Thanks for checking out our Righteous Kill review. If you’d like to see a video version of our Righteous Kill review you can watch it at the bottom of this post.
They are without a doubt 2 of the most celebrated and greatest actors of all time. Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino have redefined the craft of acting during their long and illustrious careers and have turned in some of the greatest and most memorable performances that have ever graced the silver screen. It’s simply not possible to overstate their importance.
HOWEVER… there is also no denying that the last 10+ years have been giant shit streak stains for both of them. Oh sure both of them have the odd “Merchant of Venice” or “Meet the Parents” on their resumes, but they get lost in the massive amounts of of films like “88 Minutes”, “Sim1one” and the like. These guys have both essentially gone to pot to the point that even Francis Ford Coppola has said both of them don’t even look like they’re trying anymore.
So along comes the film people have been waiting almost 30 years to see. Finally, a movie with both of these acting titans in it together. Righteous Kill. Awesome right? Well… no. Not even close.
THE GENERAL IDEA
The synopsis of Righteous Kill looks something like this: “Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are partners in the NYPD Homicide Division. They have 30 years of service investigating murders, and before they pull the pin, they want to solve their last big case. The city has a serial killer who is targeting criminals who have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system and have gotten away with rape, murder, and other heinous crimes. The serial killer believes that he is helping the police by taking the scum of the earth out of society for good, never to hurt any law abiding citizens again. The serial killer shoots the criminal at very close-range and leaves a four-line poem justifying the execution. Turk and Rooster want to give this person a medal, but instead, they must arrest him before he kills again.”
THE GOOD
No matter how bad the last decade has been for these two legends, and no matter how awful most of their movies are nowadays, it was still nevertheless a lot of fun to see the two of them up there on the screen together. Two old cops, exchanging jokes, pulling their guns, chasing down the bad guys and then downing some whisky at the local bar. It was almost like we weren’t seeing the characters… it felt more like DeNiro and Pacino as themselves talking about their careers in the film business instead of the crime world. It really was great to finally see.
I always like Donnie “New Kid On The Block” Wahlberg whenever I see him in stuff. Ransom, Sixth Sense, even that cop TV show he was on for a while “Boomtown” and it was nice to see him in there again. Lost in a swamp of horribly over acted performances by almost everyone in this cast, Wahlberg ended up giving the best performance because was the only one who kept any sense of subtlety. His was the only convincing character, and so whenever he was on screen, it was like getting some momentary relief from a horrible toothache. Which leads us too…
THE BAD
This movie is so horrible on so many levels it’s hard to know where to start. First of all let’s talk about the performances. Both DeNiro and Pacino were AWFUL. There, I said it. It’s like these two guys just don’t give a crap about their jobs anymore and it shows. It was like the director (who I will get to in a moment) told DeNiro “Just give me the most stereotypical and intense DeNiro you can for 2 hours. GO!”, and then said the same thing to Pacino, and both of them obliged. It was so overdone that I never once felt any sort of attachment, sympathy, connection, pity, anything for either one of these guys. Just dreadful stuff. They are both capable of so much more.
The direction was inept. By direction I’m not really talking about the camera shot selection, but rather about how he decided to unfold the story of the film and how he managed the actors. The film starts with a videotaped confession of DeNiro admitting to certain crimes and killings, and the the story unwraps around that. It’s hard to fully explain why this was such a horrible decision that almost single handedly ruined the movie without giving spoilers away. It’s enough to tell you that because of his decision to do things that way, you will know how this movie ends within the first 3 minutes of the movie. I did. And when the acting of the entire cast sucks on this level, you have to point the finger at the director a la Phantom Menace.
50 Cent wasn’t in the movie as much as I feared he would be, but his suckiness was just as potent and just as distracting. The film goes back to “fiddy”‘s club several times throughout the film, throwing in random and patronizing hip hop club scenes with rappers and what have you. It was out of step with everything else in the film. I asked this question before and I’ll ask it again. JUST HOW BRAIN DEAD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO FINALLY GET PACINO AND DENIRO TOGETHER IN A MOVIE AND THEN CONSIDER IT A GOOD IDEA TO THROW 50 CENT IN THERE WITH THEM???? Whoever made that decision should be shot and dragged through the streets (figuratively of coarse… but I mean it… not really… yes really… no, that would be wrong).
OVERALL
My expectations for this film were so low I was actually expecting to come out of it pleasantly surprised. Instead it was even worse than I thought it could be and furthered soiled the legacy of these two immortal giants of the acting world. This movie made me feel like I was watching a once great boxer, well past his prime, getting the shit beat out of him in the ring. All I want them to do now is retire and stop embarrassing themselves. This is a terrible movie. Overall I give Righteous Kill a 2.5 out of 10.
You can watch the video version of the Righteous Kill review here:
