Righteous Kill

(2008)

Directed by

Jon Avnet

Review by Todd Plucknett

The new film Righteous Kill is one that has been anticipated for reasons other than the intrigue of the plot. It stars the two best actors of their generation Oscar-winners Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The film seemed as if it was going to have a chance to rise above the basic buddy cop crime-thriller, but sadly, outside the two lead performances, it is fairly worthless.

The plot revolves around Turk (De Niro) and Rooster (Pacino), two NYPD Homicide detectives that have been working for about 30 years in that division. Before retiring, they want to solve their last big case. A serial killer has been hovering around the city killing criminals who got off without seeing prison time. Each murder is done at close range, leaving behind a note about the killing. Turk is a widower involved with a forensic officer named Karen (Carla Gugino). There are two other officers (John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg) who are trying to figure it out as well. All the facts point to the killer being part of the force. Everyone suspects Turk, given his constant rage and disregard. Rooster is always the one trying to hold him back from doing or saying something that could get him in trouble. The two are really best friends and they trust each other with their lives. There is one outlier story going on here as well involving a drug lord named Spider (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson). What really happened with these murders? Is it someone we know? At some point or another, almost every principle character is a suspect, but you will certainly know the outcome long before it is officially revealed.

The only real reason to see this film is to watch De Niro and Pacino working together. Since these two legends sadly have only been in the same film twice (never meeting in The Godfather: Part II and the pair of unforgettable scenes in Michael Mann’s classic crime-drama Heat), this film was sitting on a golden ticket. If the rest of the involved workers could have delivered like these two, then the film could have been great. But instead, we get a huge disappointment. De Niro dials up a brilliant performance here, reminding us that he is indeed the greatest actor to ever live. His performance is fiery and gripping, which could remind people of some of his past performances in films such as Casino. Pacino plays it a bit lighter than his token raging character. He really slides into the character nicely and he works off of De Niro flawlessly. I could easily have seen the roles reversed as well. Although the recent past may suggest the contrary, these two actors still have it. Gugino has always been underrated, and her performance here is effective. Jackson is not good at all, which is surprising, considering the nature of the character. He even had scenes that he should have shined in, but it just never came together. Leguizamo and Wahlberg just basically stand around without much to do. Brian Dennehy is tolerable, and there is a phenomenal cameo by character actress Melissa Leo.

The major disappointment with the film is the screenplay by Russell Gerwitz. It is his second screenplay (his first being the phenomenally-crafted Inside Man). This film uses a lot of the same techniques and flashback sequences, but it just seems so forced and illogical. With the recent 88 Minutes, it is not surprising that Avnet has once again gone down the path of a bad film. It is not necessarily his fault, though. It is the screenplay that never lets the film take off. It is decently edited and sometimes quite exciting, but the poorly plotted and endlessly predictable script really holds the film back. In fact, if you just pay attention for a while at the very beginning, you will be able to reason through what is going to eventually happen.

If the audience goes into this film expecting a good psychological thriller, they will be let down. If they want to just see their two hero actors finally working together, they may be satisfied enough. My reaction is basically a mix of those two scenarios. I was hoping for a better film, but watching De Niro and Pacino working side-by-side (something that should have happened about 25 years ago) made the film watchable. There are some shreds of the film that are thrilling and semi-surprising, but most of it would have been unbearable if the two leads had not taken part in the film. So, if you are a fan of De Niro and Pacino, catch it on DVD. If not, don’t bother.

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