Today’s quick review: Righteous Kill. A New York cop (Robert De Niro) takes the law into his own hands and begins to murder criminals who escape justice in court. He and his partner (Al Pacino) are assigned to investigate the killings, which are tied together by a series of poems left at the crime scenes and stolen guns used for the murders. As the investigation proceeds, it draws the attention of two more detectives (John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg) who latch onto the theory that the killer is a cop. As the noose begins to tighten, the killer’s behavior gets more erratic as his crime spree draws to its inevitable conclusion.
Righteous Kill is a crime drama that features two acting legends: Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Despite an interesting premise and two major stars, Righteous Kill fails to distinguish itself. The highlights of the film are the friendship between De Niro and Pacino, Pacino’s character, and a suspenseful finish. The two partners have a powerful friendship that is underused by the plot. De Niro’s character has temper problems that make him hard to like, although this effect is a deliberate part of his character. Pacino manages to be more charismatic, landing a few jokes and serving as his partner’s voice of reason.
The pacing is quick enough, but the plot lacks a clear direction. The investigative aspects of the film fall flat: the only clue is who might have had information on the victims, and even when the conclusion has been reached that the killer is a cop, the rest of the plot happens on its own, without the need for any further detective work. The cat-and-mouse game that is baked into the premise never gets the chance to shine. The film makes up for this choice with drama elsewhere: the finale is interesting and justifies the film’s areas of emphasis. But even with the end of the story in mind, the missed potential is palpable.
Righteous Kill is a decent crime drama that fails as the thriller it could have been. De Niro and Pacino give reasonable performances and play off each other well, but they are not used to their full potential. The plot has good ideas but meanders, and while the premise could have resulted in a classic, the resulting film is merely passable. Watch it when you’re in the mood for a crime flick with a couple of interesting moments and two strong leads. Skip it if you are expecting a masterpiece.
6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for being a serviceable crime drama but little more.