Gary McKendry intercuts flashbacks into Danny’s past and his initial time with Anne, providing an unnecessary interruption in the action to convey phony and manipulative emotional motivation for Danny to survive the ordeal. If it’s one thing fans of Statham’s square-jawed brand of testosterone do not require, it’s a superficial love story to justify his character kicking butt all over the screen.

As Statham and Owen duke it out, De Niro’s character spends most of the runtime in captivity. This is unfortunate, since De Niro’s Hunter, while being the least defined character, is also the chummiest guy onscreen. The dour Statham and Owen are so concerned with being badasses that they forget to add dimension to their performances. Of course, these actors are so well-versed in badassery that their characters’ absent depth doesn’t much matter when the action takes over. The supporting cast lacks big enough names to keep them interesting; casting actors more instantly recognizable to the audience may have enhanced the experience, turning it into something more akin to Ronin , another fast-paced tale of espionage and hitmen. But the film instead gambles that Statham and Owen will be enough, and in the end, they just barely get the job done.

With credibility that exceeds your average Jason Statham fare, Killer Elite boasts two A-list performers (De Niro and Owen) and one B-grade star (Statham) in a B-movie that wants to be an A. Plenty of modern-day parallels exist to elevate this period piece about espionage and oil-driven conflicts beyond mere action movie status, with opening titles that intentionally outline the situation to sound like a contemporary story. Alas, Kendry and Sherring relinquish any such notion as the story proceeds to focus on its malleability into a Stathamized shoot-em-up. Much like The Bank Job , a compelling real-life tale relies on tired clichés to guide the audience through by glossing over the fascinating details for mindless thrills. Taking the film as an adaptation of a book or Hollywood’s version of a true story, it leaves much to be desired. But Killer Elite is more involving than your usual Statham drivel and certainly deserves attention outside of his usual fanbase.

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Sam Peckinpah's "The Killer Elite" is directed and acted with a certain nice style, but it puts us through so many convolutions of the plot that finally we just don't care. After " Three Days of the Condor " and all the other variations on the CIA betrayal theme, we've been here before. The guys who are doublecrossing each other stand around talking about divided loyalties and professionalism doing their best to sound bitter and cynical and somehow idealistic and it'd be a relief if they'd just shoot each other and get it over with.

The movie's about an agent ( James Caan ) who's double-crossed by an old friend ( Robert Duvall ) who tries to kill him. The assassination doesn't succeed, but Caan's left elbow and knee are shattered, and he spends the first half hour of the movie walking around like the $6 million man with a blown fuse. He's game, though, and takes karate lessons so he can learn how to turn his cane into an instrument of vengeance. Then he gets a call to take another job.

The job involves machinations so complicated that I wonder if I've got it right. As nearly as I could tell, the leader of a dissenting Japanese political organization has been marked for assassination, and the CIA wants to protect him until he gets out of the United States. When he gets back to Japan, he'll be killed anyway, but through some process of deep CIA thinking, that won't matter. So Caan puts together a team made up of one agent who's retired and another one who's gunhappy, and their job is to smuggle the leader, his daughter and followers out of San Francisco and to an offshore rendezvous.

Now it just so happens (it always does at this point in spy movies) that Duvall has been hired to kill the Japanese leader and that both Duvall and Caan are being paid by the same third party. Why? Why spend good money on both sides of the same fight. The movie never gets around to answering that question, although Duvall and Caan have a final meeting at which they talk about money and how it's all only a job, and Caan in particular is pretty good at the obligatory irony.

You may have gathered that the story's fairly silly. What saves the movie, to a certain extent, is Peckinpah's use of his San Francisco locations and the skill of some of the performances. The movie's final scenes take place aboard one of many obsolete Navy warships anchored in mothballs off San Francisco and, although there's no reason in the world why everyone would have to be out there, the ships provide a curious quality to the fighting that follows; they're mute observers, they tone down the violence and make it seem futile, which is probably what Peckinpah wanted.

There's also the James Caan performance, quietly humorous at times, and a really nice supporting job by Gig Young as the wisecracking former agent who talks out of the side of his mouth and is always toying with his hat. At one point, after a chase scene with Young at the wheel of a Yellow Cab, it turns out that there's a bomb ticking under the cab. Young detaches the bomb while a cop decides whether to make an arrest, and then gives the cop the bomb with the observation that it looks like it's set to go off in two minutes. The cop, foolishly brave, races away to throw the bomb into the bay, and our heroes escape but, curiously, Peckinpah never gives the scene a proper payoff. It's been one of the best moments in his movie, but he lets it die.

It's a little like that with the whole movie. There are moments of interest, some good dialog, some interesting situations, but nothing quite comes together. The plot grows so hopelessly entangled that we (and Peckinpah?) give up trying to make sense of it, and then the movie just sort of ends. It has a certain promise, though.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Killer Elite (United States/Australia, 2011)

Despite having a perfect cast for a title like Killer Elite , Gary McKendry's feature debut comes across as little more than a generic Jason Statham movie with two high-profile guest stars. However, while Clive Owen and Robert De Niro add some star power to this otherwise unassuming motion picture, their presence does not stitch together the seams evident in a hit-or-miss screenplay nor does it enliven the safe and somewhat static approach embraced by McKendry as he feels his way. Killer Elite contains numerous action sequences but too little compelling connective tissue for it to be more than a high octane diversion. This should have been released during the summer.

Killer Elite opens with a caption that informs us it is "based on a true story," as if that somehow excuses some of the short-cuts and coincidences. In fact, the factuality of the source material, Ranulph Fiennes' The Feather Men , has been challenged and, in some cases, debunked. There's probably a kernel of truth lurking somewhere beneath the surface in Killer Elite , but to accept it as anything more than a motion picture interpretation of a largely fictional novel would be a mistake.

The story, which transpires in 1981, concerns the revenge plot of a sheik in Omar who hires professional assassin Danny (Statham) to kill the British SAS officers responsible for his sons' deaths. As collateral, the sheik captures Danny's partner, Hunter (De Niro), who will be released only upon completion of the triple killing. To make matters more difficult, Danny is required to obtain videotaped confessions from each man and to make the murders seem like accidents. He is aided by the two other members of his crew - burly Davies (Dominic Purcell) and technically savvy Meier (Aden Young) - and opposed by an ex-SAS crack operative named Spike (Owen).

The story is pieced together in a straightforward, somewhat predictable fashion. Once Spike becomes involved, things get a more interesting since it introduces a degree of gamesmanship. We are never given sufficient details to savor Danny's work - the killings are handled expeditiously and the way in which they are presented feels almost like a shorthand outline of a much longer draft. There are also murky backroom individuals whose motives are as shady as the venue in which they meet. All of this hints at a vastly more complex story than the one that evolves on screen.

Killer Elite , like just about every other Jason Statham film, is fights and shoot-outs and car chases. There's not appreciably more here. Statham is his usual dour, square-jawed self. Danny has developed a killer's remorse, but that surfaces only when it's convenient, and he has a love interest (played by the willowy Yvonne Strahovski, whose TV stardom results in her having more scenes than is necessary). These attempts are made to flesh out the character, but they're only partially successful. In the end, this is about Statham and Owen trying to out-badass each other. Kind of fun, but not as fulfilling as one might hope. For the most part, De Niro remains on the sidelines - his character is kept in confinement for about 2/3 of the movie. He gets in on the fun at the beginning and the end.

Had Killer Elite been made with B-list co-stars instead of Owen and De Niro, it would have been easy to lump together with other Statham vehicles like The Transporter and Crank . It's a little better grounded than either of those earlier movies, but it is essentially gunning for the same audience. The problem is that, having spent the money to hire Owen and De Niro, it's incumbent upon McKendry to give them something interesting to do, and that really doesn't happen. Both of these men are good actors but too often they agree to appear in subpar material for the paycheck (this has been increasingly true of De Niro). Killer Elite is just another example. There's enough action to keep viewers awake and moderately interested, but the lack of a compelling back story and the failure to do more than paint-by-numbers character development makes Killer Elite unfulfilling and anything but "elite."

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‘Killer Elite’ Movie Review

“He’s like a father to you, right? You don’t do this, he’s a dead man.” That’s how ex-special ops agent Danny ( Jason Statham ) is brought out of retirement to try to save his friend and mentor Hunter (Robert De Niro) from certain death at the hands of ruthless, powerful men seeking revenge and retribution in the action movie Killer Elite .

Trusting only two other ex-special ops who are now mercenaries-for-hire, Danny sets out to kill three assassins after taping their confessions of the murders they committed. This puts Danny up against a secret military order, operating under the auspices of British Intelligence, and their leader, a cunning ex-agent named Spike (Clive Owen) who’ll stop at nothing to protect the men he served with.

Covering the globe from the Middle East, Paris, Australia, and London, Danny and his team gather information about their three targets and set traps for them, trying to stay one step ahead of Spike and any other operatives who could stop them.

Based on a true story, Killer Elite is an action-adventure thriller with a solid cast that suffers from a flimsy, uninteresting plot. The writing is weak, with one-dimensional characters that the audience has seen way too many times before. Jason Statham as Danny delivers the same silent, threatening performance he’s done before in other films such as Crank and The Transporter . There is absolutely nothing new here from him on the screen.

Clive Owen is effectively menacing as Spike the ex-agent whose only redeeming value is the loyalty he feels and shows to his ex-comrades in arms. Perhaps the worst thing about the film is the complete waste of a great actor, Robert De Niro, who basically sits most of the action out – with the exception of a brief, failed escape attempt early in the film – waiting to be rescued or released.

Another big problem with the film is the uninspired action scenes featuring shootouts and fistfights which have been choreographed and directed much better in other superior films. There’s no real sense of tension or drama, and the pacing is choppy.

Unoriginal and uneven, Killer Elite is a forgettable action film.

Killer Elite hits theaters on September 23, 2011 and is rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

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FILM REVIEW: A mission into Middle Eastern shadows settles for efficient action over subtleties.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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K iller Elite is half-interested in being a legitimate exploration of the shadowy world of former British special forces operatives but remains too afraid not to supply the clockwork doses of rote action and violence presumably expected by Jason Statham’s international audience. As if wanting to be a genuinely good film — such as The Bank Job , made by some of the same team — but unwilling to let go of proven formulas, this muscular thriller gets the job done but is not all it might have been. Still, macho marquee bait and loads of visceral chases and close combat should spell lively business, especially overseas.

“Killing is easy. Living with it is the hard part,” says Statham’s Danny, who should know. A special-ops agent par excellence, Danny and his mentor, the aptly named Hunter (Robert De Niro), show what they’re made of by pulling off a tricky motorized hit in the Mexico-set opening sequence.

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But when he can’t bring himself to finish off a young kid who’s traveling in the caravan, Danny knows he’s done and retires to an Australian farm to leave the past behind.

Fat chance. Some years later, in the 1980s, the trimly grizzled, self-contained Danny is lured to Oman, where Hunter is being held by an aging tribal sheik who will pay him $6 million — and free Hunter — if Danny will take out those responsible for the murders of three of the sheik’s sons.

But, as with any suspense caper worth its salt, there are very particular conditions: The victims must confess on video to what they did, and each killing must be pulled off in a different style, to avoid any connections between them.

Thus starts the hunt, with a first stop in Paris, where Danny collects two cohorts, the can-do ex-paratrooper Davies (Dominic Purcell) and the technically minded Meier (Aden Young). The targets are all former members of Britain’s secretive Special Air Service, who are protected by big shot senior veterans of the organization known as The Feather Men, which was the title of  the controversial 1991 “factional” novel by explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, which inspired the film.

Departing from the book, screenwriter Matt Sherring and debuting director Gary McKendry adhere to a stiff template rather than incorporating ironies, ambiguities and social insights. So it’s best to lower expectations and just enjoy the spectacle of Danny and his boys tracking and dispatching their victims.

Release date Sept. 23 (Open Road) Cast Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, Clive Owen Director Gary McKendry Screenwriter Matt Sherring Producers Steve Chasman, Michael Boughen, Tony Winley, Sigurjon Sighvatsson

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Killer Elite

• When his mentor is taken captive by a disgraced Arab sheik, a killer-for-hire is forced into action. His mission: kill three members of Britain's elite Special Air Service responsible for his sons' deaths.
• Loosely-based on a true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world's most elite operatives--Danny, a ruthless killer-for-hire ( Jason Statham ); and Hunter, his longtime mentor ( Robert De Niro )--against the cunning leader of a secret society of former Special Air Service operatives(Clive Owen). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London, and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly-dangerous game of revenge and deception--where things are not always what they appear to be. — Anonymous
• In 1980, assassins Danny Bryce (Jason Statham), Hunter (Robert De Niro), Davies (Dominic Purcell), and Meier (Aden Young) are in Mexico to assassinate a man. Danny unwittingly kills him in front of his young child, then is injured during the getaway. Affected by this outcome, Danny retires and returns to his native Australia. One year later, Danny is summoned to Oman where Hunter is being held captive. He meets with the Agent (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who arranges missions for killers, and learns that Hunter accepted a $6 million job but failed to accomplish it. If Danny doesn't complete Hunter's mission, Hunter will be executed. Danny is introduced to Sheikh Amr, a deposed king of a small region of Oman who wants Danny to kill three former SAS agents-Steven Harris (Lachy Hulme), Steven Cregg, and Simon McCann-for killing his three eldest sons during the Dhofar Rebellion. Danny must videotape their confessions and make their deaths look like accidents, and he must do it before the terminally ill Sheikh dies. This will allow the Sheikh's fourth son, Bakhait (Firass Dirani), to regain control of the desert region his father had ruled. If Danny fails, Hunter will be killed. Danny reunites with Davies and Meier. They agree to help him in exchange for a share of the money. As Danny and Meier sneak into the house of their first target, Steven Harris, in Oman, Davies questions local bar patrons about former SAS members. This is reported to the Feathermen, a secret society of former operatives protecting their own. Their head enforcer, Spike Logan (Clive Owen), is sent to investigate. Logan sends one of his boys to trail Davies who takes pics of Danny, Davies & Meier. Danny spots him, but Logan's man escapes. After Harris has confessed on videotape, Danny and Meier take him to the bathroom. Their plan is to break his neck using a hammer with tiles similar to those of the bathroom floor to make it appear that Harris slipped and broke his neck. Danny is distracted by the arrival of Harris's girlfriend and when he returns to the bathroom, he finds that Meier was forced to kill Harris hastily in a struggle. Back in London, Davies discovers the second target, Steven Cregg, preparing for a long nighttime march in wintry weather at a local SAS base. Davies pretends to be a civilian having car problems outside the base's fence, allowing Danny to infiltrate the base. There he drugs Cregg's coffee to induce shock and cause Cregg to die of hypothermia during the march. Danny, in uniform, follows Cregg on the march, and a delirious Cregg confesses on videotape to Danny before he dies. Logan almost catches Danny after identifying him from the surveillance photos, but Danny escapes. Danny traces Logan & tells the Agent that his team is being followed by Logan. The Agent is in touch with the British Govt, who seems to be driving this entire operation to manipulate the Sheik for his oil somehow. The British intelligence offers to take care of Logan. The British make contact with Logan's superiors who were in favor of leaving the Oman story & all associated men alone in the first place. Going to their last target, Simon McCann, currently a mercenary, they rig a truck to respond to remote control with the help of a new and inexperienced team member, Jake (Michael Dorman). As McCann is on his way to a fake job interview, Meier and Jake take control of the truck from another car and cause it to move in front of McCann's car, killing him. However, Logan and his men were watching over McCann. A gun fight in the docks ensues, and Meier is accidentally killed by Jake due to his lack of experience. Danny and Davies decide that the case is over, and they part ways. Davies is soon hit by a truck and killed while being chased by Logan's men. Danny returns to Oman and gives the Sheikh the last taped confession, which he has faked. Hunter is released and returns to his family, while Danny heads back to Australia and reunites with Anne (Yvonne Strahovski), a childhood acquaintance. Soon, he is informed by the Agent that there is one last man who participated in the Sheikh's sons' murders and that this man, Ranulph Fiennes, is about to release a book about his experiences as a member of the SAS. Danny tells Anne to go to France with Hunter to protect her while he carries out the last job. The Sheikh's son confirms that Harris was an innocent man. Logan, meanwhile, traces Danny through the Agent and sends a team to protect the author, but Jake distracts them, allowing Danny to infiltrate the building and shoot the author. He chooses to only wound the author, however, but takes pictures that appear to show him dead. Logan chases and captures Danny, taking him to an abandoned warehouse, but he is interrupted when the agent from the British government arrives and reveals that the British government is behind the events because of the Sheikh's valuable oil reserves. A three-way battle ensues, with Danny escaping and Logan shooting the government agent. Danny and Hunter head to Oman to give the Sheikh the pictures. However, Logan arrives first and confronts the Sheikh, telling him that the pictures are fake and then stabbing him to death. The Sheikh's son does not care and gives the money, which was intended for Danny and Hunter, to Logan. Hunter spots Logan leaving, and they chase after him, along with the Sheikh's men. After stopping the Sheikh's men, Danny and Hunter confront Logan on a desert road. Danny says that Logan can keep the money (though Hunter takes some of the money for his expenses and his family). They give Logan the remainder, telling him that he'll need it to start a new life away from the government after killing the government agent and acting against the wishes of the Feathermen and the British government. Danny says that it's over for him and that Logan must make up his own mind. They leave him there, saying they'll send a cab for him from the airport. Danny meets with Anne in France to start a new life.

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Killer Elite

Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world’s most elite operatives—Danny, an ex-special ops agent and Hunter, his longtime mentor—against the cunning leader of a secret military society. Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse—where the predators become the prey.

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Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game review – popcorn gaming

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Another horror classic is turned into a Dead by Daylight style multiplayer game, as after 36 years Killer Klowns gets its first adaptation.

Since it’s been one of the biggest video games in the world for over seven years, it’s not exactly surprising that many companies have tried to copy the success of Fortnite. Some, such as Call Of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends, have managed to become almost as popular, while also offering a subtly different experience. Dead By Daylight has been around even longer (it may surprise you to learn) and its list of copycats has also been legion… although curiously they all take exactly the same form.

For those not familiar with Dead By Daylight, it’s an asymmetrical survival horror game in which one person plays a monster or slasher villain and the other four horror movie victims trying to survive them. At least in the beginning, it wasn’t particularly good, but it is free-to-play and that has earned it a loyal audience and a never-ending stream of crossovers with famous movies and games.

What’s odd about the copycats though is that rather than starting with their own original characters, as Dead By Daylight did, they’re almost always based on old school horror franchises, starting with Friday The 13th and now including everything from Evil Dead to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Predator . There’s even a Puppet Master one, which we had no idea about until now, so we’re not even sure if Killer Klowns From Outer Space counts as the most obscure so far.

Judging by the properties used, the primary audience for Dead By Daylight must be middle-aged gamers with a deep nostalgia for Blockbuster Video, except we’re pretty sure that’s not true. Killer Klowns From Outer Space wasn’t even well known when it came out in 1988, so we’re not sure it’s on the radar of the average Gen Z gamer, but we’re assuming the logic is that it features spooky clowns and so that’s something anyone can appreciate.

It is a very odd film though. Nominally it’s a homage to old 1950s sci-fi films, since the clowns are actually aliens, but they have surreal powers and abilities that allow them to create living shadow puppets and sentient balloon animals. It’s often described as a horror comedy, except it’s never really funny, just fascinatingly weird.

What you can say for the game is that it’s definitely an authentic representation of the film, in video game form – even if the underlying formula of the gameplay is very familiar. There are minor variations though and while it’s still an asymmetric game, instead of just 1 vs. 4 you play with 10 people in matches of seven human players versus three Klowns.

A match lasts 15 minutes and the only goal for the humans in that time is to escape, while the Klowns have to trigger a * Klownpocalypse*. This involves a lot of complicated item collection, as the humans need to activate an escape route and Klowns have to cocoon humans in cotton candy and use them to power generators to start their apocalypse early (it happens automatically if the time runs out).

It’s all standard stuff for the genre but there are a few minor twists, such as the inability to use any exit more than three times and the way the Terenzi brothers create a fifth exit with their ice cream van in the last 30 seconds of the game (a reference to the finale of the film).

The combat is also familiar but with a few unique twists, as the Klowns get to use all their weird weapons, like a popcorn bazooka and a mallet, some of which the humans can also commandeer. Klowns are vulnerable in the nose and can be stunned by loud noises, but unlike the humans they never actually die and just respawn a few seconds later.

There’s lots of attention to detail in the five maps, each based on different areas from the movie, but predictably it all gets very repetitive very quickly. This has always been the problem with these games and while Killer Klowns has some pretty odd subject matter, that it’s trying to adapt, it’s still only an hour and a half long movie, which feels clever and inventive when you watch it as such but not when turned into a multiplayer video game you’re expected to play again and again.

The combat is fine but the attempt to add depth through five different classes, for both the Klowns and humans, doesn’t make enough difference. It also doesn’t help that while the humans get hints as to where the exits are the Klowns don’t and it’s quite possible to go almost a whole match without seeing a human, when you’re playing as the bad guys.

Before long you’ll start to learn where the exits are but by that point you’ll inevitably start to lose interest, because you’ve already seen almost everything the game has to offer and there’s very little of substance to unlock. You can level up but there are no perks or other customisation options, just Klowntalities – animations that can’t be interrupted and you’ll quickly turn off the first chance you get.

Unlike Death By Daylight, this isn’t a free game and it’s very hard to see how anyone is going to get their money’s worth out of it. Even if you’re a hardcore fan of the movie there’s only one game mode and very little story, so as soon as you’ve played each map and class type you’ve seen almost all it has to offer. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a weird and memorable horror experience as movie but sadly the same cannot be said of its video game incarnation.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game review summary

In Short: A highly authentic movie adaptation but a sadly predictable, and repetitive, video game, that does far too little to justify the continued trend of turning 80s horror film into asymmetric multiplayer games.

Pros: All involved clearly love the movie and the first few hours are a lot of fun, thanks to the clown’s weird weapons and range of abilities. Well-designed maps.

Cons: The whole concept is very overfamiliar and with only one game mode it all gets highly repetitive within just a few hours. Playing as the Klowns can be very confusing if you can’t find any humans.

Score: 5/10

Formats: PC (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 Price: £34.99 Publisher: IllFonic Developer: IllFonic and Teravision Games Release Date: 4th June 2024 Age Rating: 18

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A mild-mannered professor assumes the persona of a 'Hit Man' in this twisted tale

David Bianculli

20240604_fa_02

Loosely based on a true story, Richard Linklater's film about a professor working with the police features strong performances, shrewd writing and a light and funny tone.

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Renewed for Season 3 at Paramount+ Ahead of Season 2 Premiere

By Joe Otterson

Joe Otterson

TV Reporter

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“ Criminal Minds: Evolution ” has been renewed for Season 3 at Paramount+ . The third season will go into production later this year.

The news comes one day ahead of the Season 2 premiere of the series. Season 2 will debut with two episodes on June 6, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays thereafter.

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Erica Messer serves as showrunner and executive producer on “Criminal Minds: Evolution.” Breen Frazier, Chris Barbour, Glenn Kershaw, and Mark Gordon also executive produce. ABC Signature and CBS Studios produce.

“Criminal Minds: Evolution” serves as a continuation of the original “Criminal Minds,” which aired for 15 seasons on CBS before concluding in 2020. The first season of “Evolution” aired on Paramount+ in 2022.

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25 Best Movies of 2024 So Far

Posted: May 31, 2024 | Last updated: May 31, 2024

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, the latest entry in the “Mad Max” saga has been deemed as one of the best films of the series. Actually, critic Robert Daniels called it "one of the best prequels ever made.”

The movie has been praised for its cinematography, as well as Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth’s performance. Particularly, the Australian actor has been called the “scene stealer,” as well as one of the greatest villains on screen.

Challengers

Lucas Guadganino’s sports romantic drama is one of the most-talked about films of the year, as well as one of the best. Especially when it comes to the performances of the leading trio: Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, as well as the impressive and imaginative tennis shots and the soundtrack.

The film follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy who now trains his husband, Grand Slam champion Art (Faist), who is in a losing streak. To recover his confidence, she enrolls him in a Challengers tournament. However, he is now set to play against his former best friend and washed-up talent Patrick (O’ Connor), who also happens to be Tashi’s former boyfriend.

Nowhere Special

While the film first premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020, it finally arrived in theaters in the US in April of this year. And it is one of the best dramas you can watch, if you have the chance. It was written, directed, and produced by Uberto Pasolini.

"Nowhere Special" stars James Norton as John, a single parent suffering from a terminal illness, who must make arrangements for the care of his four-year-old son, Michael. The film has been praised for its sensitivity, honest portrayal of grief and life.

Laroy, Texas

Starring John Magaro, “LaRoy, Texas” is a crime comedy film written and directed by Shane Atkinson, in his first feature. Steve Zahn, Megan Stevenson, Matthew Del Negro and Dylan Baker complete the cast of this neo-noir thriller, which has been described as “sharp.”

With 41 reviews, this movie has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It follows a depressed man who plans to kill himself but when a stranger mistakes him for a hit man, he decides to play the part. However, when his supposedly simple plan goes wrong, he has to recruit a private detective to help him escape from the actual killer.

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

Written and directed by Radu Jude, this co-production between Romania, Croatia, France and Luxembourg has dazzled critics since its premiere at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize. It premiered in the US in March, and it sadly has gone underappreciated by audiences.

The black comedy stars Ilinca Manolache with supporting performances by Nina Hoss and Uwe Boll. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described it as a "freewheeling essay-movie-slash-black-comedy collage takes swipes from all angles at modern life."

Io Capitano

Nominated for Best International Feature at the 96th Academy Awards, this Italian drama finally landed in US theaters back in February. Directed by Matteo Garrone, the film was inspired by true stories of migrants’ African routes to Europe.

The film follows two Senegalese teenagers who embark on a journey from West Africa to Italy. However, during their trip, they must confront hard realities and checkpoints, from the Sahara Desert to the waters of the Mediterranean.

Dune: Part Two

Denis Villenueve’s sci-fi epic maintains the beautiful cinematography from the first film, which was released in 2021, but with a better narrative and fully-shaped characters this time, as it finally materializes the full story of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel.

Of course, the star-studded cast (Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson…) is already enough reason to watch the film. In this film, Paul (Chalamet) joins Chani and the Fremen to seek revenge against the Harkkonnen, who destroyed his family.

Perfect Days

While making noise since last year, Win Wenders’ “Perfect Days” premiered in the US back in February. The movie won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Best Actor Award for Koji Yakusho, and it was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.

Wendy Ide of The Guardian described the film as “an achingly lovely and unexpectedly life-affirming picture. It all depends – and this is central to the film’s gently profound message – on your way of looking at things.” Meanwhile, German critics Dieter Osswald call it a a “rather perfect film.”

Josh O’Connor shines bright in this period comedy-drama written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher. The movie, which premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, has been described as “magical,” “wild,” and “fascinating.”

O'Connor plays a British archaeologist who gets involved in an international network of stolen Etruscan artifacts during the 1980s. Carol Duarte, Vincenzo Nemolato, Alba Rohrwacher and Isabella Rossellini appear in supporting roles.

The Fall Guy

After his successful run as Ken, Ryan Gosling returned with another himbo character to the big screen in “The Fall Guy,” a romantic comedy hidden behind an action mystery. Directed by David Leitch, the film, inspired by the 1980s TV show of the same name, is also a love letter to stunt doubles.

While the box office grossings haven’t been as big as expected, the film is a solid blockbuster that shines bright thanks to Gosling’s comedic timing and his chemistry with Emily Blunt. And, of course, all the action and big stunts are as impressive as they can be.

Glen Powell has been working steadily throughout his career in supporting roles, but the actor is now ready to be one of the most compelling leading men in Hollywood. After triumphing at the box office in 2023 with “Anyone But You,” he is gaining critical acclaim with “Hit Man.”

This romantic action comedy, directed by Richard Linklater, follows an undercover New Orleans police contractor who poses as a reliable hitman as he tries to save a woman in need. It also stars Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, and Retta.

This dystopian thriller film, written and directed by Alex Garland, follows a team of journalists traveling from New York City to Washington, D.C. during a civil war raging across the United States between an authoritarian federal government and various regional factions.

The movie has been described as “disturbing” and “effective,” despite the divisiveness of its political message. However, there’s consensus that Kristen Dunst’s lead performance is as captivating as ever.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Ast the latest entry on the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, this film could’ve gone wrong in some many ways. However, directed by Wes Ball and written by Josh Friedman, this installment has proven that the series is still as relevant as ever.

Especially praised for its well-done CGI and visuals, the film follows a young chimpanzee named Noa who embarks on a journey with a human woman named Mae to determine the future of both apes and humans.

Late Night With the Devil

If there’s a genre that has showcased some of the best talents in filmmaking recently is horror. So, it’s not surprising that one of the best films of the year is this supernatural thriller, written, directed, and edited by Colin and Cameron Cairne, and starring David Dastmalchian.

The film centers on a live broadcast of a 1970s late-night talk show that is disrupted by a demonic force. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances, production design, and technical aspects.

Love Lies Bleeding

Oscar nominee Kristen Stewart stars alongside Katy O’Brian in this romantic thriller by Rose Glass from a screenplay she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska. The movie follows Lou (Stewart), who falls in love with bodybuilder Jackie (O’Brian), but they are pulled into a web of crimes due to Lou’s family.

The film has received positive reviews by critics, who praised Glass’s direction, as well as the lead performances. Combining lust, love and violence, “Love Lies Bleeding” is an irreverent movie that will please David Lynch’s fans.

Riverdale’s star Camila Mendes has started to build a strong portfolio as a rom-com heroine, and “Música” is among her most compelling work. Directed and starring Rudy Mancuso, in his film directorial debut, this musical romantic comedy is compelling for fans of the genre.

The film follows an aspiring creator with synesthesia as he navigates the pressures of love, family, and his Brazilian culture in Newark, New Jersey, while coming to terms with an uncertain future.

Dev Patel’s directorial debut impressed critics with its bold take on the revenge action thriller genre. The Oscar nominated actor not only helmed the film, he also stars and co-wrote it alongside Paul Angunawela and John Collee. Apart from Patel’s direction, the movie was praised for its social commentary.

It follows Kid (Patel), who struggles to make ends meet by participating in underground fight clubs, taking beatings for cash. However, his quest for revenge ignites when he decides to infiltrate the elite social circles of his city's wealthiest and most corrupt individuals.

This comedy drama stars Maddie Ziegler as a 16-year-old Lindy, who is diagnosed with a rare reproductive condition, MRKH syndrome. The diagnosis disrupts her understanding of womanhood and her identity, changing her relationships with her friends, boyfriend and mother.

The film won the award for Best Canadian Film at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival. Critics have praised Ziegler’s performance, as well as the movie’s provocative look of modern femininity.

The Idea of You

When it comes to romantic comedies, “The Idea of You” joins other titles, such as “Anyone But You” or “Rye Lane,” as one of the best recent examples of the genre. Starring Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway and breakout star Nicholas Galitzine, the movie is based on the novel by Robinee Lee.

The film follows a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with a 24-year-old boy band singer. While not the same as “Notting Hill,” the film is funny, charming and surprisingly smart about its observations around women, age and pleasure.

Orion and The Dark

Netflix and Dreamworks Animation teamed up for this beautiful tale, based on the 2014 children's book of the same name by Emma Yarlett. Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Sean Charmatz, “Orion and The Dark” grapples with existential ideas but in a digestible way.

The movie follows Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), who is scared of a lot of things: bees, rejection, field trips. However, his worst fear is, you guessed it, the dark. When the embodiment of the Dark (Paul Walter Hauser) pays him a visit, he goes on a roller-coaster ride around the world to accept the unpredictability of life.

Starring a superb Anthony Hopkins, “One Life” is a World War II drama that, while conventional, is too heartfelt to leave the audience indifferent. Directed by James Hawes, it also stars Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Lena Olin, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp and Jonathan Pryce.

The film follows 79-year-old Winton as he reminisces about his past, specifically his efforts to help groups of Jewish children hide and flee from German-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1938–39, just before the start of World War II.

Laura Chinn’s directorial film debut “Suncoast” stars Nico Parker and Laura Linney as a mother-daughter duo dealing with the terminal illness of their son and brother, Max. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and received positive reviews from critics.

Chinn has shared that the film’s inspired by titles such as Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, such as Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Napoleon Dynamite. A reason to watch? Apart from the excellent script, the strong performances, especially Woody Harrelson’s.

Sydney Sweeney’s psychological thriller is one of the best horror movies of the year. Directed by Michael Mohan and written by Andrew Lobel, the film follows a young novice who is invited to stay at a picturesque Italian convent, only to gradually uncover the terrifying secrets it hides.

Critics praised Sweeney’s performance, as well as the themes that the movie explores, such as bodily autonomy, especially women’s. Apart from the acting, the movie received praise for its ambiguity and final plot twist.

While the world is grappling with all the possibilities, good or bad, of the extended use of AI, “The Beast” is an unsettling exploration of a future in which this technology controls almost every aspect of human life. In 2044, humans want to “erase” their feelings? Can they do it?

This sci-fi drama follows Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) who, hoping to eliminate the pain from previous romances, continually falls in love with different incarnations of Louis (George MacKay). Seudoux’s performance was praised, as well as the script.

Problemista

Written, directed, and co-produced by Julio Torres, the film stars an eclectic cast including Tilda Swinton, RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, and Isabella Rossellini. The story follows a struggling aspiring toy designer from El Salvador who navigates the eccentricities of the New York City art world while he tries to land his dream job before his visa expires.

With Problemista, Torres' unique sensibilities shine through, offering a perfectly cracked lens to explore the surreal humor found in the bleak aspects of the human experience. The film has garnered praise for its inventive storytelling and vivid character portrayals.

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The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Going to College

Benjamin B. Bolger has spent his whole life amassing academic degrees. What can we learn from him?

Bolger has spent the last 30-odd years attending top universities. Credit...

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By Joseph Bernstein

• June 3, 2024

Benjamin B. Bolger has been to Harvard and Stanford and Yale. He has been to Columbia and Dartmouth and Oxford, and Cambridge, Brandeis and Brown. Over all, Bolger has 14 advanced degrees, plus an associate’s and a bachelor’s. Some of Bolger’s degrees took many years to complete, such as a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Others have required rather less commitment: low-residency M.F.A.s from Ashland University and the University of Tampa, for example.

Listen to this article, read by Robert Petkoff

Some produced microscopically specific research, like Bolger’s Harvard dissertation, “Deliberative Democratic Design: Participants’ Perception of Strategy Used for Deliberative Public Participation and the Types of Participant Satisfaction Generated From Deliberative Public Participation in the Design Process.” Others have been more of a grab bag, such as a 2004 master’s from Dartmouth, for which Bolger studied Iranian sociology and the poetry of Robert Frost.

He has degrees in international development, creative nonfiction and education. He has studied “conflict and coexistence” under Mari Fitzduff, the Irish policymaker who mediated during the Troubles, and American architecture under the eminent historian Gwendolyn Wright. He is currently working, remotely, toward a master’s in writing for performance from Cambridge.

Bolger is a broad man, with lank, whitish, chin-length hair and a dignified profile, like a figure from an antique coin. One of his favorite places is Walden Pond — he met his wife there, on one of his early-morning constitutionals — and as he expounds upon learning and nature, it is easy to imagine him back in Thoreau’s time, with all the other polymathic gentlemen, perhaps by lamplight, stroking their old-timey facial hair, considering propositions about a wide range of topics, advancing theories of the life well lived.

And there’s something almost anachronistically earnest, even romantic, about the reason he gives for spending the past 30-odd years pursuing college degrees. “I love learning,” he told me over lunch last year, without even a touch of irony. I had been pestering him for the better part of two days, from every angle I could imagine, to offer some deeper explanation for his life as a perpetual student. Every time I tried, and failed, I felt irredeemably 21st-century, like an extra in a historical production who has forgotten to remove his Apple Watch.

“I believe that people are like trees,” he said. “I hope I am a sequoia. I want to grow for as long as possible and reach toward the highest level of the sky.”

Against a backdrop of pervasive cynicism about the nature of higher education, it is tempting to dismiss a figure like Bolger as the wacky byproduct of an empty system. Then again, Bolger has run himself through that system, over and over and over again; it continues to take him in, and he continues to return to it for more. In fact, there is reportedly only one person in the United States with more college degrees than Bolger, and the vast majority of those came from universities within the state of Michigan (no disrespect to the Broncos, Eagles or Lakers). Because Bolger is just 48, and Michael Nicholson, of Kalamazoo, is 83, Bolger could surpass him, according to back-of-envelope math, as soon as 2054. In other words, Bolger is on a plausible track to becoming the country’s single most credentialed individual — at which point, perhaps, he could rest.

A proposition: No one more fully embodies the nature of elite American higher education today, in all its contradictions, than a man who has spent so much time being molded by it, following its incentives and internalizing its values. But what are those values, exactly? Of course, there are the oft-cited, traditional virtues of spending several years set apart from the rest of the world, reading and thinking. You know: the chance to expand your mind, challenge your preconceptions and cultivate a passion for learning. In this vision, eager minds are called to great institutions to reach their intellectual potential, and we know these institutions can perform this function simply because they are called Harvard and Yale.

That may be the way a prestigious education works for some, but probably not most. A 2023 survey of Harvard seniors found that 41 percent — 41 percent! — were entering careers in consulting or finance. The same percentage were graduating to a starting salary of at least $110,000, more than double the national median. Last year, the most popular majors at Stanford were economics and computer science. The ultimate value of college for many is the credential, guaranteeing a starting spot many rungs up the ladder of worldly success: Nothing you learn at an elite university is as important as the line on your C.V. that you’ve paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to type. And if you were feeling cynical, you could argue that the time you spend applying to college will affect the rest of your life more than anything in particular that happens while you’re there.

“It is only when we forget our learning that we begin to know,” Thoreau observed, famously, after his experiment in simple living. (Though, rich of Thoreau: he went to Harvard.) In a much different, much opposed way — one involving central heat — Bolger has spent the past three decades conducting his own half-mad American experiment in education. He has drunk deeper at the well of the university than almost anyone else. What does he know?

In 1978, Bolger was 2, riding in a Buick Riviera in Durand, Mich., when the car was hit by a drunken driver. He was basically fine, but his parents were seriously injured, and his mother, Loretta, spent months in the hospital, ending up with a metal plate in one of her legs. She had to leave her job as a schoolteacher. Bolger’s parents’ marriage disintegrated. His mother could be difficult, and his father, an engineer and patent lawyer who represented himself during the nasty divorce, was emotionally abusive. Bolger and his mother began splitting time between their comfortable home near Flint and his grandfather’s ramshackle farm in Grand Haven, which was so drafty they sometimes curled up by the wood-burning furnace.

Bolger’s mother spent much of her money in the ensuing custody battle, and her stress was worsened by her son’s severe dyslexia. In third grade, when Bolger still couldn’t read, his teachers said he wouldn’t graduate from high school. Recognizing that her boy was bright, just different, his mother resolved to home-school him — though “home” is perhaps not the right word: The two spent endless hours driving, to science museums, to the elite Cranbrook Academy of Art outside Detroit for drawing lessons, even to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington. At night she read to him: epic works of literature like “War and Peace” but also choose-your-own-adventure books and “Star Wars” novelizations.

The pair passed days in the library at Michigan State University, watched campus speakers in the evening and ate free at the receptions afterward. Sometimes, rather than drive the two hours back to Grand Haven, they would sleep in his mother’s pickup truck somewhere in East Lansing and do the same thing the next day.

“I saw the university as a home,” Bolger says.

Bolger wore secondhand clothes and had only one close friend his age. Yet he felt he was on a grand adventure. At 11, he began taking classes at Muskegon Community College. Still reading below a third-grade level, Bolger needed his mother to read his assigned texts out loud; he dictated papers back to her. At 16, he enrolled at the University of Michigan, moving with her into an off-campus apartment. He recorded his lectures so he could listen to them at home; his mother still read to him. Majoring in sociology, he graduated with a 4.0. He was 19.

Next, Bolger decided to apply to law school because of his admiration for the consumer advocate Ralph Nader, whose crusade for safer vehicles resonated with Bolger after his accident as a toddler. He was administered the LSAT questions orally and was admitted to Harvard, Stanford and Yale.

At Yale Law School, Bolger floundered. The method Bolger and his mother had devised to cover reading assignments fell apart: There was so much of it, and it was so detailed. Bolger’s age made him a kind of celebrity on campus, and not in a good way. Classmates found him bombastic and insecure. “He was 19, and I suppose he acted it,” says Andrea Roth, now a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who was friendly with Bolger at the time. Bolger failed two classes his first semester and dropped out.

To attend Yale, Bolger had deferred a master’s program in sociology at Oxford, so in 1996, he moved to England. There, he thrived under the tutorial system, which reminded him of home-schooling. Then he just kept going, embarking on an odyssey through the Anglosphere’s great universities, during which he improved his reading but still leaned on his mother. From Oxford, he went to Cambridge, where he took a master’s in sociology and politics. After three years in Britain, Bolger moved to California, where he studied for a master’s in interdisciplinary education from Stanford, and then quickly to New York, where he got another master’s, in the politics of education, as well as a master’s degree in architecture, both from Columbia, in a single academic year. He found time in the summers to work toward a master’s of arts in liberal studies from Dartmouth. He slept four hours a night.

And he kept on stacking degrees: a master’s in design studies with a real estate concentration from Harvard; a master’s in international development from Brown; the “coexistence and conflict” master’s from Brandeis; a master’s from Skidmore, where he studied “positive psychology”; all culminating in his doctorate in design, focused on urban planning and real estate, from Harvard in 2007. More recently, Bolger has done a trio of M.F.A.s in which he said he learned how to write “in a compelling narrative way,” “how to communicate stories in a compelling and gripping way” and how to delve deep into “the different genres of writing.” He has worked as an adjunct or visiting professor at more than a dozen colleges to fund his endless pursuit of learning.

One thing Bolger has not seemed to learn over the years is to introspect. Why has he driven himself to this extent — to place himself over and over in the kinds of impractical programs young adults enter to wait out a bad economy or delay the onset of adulthood à la National Lampoon’s Van Wilder? Many of us love learning, too, but we don’t do what Bolger has done; we listen to history podcasts on our commutes or pick our way through long books in the minutes before sleep. Despite all his degrees, Bolger has never sought a tenure-track job — only a few of his degrees would even qualify him for such a position — and he has never really specialized.

Unless you consider putting together a killer college application a form of expertise, which both the market and Bolger do.

Over the past 35 years, acceptance rates to the United States’ most elite universities have shrunk to about 6 percent from nearly 30 percent. Students, frightened by those numbers, are applying to more colleges than ever and making these numbers more frightening in the process. At the same time, overtaxed counselors don’t have the time to help as much as applicants and parents want. The rise of so-called holistic admissions, which look beyond grades and test scores, has also contributed to a sense that there is a “secret sauce” to getting into exclusive colleges and turbocharged demand for people who can demystify it.

After he got his doctorate in 2007, Bolger became a full-time private college-admissions consultant. “No other consultant has Dr. Bolger’s record of success,” reads his website — a claim that is difficult to verify, yet one that many people seem to believe. Four years with Bolger runs at least $100,000. (In the world of elite college coaching , this isn’t exceptional: A five-year plan from the New York firm Ivy Coach costs as much as $1.5 million.) Over the past 15 years, he has developed a coaching style he compares with that of Bill Belichick, Mr. Miyagi and Yoda.

On a humid morning late last summer, Bolger saw clients in an upstairs room at the ‘Quin House, a modish Back Bay members’ club in an ornate Commonwealth Avenue limestone. He has a home office in Cambridge but prefers to work as much as he can out of the private clubs to which he belongs, including the staid Union Club, opposite Boston Common, and the Harvard Club, which feels loosey-goosey by comparison.

That day he was meeting with Anjali Anand, a sunny then-17-year-old who was in Boston for the summer to do research at Boston University; and Vivian Chen, also 17 at the time, also sunny, also in Boston to study on B.U.’s campus. Anjali and Vivian faced a brutal fact: For young strivers of the American upper middle class, credentials and a can-do attitude are no longer sufficient for entry into the top tiers of the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. These accomplishments must be arranged into stories so compelling that they stand out from the many other compelling stories of the teenagers clamoring for admission.

And so Bolger devoted the meetings to teaching self-narrativization, particularly as it relates to the all-important essay component of the application. He encouraged the high-achieving Anjali to be vulnerable. “Someone who is 100 percent confident with no hesitations isn’t as compelling,” he said. “This is why there are more movies made about Batman than Superman.” With Vivian, he tried to connect her desire to become a dentist to a deeper narrative thread.

“Why the mouth and teeth?” Bolger asked.

Bolger said his business has enabled him to mix with “the 1 percent crowd.” In addition to his condo on Cambridge’s tony Memorial Drive, Bolger owns a house in Virginia and his family farm in Michigan. He has an Amex invite-only Centurion card. In 2016, he donated more than $50,000 to support Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, for which he received a special Jeff Koons print; more recently, he has donated more than $2,500 to the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He loves to attend celebrity talks: Bruce Springsteen, George Clooney, Joe Montana — anyone who, in his mind, defines a category.

Bolger carries about 25 clients at a time, but his most important pupil is his 9-year-old daughter, Benjamina, whom he home-schools and considers his best friend. Bolger models his daughter’s education after his own: hands-on, interactive, wide-ranging, lots of time in the car. (Bolger’s son, Blitze, is also being home-schooled, but he’s only 4, so there’s less to do.) His wife, Anil, who helps him recruit clients, is happy to let him oversee the liberal-arts component of their children’s education while she handles math and Chinese. Bolger is trying to be less intense than his mother, to emphasize the development of his daughter’s emotional intelligence. But one of his main pedagogical devices is still the field trip.

On another bright morning last summer, Bolger took Benjamina to Concord’s North Bridge, for a holistic lesson but also a lesson in holism. He was joined there by his friend Dan Sullivan, a fellow polymath, who has also collected a staggering number of credentials. (The 42 entries under the “Experience” section of his LinkedIn page include Ambassador at the Parliament of the World’s Religions and Colonel at the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.) Bolger had planned a discussion around bridges and diplomacy. But he believes the world is “nonlinear,” and his habits of speech reflect this. There were digressions into history, comparative government, union organizing, car safety, Robert McNamara, the strength of triangles, the cryogenic preservation of corpses.

A composed, precocious and sweet girl, Benjamina followed her tutors across the bridge and to the bronze statue of a Minute Man, inscribed with Emerson’s “Concord Hymn.” There the three of them stood in contemplation, looking a little like a child star and her security detail.

“Was that shot actually heard around the world?” Bolger asked.

“I don’t think so,” Benjamina replied.

“Yes,” Bolger said. “So this is an example of a metaphor.”

​​After stopping in Concord for a bite, Bolger and Benjamina drove the two miles to Walden Pond. The pair sat on a wooden plank above the beach on the pond’s east side. Except for the sounds of teenagers flirting and retirees shifting in folding chairs, it was quiet. Bolger explained Thoreau, the woods, the essential facts.

“I don’t know if you find this inspirational or not,” Bolger said. “I have the ability to pretend no one is here.”

Benjamina made a skeptical noise.

“I guess I could do it for a week,” Bolger said. “A year just seems too long.”

Thoreau’s experiment made him one of the most important men in American history. Bolger’s experiment has, well, not done that. Instead, it has done something even weirder. To spend any time around Bolger is to feel that you have been enrolled in a bespoke, man-shaped university, one capable of astonishing interdisciplinary leaps, and it basically all hangs together — the way that any mix of freshman electives at a top university might complement one another, might rhyme, produce its own sort of harmony. It is unclear what, exactly, is at the center. But there are gravitational forces at work nonetheless.

Also, Bolger’s experiment has made him a wildly compelling father to a daughter who, it must be said, is exceptional. She is fluent in two languages, she is nice, she is funny, and last summer she performed Fritz Kreisler’s thorny violin piece “Sicilienne and Rigaudon” at Carnegie Hall with grace, élan and even wit. At the very least, Benjamina has on her hands the material for one of the all-time great college-admissions essays.

The day after their colonial field trip, father and daughter had lunch at the Harvard Club. Surrounded by dark wood and wine refrigerators, they ordered off the Veritas menu: Bolger had a B.L.T., and Benjamina had a hamburger with fries. The meat arrived on a bun with an “H” grill mark, for Harvard.

“Do you think the burger looks better because it has an ‘H’ on it?” Bolger asked.

Benjamina didn’t hesitate. “Yes!”

Read by Robert Petkoff

Narration produced by Anna Diamond and Krish Seenivasan

Engineered by Devin Murphy

Source for illustration at the top: Photographs from the Bolger family; Arnold Gold/The New Haven Register, via Associated Press.

David Hilliard is an artist and educator from Boston. He creates narrative multipaneled photographs, often based on his life or the lives of people around him.

Joseph Bernstein is a Times reporter who writes feature stories for the Styles section. More about Joseph Bernstein

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‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Renewed For Third Season By Paramount+

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Fans of Criminal Minds : Evolution can watch season 2 knowing that their favorite team is not done hunting those pesky unsubs: Paramount+ has ordered a third season of Criminal Minds sequel series. It will go into production later this year.

Season 2 of Criminal Minds: Evolution drops June 6 on the streamer with two new episodes. Subsequent episodes will stream every week on Thursdays.

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This season stars Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Zach Gilford ,  Ryan-James Hatanaka with Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Guest stars include Clark Gregg, Felicity Huffman, Liana Liberato, Paul F. Tompkins, Tuc Watkins and Brian White. 

Criminal Minds: Evolution  is produced by ABC Signature and CBS Studios. Erica Messer ( Criminal Minds ,  Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders ) serves as showrunner and executive producer with Breen Frazier, Chris Barbour, Glenn Kershaw and Mark Gordon also executive producing.

All 15 seasons of the original  Criminal Minds  series, which ran from 2005-2020 on CBS, are also available on Paramount+.

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