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 Both men’s careers have seen better films and Killing Season doesn’t do anything to add to their glittering C.V.’s.

DeNiro plays former U.S. soldier Benjamin Ford who took part in shootings and killings in the Bosnian War, and in particular was instrumental in the attempted killing of former Serbian soldier Emil Kovac (Travolta). Ford is in retirement mode, living in a cabin somewhere in the mountains in America. He lives alone, and prefers it that way. He’s not even willing to travel to his grandson’s baptism. Then in a cafe on the other side of the world in Eastern Europe is Kovac, who is handed a folder with Ford’s picture and address. And we can only assume at this point that Kovac wants to pay Ford a visit.

So Kovac shows up at Ford’s house (Travolta tries desparately to wing a Serbian accent to not much luck, and he’s even given a beard that looks painted on). The men initially bond, as Kovac tells Ford that he’s a traveler hiking in the mountains. But it’s not too long before Kovac shows his true colors and turns against Ford. They play cat and mouse in the woods where before they were shooting elk and then it turned to them trying to shoot each other, with Kovac telling Ford why he was actually there. Ridiculously, Kovac captures Ford and makes him put a rope through his just-cut tendons, and makes him hang upside down this way. This scene is not for the squeamish. Then Ford breaks free, and it’s his turn to capture and torture Kovac, and The Killing Season goes on this way for the rest of it’s 90 minutes. It’s not until the very end that we are told why Kovac went after Ford. It’s a good surprise ending but it’s a bit too late to save this movie.

I don’t understand why Travolta and especially DeNiro agreed to do this movie. While DeNiro has made a few stinkers the past few years, including Last Vegas, Grudge Match and The Family, these movies weren’t as bad as this one, while Travolta still can’t be forgiven for being in 2010’s From Paris With Love. Director Mark Steven Johnson, who also brought us Grudge Match, hasn’t made any memorable films in his career (unless you are a really big fan of Grumpy and Grumpier Old Men). So it’s strange that DeNiro has starred in two of his films (Grudge Match and this one), as the quality of filmmaking is just not there. The best thing about Killing Season? The music. Stay until the very end of the credits and you will be graced with beautiful music by Christopher Young. It’s beautiful music, while the $30,000 U.S. gross of this film is definitely not music to the film’s producers!