Righteous Kill (2008)
By Shane Rivers
In the glory days of their careers, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro made films such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Scarface. Now, as both actors close in on 70, we’re being treated to such efforts as 88 Minutes and Analyze That. I regret to report that Righteous Kill–the first film which features the duo on-screen together for significant time–is much closer to the latter than the former.
Tom “Turk” Cowan (De Niro) and David “Rooster” Fisk (Pacino) are veteran detectives of the NYPD. While Rooster plays chess to relieve tension, Turk makes due with coaching youth baseball and having rough sex with fellow cop Karen Corelli (Carla Gugino). But before you can say “obligatory tension,” someone starts rubbing out criminals who’ve escaped justice. Doubt is quickly cast on Turk, as each subsequent victim is somehow connected to him. Can Rooster clear his partner’s name, or has Turk really become a murderous vigilante?
The premise having been established, the rest of Righteous Kill is nothing more than an exercise in cliché-ridden filmmaking. False trails are created, and numerous red herrings are dangled in front of our collective faces. It doesn’t matter, though, as even the most addled viewer should be able to guess the identity of the killer prior to the film’s lackluster conclusion.
The attempt at making everyone a suspect becomes especially tiresome, as do scenes featuring multiple characters glancing suspiciously at one another. A taped confession from Turk is played from the beginning of the film, which means that (a) he’s guilty and the filmmakers wanted you to know right away, or (b) there’s more to this confession than meets the eye.
Pacino and De Niro have seen better days, and they aren’t helped in the least by rushed performances and a hatchet job in the editing room. Scenes featuring the two venerable actors should’ve crackled with energy, but instead we get nothing but fizzle. It’s also time to stop casting them in anything requiring action. As I watched their stunt doubles leap over railings, I realized that both aging screen legends would break a hip if they tried to duplicate such a maneuver.
Considering the caliber of the actors involved, Righteous Kill is an utter disappointment. De Niro deserves better, Pacino deserves better, and the audience most definitely deserves better.
This Righteous Kill movie review is copyright 2009 Small World Marketing and Shane Rivers. This Righteous Kill review should not be reprinted without the permission of the copyright holders.
This movie review of Righteous Kill expresses the opinion of the author only. Other Righteous Kill movie reviews are available online, and some of those might or might not express different opinions on the movie. Like those other Righteous Kill movie reivews, this Righteous Kill review is intended for the entertainment and education of the reader. This Righteous Kill movie review is provided as is with no warranty or guarantee implied.
