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2008
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RIGHTEOUS
KILL
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STARRING:ROBERT
DE NIRO,AL PACINO,BRIAN DENNEHY,TRILBY GLOVER,CARLA GUGINO,CURTIS
"50 CENT" JACKSON,JOHN LEGUIZAMO, DONNIE WAHLBERG
WRITTEN
BY RUSSELL GEWIRTZ
PRODUCED
BY JON AVNET,ROB COWAN,BOAZ DAVIDSON,RANDALL EMMETT,GEORGE
FURLA,LATI GROBMAN,AVI LERNER,ALEXANDRA MILCHAN & DANIEL M.ROSENBERG
DIRECTED
BY JON AVNET
GENRE:CRIME/DRAMA/MYSTERY/THRILLER
RATED:AUSTRALIA:NA/UK:15/USA:R
RUNNING
TIME:101 MIN
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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 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 that much more depressing.
De Niro and Pacino star as Turk and Rooster, respectively. 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 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
else, and way too much emphasis on the final reveal, which was predictable.
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 improv's 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.
As a big fan of Pacino De Niro, to state that I am disappointed with
Righteous Kill is an understatement. I always imagined their
first substantial collaboration together would be one filled with
credibility and worth remembering. Instead all I got was 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.
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