| | | Most People Respect the Badge. Everybody Respects the Gun.
Features: DVD
After 30 years as partners in the pressure cooker environment of the NYPD, highly decorated Detectives "Turk", played by Academy Award winner Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) and "Rooster", played by Academy Award winner Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) should be ready for retirement. But, before they can hang up their badges, they are called in to investigate the murder of a notorious pimp, which appears to have ties to a case they solved years before.This adrenaline fueled psychological thriller features hip-hop superstar Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson (Get Rich or Die Tryin'), Carla Gugino (Sin City), John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge!), Donnie Wahlberg (Saw II and III) and Brian Dennehy (Death of a Salesman) and was directed by Jon Avnet (Red Corner) and written by Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man).
"The two best actors live at the top of their games, with a twist at the end that will blow you away." Larry King, CNN
"Righteous Kill delivers the goods!" Prairie Miller, WBAI Radio
"De Niro and Pacino, reHEATed." Richard Corliss, Time
Editor's Note
In director Jon Avent's 2008 crime drama RIGHTEOUS KILL, two New York City police detectives--Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino)--attempt to track down a serial killer who targets only vicious criminals. This enigmatic vigilante has earned the duo's respect, yet they are duty-bound to apprehend the criminal-hunting assailant, and in doing so they strain the bonds of their longtime partnership. Aiding Turk and Rooster are a fiery younger pair of detectives (Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo) and investigator Karen Correlli (Carla Gugino), who are determined to see that justice is served. The second face-to-face film pairing of De Niro and Pacino--the first being Michael Mann's gritty 1995 epic, HEAT--RIGHTEOUS KILL finds the revered veteran actors working within the confines of a police procedural. Ably supported by Gugino, Wahlberg, and Leguizamo, the iconic performers contribute relatively subdued turns, never fully engaging in their signature dramatic fireworks. Working from a script by Russell Gewirtz (INSIDE MAN), Avnet (who also directed Pacino in 88 MINUTES) guides the action through twists and turns while staying rooted in a fairly straightforward LAW & ORDER-like aesthetic. Although RIGHTEOUS KILL may be underwhelming for those expecting a De Niro/Pacino double tour de force, the movie is a fine addition to the cop thriller category.
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| Entertainment Reviews
 | Righteous Kill - DVD Review By: Brian Holcomb - Cinema Blend DVD Reviews Published on: 1/11/2009 9:00 AM | | Pacino. DeNiro. Armed and dangerous. In a cop drama. In NYC. Together. Written by the writer of Inside Man. Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, the fact that it doesn't live up to expectations is not unexpected. Those are some lofty expectations. Both Dons Corleone in the same movie? Scarface and Travis Bickle mixing it up as New York's finest? ...read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Video Treasures |
| Release Date: 1/6/2009 |
| Running Time: 103 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2008 | | Catalog ID: 80020 | | UPC: 00013138002099 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "Pleasingly understated. Bob and Al bring it down a notch to stay a whisper above gravelly for most of their dialogue." 11/01/2008 p.50Reel.com 7 of 10
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino--has there ever been a better acting team? For the first time since 1995's Heat, the two have leading roles in the same film, and their presence has given Righteous Kill a substantial amount of buzz. While the movie doesn't live up to the anticipation, it does pack a decent punch, thanks entirely to the leading men...First, the bad news. Righteous Kill is lucky to have De Niro and Pacino. Very lucky, indeed, because the film is greatly flawed. It feels like it was directed by a first-timer and reeks of amateurism. Jon Avnet is an experienced producer, but he's certainly not a visionary director. The movie runs 100 minutes, but Righteous Kill feels much longer because of choppy, awkward pacing. Not only does this prevent the complex themes from reaching their thought-provoking potential, but it hinders the chemistry between De Niro and Pacino, which is the film's best asset...Now the good news. Simply put, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. They save Righteous Kill from becoming another run-of-the-mill cop movie. De Niro and Pacino make it impossible to take your eyes off the screen. These guys do not act; they become the characters, capturing every nuance, every peculiarity. You can see years of regret and moral surrender in their eyes, and watching their moral transformations is cinematically priceless. Sure, both could have picked a better movie in which to reunite, but that doesn't make their pairing any less eventful. Righteous Kill may be forgettable, but their performances aren't. - Blake French
ReelViews 6 of 10
Righteous Kill is the third movie in which screen icons Robert De Niro and Al Pacino both appear, but only the second in which they share screen time. 13 years ago, Michael Mann scored a coup by filming the first scene with these two sitting opposite one another. Now, director Jon Avnet, rather than accepting sloppy seconds, has attempted to one-up Mann by having De Niro and Pacino share not only a handful of scenes, but pairing them on-screen for almost every scene in a 100-minute motion picture. Unfortunately, the hook of having the two Corleones together is just about the only reason to see this otherwise lackluster police thriller...One of the most apparent problems with Righteous Kill is that there's not a lot of story to begin with. We get copious amounts of dialogue between Turk and Rooster, but there's not a lot of substance in the words. The ending, which includes a revelation that I guess is supposed to be a twist (although savvy viewers will see it coming), is ludicrous, and recalls the ridiculous climax to the previous Pacino/Avnet collaboration, 88 Minutes. The film also resorts to the weariest of cliches: the bad guy holds the good guy at gun point and explains everything to him. Avnet and screenwriter Russell Gerwitz try their best at misdirection by employing as many red herrings as possible, but it's really not that difficult to guess where the movie is going. The script simply isn't smart enough to keep viewers guessing unless they're not paying attention...There's nothing righteous to be found here. - James Berardinelli
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