Righteous Kill (2008)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writer (WGA):

Russell Gewirtz (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Most people respect the badge. Everybody respects the gun.

Plot:

Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Ex Girlfriend | Murder | Bar | New York City

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Tom 'Turk' Cowan
Al Pacino	...	David 'Rooster' Fisk
50 Cent	...	Spider (as Curtis Jackson)
Carla Gugino	...	Karen Corelli
John Leguizamo	...	Det. Simon Perez
Donnie Wahlberg	...	Det. Ted Riley
Brian Dennehy	...	Lieutenant Hingis
Trilby Glover	...	Jessica
Saidah Arrika Ekulona	...	Gwen Darvis
Alan Rosenberg	...	Stein
Sterling K. Brown	...	Rogers
Barry Primus	...	Dr. Prosky
Melissa Leo	...	Cheryl Brooks
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Martin Baum
Shirly Brener	...	Natalya

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #44434) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Africa:16LV | Singapore:M18 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Overture Films

Trivia:

In the first movie where Al Pacino and Robert De Niro starred together, The Godfather: Part II (1974), they both played gangsters. In their second movie Heat (1995), Pacino was a cop, and DeNiro was a gangster. In this, their third movie together, they are both cops.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Pacino and DeNiro are sitting in Dennehy's office, DeNiro's left collar is protruding outside of his jacket lapel. On the next close up shot, DeNiro's collar is back in place.

Quotes:

Dr. Prosky: How do you feel when You've fired your weapon?
Turk: Dirty Harry said there's nothing wrong with a little shooting, as long as the right people get shot.
Dr. Prosky: And when the wrong people get shot?
Turk: It sucks... but I'd rather be in than out.

Movie Connections:

References Jackie Brown (1997)

Soundtrack:

Straighten Up and Fly Right

Disappointing thriller from legendary actors

Surely with a movie that stars both Al Pacino & Robert de Niro, you just can't go wrong? Both are legends of the big screen, and both are lauded for making legendary roles their own.

Yet sadly with "Righteous Kill" it just doesn't pay off. It's a thriller around a serial killer of various nefarious characters (pimps, drug dealers etc). The film begins with a confession by de Niro (a cop) that he is the killer, and we are led on a journey as he and his partner (Pacino) fight off another pair of cops who are suspicious that the trail leads to de Niro.

Having starred together in Heat, you'd expect some high standards, but for some reason the chemistry here just doesn't work and at points you think they really aren't interested. Fellow actors aren't too strong either, and much of the action seems to be just going with the flow. The storyline is interesting enough (with a good finale) but never seems to grip you through much of the film.

Overall, its a disappointment and you expect better from a film that has de Niro & Pacino together in it.