Righteous Kill
by Jon Avnet
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, Curtis 50 Cent Jackson, Robert De NiroDirector: Jon Avnet
Brand: STARZ/SPHE
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-01-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Anchor Bay - ITN
Movie Reviews of Righteous Kill
Movie Review: An underrated neo-film noir
Summary: 5 Stars
I can recall seeing previews for this movie and thinking that I couldn't wait to see it. After all it has Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, how could it be a bad movie. Well the trend for movies now is that they are in the theater for five days before being pulled, so I never got a chance to see "Righteous Kill". Then the DVD came out and it was bought for me by my girlfriend.
Before I put the movie into my DVD player I recall all the negative praise I heard about this movie. Many of the reviews called the movie a "dud", not good as Heat (Two-Disc Special Edition) (the classic film that featured DeNiro and Pacino in 1995), predictable or just a lazy effort. I confess I was a bit concerned that this movie was going to "suck".
Upon completion of viewing "Righteous Kill" I was very, very pleased. The movie was about DeNiro and Pacino investigating a series of murders. These murders involve all "criminals" that either "got off the hook" or "haven't got caught yet". The crimes these delinquents have performed range from rape to drug dealing. As both of these veteran cops dig deeper they discover the "killer" could be a cop/police officer. There is a lot of misdirection in this film about who did or didn't do it.
There is some criticism that the "serial killer" was painfully obvious. I am not sure about all that. I will admit the outcome of this movie wasn't the most original, but it didn't ruin the film for me. I won't give the ending of the movie or spoil any details of this film. I will say that it is very likely a viewer might have the mystery figured out before the denouement of the film arrives.
What I found refreshing about this film was the acting and the grittiness of the subject matter. Seeing DeNiro and Pacino together (again) was awesome. I didn't feel that their acting was lacking substance or dull. These are two classic actors and are still in their prime. I felt their interaction made up for mundane film clichés that could have transpired. As for the supporting cast, that was excellent too. John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Carla Gugino, Brian Dennehy and even Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson did a good job. This movie also presents a rather moral question about murder that you can almost smell a "Death Wish" movie. This flick has a very intelligent edge to it, much more than you normal crime drama.
I can't speak for why other people didn't like this film. As for it being predictable, isn't 90% of every successful and box office smash predictable? Look at romantic-comedies. Perhaps the problem "Righteous Kill" faced was the prior catalogue both DeNiro and Pacino have, including "Heat". Now in juxtaposition "Heat" is a better movie than "Righteous Kill". However the latter does feature more screen time between DeNiro and Pacino and this is what makes this movie work. I am glad I took a chance on this movie and didn't listen to "critical acclaim" because I thought it was awesome. There are worst ways a person could spend an hour and forty minutes.
Summary of Righteous Kill
AFTER 30 YRS AS PARTNERS IN THE PRESSURE COOKER ENVIRONMENT OFTHE NYPD, TURK AND ROOSTER, ARE READY FOR RETIREMENT, BUT THEYARE CALLED TO INVESTIGATE THE MURDER OF A NOTORIOUS PIMP, WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE TIES TO A CASE THEY SOLVED YEARS BEFORE.Similar DVD Movies
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