Righteous Kill

Two veteran cops, Turk and Rooster (Robert De Niro, Al Pacino) work to solve a string of murders in which the victims are criminals that they have previously arrested and have been acquitted of their crimes. Something's seems a bit fishy, at least that's what two younger cops, Detectives Riley and Perez (Donnie Wahlberg, John Leguizamo) start to think. Furthermore, they suspect it's a cop. Anyway you splice it, the decorated members of the NYPD are looking for a killer. One who leaves a bit of poetry at every scene and happens to murder the filth of society that has slipped through the cracks of the judicial system.

"Righteous Kill" is only a slightly above average thriller given the big name talent. De Niro and Pacino both put forth great performances; De Niro as the hot headed, do whatever it takes to get a conviction cop and Pacino as a much calmer, honest detective. It seems a bit cliché, the whole good cop bad cop, but nonetheless it worked well and the duo's performances were very well balanced to convey not just an occupational partnership, but also a friendship. While the film will leave the audience thinking they know all the answers within the first twenty minutes, the plot does take some interesting turns.

It's great to see the two legendary actors are still performing. "Righteous Kill" is not completely predictable nor is it unwatchable. Give it a try.

Righteous Kill is only the second pairing of two of cinema's greatest actors - Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Their first on-screen collaboration, only featured them together in a couple of scenes, and left the public wanting more.

Righteous Kill has them playing NYC detective partners who've been on the job for 30 years. A serial killer start killing criminals who gotten off on technicalities. Soon, all the evidence points to the killer being a cop. And the cop would seem to be De Niro's character, Turk, a rough-edged type who isn't above falsifying evidence to convict suspects. He's balanced out by Pacino's Rooster, a calm, soothing influence on Turk in a relationship that seems as much like a marriage as it does a professional partnership. Added to the mix are John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg as younger cops investigating the killings and Carlo Gugino as a forensic specialist in a relationship with DeNiro.

The movie works well as a police drama, less so as a mystery, although the solution of the killings does take some interesting turns. If two lesser actors were playing Turk and Rooster, the film might have been touted as asking interesting questions about the nature of friendships, partnerships, and romantic relationship amid all the stresses and strains of police work. But with De Niro and Pacino in tow, the viewer expects more, and doesn't necessarily get it with this film.

However, the two greats still know how to pull off great performance, and know how to elicit sympathy, affection, and every other possible emotion from an audience. Righteous Kill isn't a complete misfire, but might require a third teaming of these great actors.

Seeing Al Pacino and Robert De Niro together on-screen is the kind of ultra-rare treat that could make any film worth seeing. That fact alone is the only reason that Righteous Kill is worth seeing in the very least, as both cinematic icons elevate what would be an otherwise dismal cop drama to something that is only instead a disappointing flick that isn't worthy of having Pacino and De Niro in the lead roles. Both play aging veteran cops who find themselves embroiled in a serial killer case in which there are some big implications, and the twisting screenplay ends up getting to the point of being purely incomprehensible, with a majority of the major story developments not being surprising in the least, and the choppy film editing doesn't help things either. Directed by Jon Avnet, who directed Pacino in the unbelievably bad 88 Minutes, Righteous Kill just ends up not being worthy of the immense talents of Pacino and De Niro, and sadly, both of whom just seem to be on autopilot here. Other actors from John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Carla Gugino, Brian Dennehy, and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, are just wasted here in supporting roles. Still, seeing Pacino and De Niro on screen together for the first time since Heat is something special indeed, and makes the film worth seeing on its own. I f you're expecting another Heat however, or anything remotely close, you've definitely come to the wrong place.