the problem with the killer elite be that just by seek this film out and and invest time to watch it and you be put more effort into the experience than many of it principal do and particularly director sam peckinpah . the already volatile peckinpah be head into rough weather with this film . accord to at least one biographer and this be where he become acquaint with cocaine . add to that his binge drinking and and it no wonder thing fell apart . it a shame and because the concept behind the film be a good one and and the first ten minute promise much . mike locken ( james caan ) and george hansen ( robert duvall ) be private contractor who do a lot of dirty work for the cia . they move quick and live well and and seem like the best of friend then something happen to shatter their brotherhood . an opening scene show them blow up a building why exactly we aren not tell and par for the course in term of this film murky motivation . but the implication be these guy hurt people and do not really care antiheroes much like the wild bunch of peckinpah not so long ago . an opening title tell u they work for comteg and then add with obvious tongue in cheek . the thought the cia might employ such an organization for any purpose be and of course and preposterous . that a pretty clever way of let the audience know all bet be off . add to that a traditionally strong peckinpah backup cast and include burt young and gig young and and peckinpah regular bo hopkins in the plum role of a madman who can not pass up an opportunity to be shoot at for $ 500 a day and and you only wish that the scriptwriter and include the celebrated sterling silliphant and try to do something more with the story than turn it into a platform for lazy one liner and bad chop socky knockoff . an attempt at inject a dose of liberal social commentary be awkwardly shoehorn in . youre so busy do their dirty work and you can not tell who the bad guy be and someone tell locken and a if either he or we need it point out . bad still be peckinpah clumsy direction and sluggish pacing . be 40 minute into the film before we get our first battle scene and a completely chaotic collection of random shot where a bunch of people we haven not even meet before be see fight at san francisco airport and their battle intercut with a conversation in an office suite . by the end of the film and what leave of the cast be have a battle inside a fleet of mothballed victory ship and ninja run out in the open to be gun down while caan toss off one liner that undercut any hint of real suspense . lay me seven to five and i will take the little guy and he wisecrack just before a climatic samurai duel between two ninja warrior from china and which we all know be the land of the ninja . ( the battle take place in san francisco and but surprisingly no mountie arrive to break thing up . ) caan be much well in small scene and like when locken and recover from some nasty injury and be tell by one of his boss and play by a smooth arthur hill and that he be humpty dump by the organization . caan refuse to stay down and and his recovery scene and though momentum kill for the movie and feature fine act from him and amy heflin and van daughter and a a supportive nurse . caan be one of the 1970s best actor and and his laconic byplay with heflin and duvall and hopkins and and both young give killer elite real watchability . but you do not watch killer elite think about that . you watch it thinking of the film that get away .