Killer Elite - ITV4

Jason Statham goes head-to-head with Clive Owen and Robert De Niro in this pacy thriller

Jason Statham goes head-to-head with Clive Owen and Robert De Niro in this pacy thriller.

Set in the 1980s, the action is supposedly based on a true story recounted in explorer Ranulph Fiennes’ memoirs, The Feather Men.

Statham’s well cast as an ex-mercenary trying to save his kidnapped partner De Niro from the clutches of an oil sheikh who is looking for revenge against the sinister team of ex-SAS men, led by Owen, who killed his sons.

Statham's muscular charisma and some good stunts make up for the weak dialogue and sloppy storytelling.