“De Niro. Pacino. What else do you need to know?” That’s the minimalist message the Righteous Kill commercials present you. What else indeed? The De Niro/Pacino tag team is a movie lover’s wet dream, the unification of two forces of nature, that has occurred only once before in cinematic history in Michael Mann’s classic Heat. (The Godfather Part II doesn’t count). So significant was this occurrence that many cinephiles chose to forgo the use of B.C. and A.D. to denote the passing of time and opted instead to refer to history as simply “pre-Heat” and “post-Heat.” Here in the post-Heat year 13 (2008 for the layperson) it seems that lightning is set to strike twice in the same spot, as director Jon Avnet brings together the two titans of method acting once again in the same film. De Niro. Pacino. What else do you need to know? Well, for one thing, you need to know that Righteous Kill will need to milk the legacy for all its worth because it’s not a good enough film to offer anything else.
Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are two New York City Detectives, First Grade, who are partners with “110 years” of service between them as their superior, Lieutenant Hingis (Brian Dennehy), sarcastically quips. Though their personalities differ - Turk is pragmatic, prone to impatient outbursts, Rooster is a laid back churchgoer - they’re best friends and upstanding, reputable officers. They’ll banter on the job about themes of drug use in Underdog but they’ll also land the scum behind bars every time, sticking together through thick and thin.
De Niro. Pacino.And they have been through the thick. The film begins with Turk admitting to the camera that in all his years of service he’s killed 14 people - criminals, or “mutts” as he refers to them, who deserved to die. Seemingly trying to cover up his crimes, he and Rooster spearhead the investigation to find the murderer. Soon enough though, two fellow police officers, Det. Simon Perez (John Leguizamo) and Det. Ted Riley (Donnie Wahlberg) begin to suspect the murderer has to be a cop and they set their sights on Turk, the only one they know that had connections to all the murder victims. Attempts by Turk to deflect attention to other suspects are scoffed at by the two detectives for being baseless, only incriminating him more. Soon enough, his integrity within the department becomes compromised and his relationships with his forensics girlfriend, Karen (Carla Gugino), and Rooster begin to strain. As Perez and Riley work to expose Turk as a merciless vigilante, Rooster tries to vindicate his friend and partner claiming that he’s innocent. Is Rooster unaware of his partner’s wrongdoings or is there something else behind the confession that nobody knows?
The answer is revealed via a non-nonsensical twist ending, which caps off a film that’s just one mess after another. De Niro and Pacino the film’s got, but it lacks so much of so much that the A-list leads are the only things separating Righteous Kill from a straight-to-DVD feature. It’s amusing at times to watch the two veterans play off each other - their witty banter and one-liners exuding a sense of comfort with each other and ease with their craft - but mostly their performances seem tired and only competent at best, mere shadows of the charisma they once oozed. With Heat, the two actors were taking direction from Michael Mann (The Insider, Collateral), an egotistical yet enormously talented director, who knew exactly what was needed to make the characters come to life. Righteous Kill has Jon Avnet - not exactly a household name, whose directing credits include 88 Minutes and Fried Green Tomatoes. Almost every technical aspect of the film’s composition - tone, editing, pacing, performances - is blundered and inconsistent. As the story unravels, questions begin to arise about the mindset behind selecting Avnet to helm the project. With anDe Niro. Pacino. Again. estimated $60 million budget (with probably more than half just going to the two leads) devoted to a film premiering during the slowest box-office season, it would more than likely add another headache, financially and creatively, to bring in a highly-paid, A-list director. With the imbalance between the talent and the output, it would seem that the studio was more concerned with someone who could point and shoot a camera at their big stars instead of direct them.
Having a big name director also could’ve paid off when it came to fixing the script. From unnecessary characters, to muted plot points, to the numb and predictable twist ending, Russell Gewirtz’s script is as much a sinking ship as Avnet’s direction. Surprising too, considering Gewirtz is responsible for 2006’s Inside Man. Don’t be fooled by the quote-worthy ads you’ll see on TV - “Most people respect the badge, everybody respects the gun” - the film is mired in fumbled logic, unresolved tangents, and a conflict that doesn’t seem to exist until 30 or 40 minutes have gone by. The film’s title, the emotional focal point of the film, would imply the murders are just; righteous is after all defined as that which is virtuous or morally upright. However, in order to be righteous something must be the opposite and there is such ambivalence towards the killings and their consequences that the natural reaction to the supposedly heart-wrenching ending is an unequivocal “eh.”
It’s a shame that when all is said and done, Righteous Kill will be mentioned in the same breath with Heat as the only projects worthy of bringing together two of the greatest actors of all times. In a culture where studios sell the stars, this film is a poster child for how it does, but shouldn’t, work. De Niro. Pacino. What else do you need? How about a good film?
Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are two New York City Detectives, First Grade, who are partners with “110 years” of service between them as their superior, Lieutenant Hingis (Brian Dennehy), sarcastically quips. Though their personalities differ - Turk is pragmatic, prone to impatient outbursts, Rooster is a laid back churchgoer - they’re best friends and upstanding, reputable officers. They’ll banter on the job about themes of drug use in Underdog but they’ll also land the scum behind bars every time, sticking together through thick and thin.
De Niro. Pacino.And they have been through the thick. The film begins with Turk admitting to the camera that in all his years of service he’s killed 14 people - criminals, or “mutts” as he refers to them, who deserved to die. Seemingly trying to cover up his crimes, he and Rooster spearhead the investigation to find the murderer. Soon enough though, two fellow police officers, Det. Simon Perez (John Leguizamo) and Det. Ted Riley (Donnie Wahlberg) begin to suspect the murderer has to be a cop and they set their sights on Turk, the only one they know that had connections to all the murder victims. Attempts by Turk to deflect attention to other suspects are scoffed at by the two detectives for being baseless, only incriminating him more. Soon enough, his integrity within the department becomes compromised and his relationships with his forensics girlfriend, Karen (Carla Gugino), and Rooster begin to strain. As Perez and Riley work to expose Turk as a merciless vigilante, Rooster tries to vindicate his friend and partner claiming that he’s innocent. Is Rooster unaware of his partner’s wrongdoings or is there something else behind the confession that nobody knows?
The answer is revealed via a non-nonsensical twist ending, which caps off a film that’s just one mess after another. De Niro and Pacino the film’s got, but it lacks so much of so much that the A-list leads are the only things separating Righteous Kill from a straight-to-DVD feature. It’s amusing at times to watch the two veterans play off each other - their witty banter and one-liners exuding a sense of comfort with each other and ease with their craft - but mostly their performances seem tired and only competent at best, mere shadows of the charisma they once oozed. With Heat, the two actors were taking direction from Michael Mann (The Insider, Collateral), an egotistical yet enormously talented director, who knew exactly what was needed to make the characters come to life. Righteous Kill has Jon Avnet - not exactly a household name, whose directing credits include 88 Minutes and Fried Green Tomatoes. Almost every technical aspect of the film’s composition - tone, editing, pacing, performances - is blundered and inconsistent. As the story unravels, questions begin to arise about the mindset behind selecting Avnet to helm the project. With anDe Niro. Pacino. Again. estimated $60 million budget (with probably more than half just going to the two leads) devoted to a film premiering during the slowest box-office season, it would more than likely add another headache, financially and creatively, to bring in a highly-paid, A-list director. With the imbalance between the talent and the output, it would seem that the studio was more concerned with someone who could point and shoot a camera at their big stars instead of direct them.
Having a big name director also could’ve paid off when it came to fixing the script. From unnecessary characters, to muted plot points, to the numb and predictable twist ending, Russell Gewirtz’s script is as much a sinking ship as Avnet’s direction. Surprising too, considering Gewirtz is responsible for 2006’s Inside Man. Don’t be fooled by the quote-worthy ads you’ll see on TV - “Most people respect the badge, everybody respects the gun” - the film is mired in fumbled logic, unresolved tangents, and a conflict that doesn’t seem to exist until 30 or 40 minutes have gone by. The film’s title, the emotional focal point of the film, would imply the murders are just; righteous is after all defined as that which is virtuous or morally upright. However, in order to be righteous something must be the opposite and there is such ambivalence towards the killings and their consequences that the natural reaction to the supposedly heart-wrenching ending is an unequivocal “eh.”
It’s a shame that when all is said and done, Righteous Kill will be mentioned in the same breath with Heat as the only projects worthy of bringing together two of the greatest actors of all times. In a culture where studios sell the stars, this film is a poster child for how it does, but shouldn’t, work. De Niro. Pacino. What else do you need? How about a good film?
