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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Director makes an unholy mess of Righteous Kill, 20 Nov 2009
Apart from the cast, there's really very little to separate this from a whole slew of straight to DVD thrillers. Which makes it all the more a mystery why DeNiro and Pacino chose this as their next vehicle to star in together, having created such screen heat in.. well, Heat.
DeNiro and Pacino are both cops, both veterans (well, they'd have to be wouldn't they...) who end up investigating a vigilante serial killer. As the clues start to appear, suspicion grows that the killer is in fact a cop.. so who can be trusted, and just who is telling the truth...?
Well, that's the set up, but it's great potential is somehow fumbled. The tag line of `the two best actors alive at the top of their game' is certainly somewhat overstated, but the fault does not lie there - rather it is in a weak story directed in such a straight forward way that red herrings are just rather too obvious. It's really not that bad, and has its own stylistic flourishings along the way - however it is also not half as clever as it seems to think it is, and the ending is unlikely to surprise anyone. Fortunately it is only 97 minutes so does not overstay its welcome too long.. certainly bearable for an undemanding watch, but when you factor in the disappointment factor of having two such great stars so sorely underused, this would come down a notch to a two star movie...
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Sun Sets On Two Great Careers, 2 Mar 2009
I felt quite sad watching this movie. It felt like the end of an era. The end of the careers of two of the best actors ever to grace our screens.
Robert De Niro plays the fittest, angriest, horniest, pension-age cop in the world. Pacino is his partner and together they are trying to catch a vigilante killer (Sounds familiar? It is and hack director Jon Avnet, responsible for Pacino's last turkey "88 Minutes," is unable to do anything with it).
There is a brief cameo from 50 Cent. Carla Gugino has the thankless task of being De Niro's love interest when he's almost old enough to be her grandfather. John Leguizamo, Benny Blanco in Pacino's "Carlito's Way", reunites with him here.
De Niro doesn't really stray too far from the persona he's created over the last three decades. Pacino, actually too old to be a cop in real life, looks haggard, bored and seems to have no energy whatsoever. He's like a spent force, not the whooping, eye-rolling guy he was in "Heat." Even stranger is the Photoshop facelift they've given both actors on the DVD cover, Pacino looks like a 12-year old boy!
"Righteous Kill" was a huge disappointment to me. I knew it wouldn't come near "Heat," but I hadn't expected a TV-movie-level effort like this one was. I will probably buy it just to complete my collection of De Niro/Pacino movies. Otherwise, buy one of their early classics like "Dog Day Afternoon," "Raging Bull," "The Godfather Trilogy," or "Heat."
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26 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's not Heat but it's still pretty good!, 14 Jan 2009
Although De Niro and Pacino are back in a film together again, `Righteous Kill' was never going to be another Heat or Godfather Part 2, but it still is a very good and very exciting thriller.
Criminals who have dodged prison despite being obviously guilty are found murdered in cold blood with a poem left next to their bodies. Detectives Turk (De Niro) and Rooster (Pacino) work to identify the possible connection between the recent murders and a case they believe they solved years ago.
I actually found this movie very enjoyable with some excellent performances from both of the lead roles, as well as Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent), Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo and Donnie Whalberg. The script is very well written with some good shocks and surprises and some really good twists.
The only problem I found with this film is that it felt like I started watching it halfway through as there are supposed to be 14 murders and they go through each of them but only start at number 10. It's not a massive deal, as I imagine it probably would have dragged on way too much if they had of included the first 9 but at first I was a little confused on what was going on but soon got into It once the investigation starts.
Overall, if you like thrillers and don't expect it to be Heat like most disappointed viewers do, then I'm pretty sure you're going to enjoy this. 3.5/5.
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