On paper it seemed liking a wining premise: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, two of the most acclaimed actors of all time, sharing equal billing and substantial screen time in a cop thriller set in New York City. Yet the fact that Righteous Kill comes off as such a non-event makes the whole thing damned enterprise that much more depressing.

De Niro and Pacino star as Turk and Rooster. Both are homicide detectives who have been walking the beat for over 30 years and have no desire to put down the gun and badge, (although you would think that these two masters of the method would find playing a pair of 60+ year old cops to be a bit of a stretch).

When a serial killer starts to take out criminals who have slid between the cracks of the judicial system, Turk and Rooster are assigned to the case, even though deep down they are rooting for the bad guy. To make matters worse, all signs lead to a cop being the main culprit.

Righteous Kill is directed by Jon Avnet, who had the (dis)courtesy of directing Pacino is last years woeful 88 Minutes, and to state that this film is slightly better than that reck is not a good thing. Now, you would think that in such a momentous occasion where De Niro and Pacino finally share the screen for more than a cup of coffee (as seen in 1995’s modern crime classic Heat), than perhaps a Martin Scorsese, or a Michael Mann, or even a Brian De Palma would take on directorial duties, but alas it is Avnet who takes on the job and the world of cinema is worst off for it.

Much like 88 Minutes, Avnet proves his (dis)worth as an inept filmmaker. Once again he has forgotten to inject thrills; once again character development is a problem; and once again, generic plot devices such as flashback – imagine CSI on steroids – fails to keep Righteous Kill from drowning in its own unworthiness. Another major flaw is the films pacing which is lacking, with Oscar winner Paul Hirsch providing a sporadic cut, to say the least.

The film was written by Russell Gewritz who impressed with his debut film Inside Man. And while there are some moments of adequacy, there were just too many sub-plots which tend to confuse more than anything, and way too much emphasis on the final reveal, which is predictable, to say the least.

Yet the most disappointing aspect of Righteous Kill is its acting, especially from its lead players. Much like a stuck record, De Niro is all grimaces and threats without offering anything of substance. Meanwhile Pacino’s bag of tricks does not do much for him either, no matter how many little improvs and scene stealing titbits he comes up with.

Supporting turns are not much better: Carla Gugino is wasted as the forensic expert who likes her sex down and dirty and her men old; John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg just seem to be stoked that they are working alongside these living legends; and it seems that all Brian Denehy had been cast for was to make De Niro and Pacino look less older than they are. It doesn’t work.

To state that Righteous Kill is a major disappointment is an understatement. One would imagine their first substantial collaboration together would be filled with credibility and worth remembering. Instead Righteous Kill is a cop out of movie, a film not worthy of the reputations which both actors have officially placed on the line during a decade which has seen sub-par turns from both men.  Righteous Kill does not buck the trend.