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The Killer Elite

1975 · 122 min

A gritty, cynical spy thriller with brutal action and a brooding sense of betrayal, punctuated by martial arts and a weary tone.

Directed by
Sam Peckinpah
Genres
Crime, Action, Thriller
Starring
James Caan, Robert Duvall, Arthur Hill
Tagline
They protect us from the enemy, but who protects us from them?
Overview
Mike Locken is one of the principal members of a group of freelance spies. A significant portion of their work is for the CIA, and while on a case for them one of his friends turns on him and shoots him in the elbow and knee. His assignment, to protect someone, goes down in flames. He is nearly crippled, but with braces is able to again become mobile. For revenge as much as anything else, Mike goes after his ex-friend.

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Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Sam Peckinpah
Genres
Crime, Action, Thriller
Starring
James Caan, Robert Duvall, Arthur Hill
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • betrayal
  • revenge
  • corruption
  • loyalty
  • violence
Places
  • big city
  • sea
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action7
Horror2
Humour3
Realism6
Romance2
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight5

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
Free
  • YouTube Free
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, action, thriller
Directed by
Sam Peckinpah
Written by
Stirling Silliphant, Marc Norman
Starring
James Caan, Robert Duvall, Arthur Hill, Bo Hopkins, Mako, Burt Young, Gig Young, Tom Clancy
Music
Jerry Fielding
Cinematography
Philip H. Lathrop
Runtime
122 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English, Mandarin

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