‘Righteous Kill’ just short

Hollywood icons Robert De Niro and Al Pacino had vast chemistry together in Michael Mann’s classic heist thriller ‘Heat.’ And what made that chemistry so amazing was how they both leveled their talents to such greatness from opposing sides of the altercation. Now, in ‘Righteous Kill,’ their third collaboration (their first being ‘Godfather Pt. II’), the two stars bring that same level of intrigue to the fullest once again, only this time, they’re shooting in the same direction. Unfortunately however, they are the only pieces of this puzzle that actually fit together, bringing this “righteous” project just one step short of excellence.

Maybe they should’ve stayed on opposite sides, or maybe they’re just too good for the rest of the cast. At least they get to beat the hell out of several of their co-stars before the final act.
Following a recent controversial murder in New York City, veteran cops Turk (De Niro) and Rooster (Pacino) must put their skills together as they try to find a serial killer in a case that could possibly have a connection to a previous murder in which they may have put the wrong suspect behind bars. As the chips begin to fall, and the truth slowly starts to unfold, these two devoted officers must come to terms with their own justice as they realize that they can’t trust anyone… not even their own. Some clichés are notable, and certain “shots” may look familiar, but anyone favoring the leads shouldn’t have any trouble looking past the obvious in this satisfying crime thriller that couldn’t have come at a calmer hour before the Oscar storm.

In pure masterful form, Robert De Niro plays Turk (I guess his pale skin reminds them of turkey) who for lack of a better term, is the brains of the duo. He has quick draws and excellent accuracy with his hands, but it’s his cocky policeman one liners that sell him to viewers in a heartbeat. He can maintain his posture behind a desk, but behind a gun, he gives a whole new definition to “bad cop.” Especially when the cheapest gangsters in town (50 Cent) try to play him like a fool… big mistake! Because Turk isn’t the type of cop who will ask 21 questions… at least not nicely.

The rookies (Donnie Wahlberg & John Leguizamo) can whine all day about how they hate being called pigs when all they wanted was to serve and protect, but those, like Turk, who have experience know a whole lot better: “You don’t become a cop so that you can serve and protect; you do it because you get respect. Most people respect the badge, but EVERYBODY respects the gun.” De Niro might’ve had better times in the mob with Martin Scorsese, but even as a cop, this man still has a tough attitude we can’t help but admire.

My ‘Scarface’ loyalty can easily speak for itself, but Al Pacino was the real “eye-popper” of this one for me. Not only does he have the more intimidating name, but his troubled personality is easier to relate to. He has a hot temper, and a trigger-happy finger, but his pure devotion to the job makes up for any overused traits Joe Pesci made famous during the 90s.
Rooster is the type of person who was born to be a cop, and couldn’t think of a better way to go down than on the job itself, much like De Niro and Pacino are with acting. Maybe that’s why these two just keep going and going, but nonetheless, they don’t need badges or guns to get respect from us. They have heart, and that is a strength which nothing could ever surmount.

Two top-notch talents on top of a quick 100-minute reel do make ‘Righteous Kill’ worth anyone’s time and money, but I won’t lie, the film does suffer from some of the obvious cop movie clichés, and if you’re expecting a total package of awesomeness like ‘Heat’ to repeat itself, then you’ve picked the wrong show. I enjoyed it completely for what it was, and it does serve its purpose of entertainment in the dry box office period, but if you’ve seen anything like it before, then you just might’ve seen a better one already. Their efforts to carry such a shaky scenario are truly unique (and only these two could’ve done it right), but as long as there is a ‘Goodfellas’ and a ‘Scarface,’ De Niro and Pacino will always have bigger paychecks to cash, and better days to remember.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 12 2008. Filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry