"Righteous Kill": A review of sorts
A great trailer coupled with a very fitting if not overused "Sympathy for the Devil" song does not a great movie make. I learned this the hard way.
"Righteous Kill" is a movie about two NYPD detectives, Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino), who are trying to catch a serial killer. The serial killer in this case only kills criminals who think that they have beaten the system. The kills range from Rapists to a child molesting priest. And that basically accounts for the plot. Nothing revolutionary but the simple combination of De Niro and Pacino may tempt more than a few people to shell out the $10 to see it. It tempted me.
Although De Niro and Pacino put on good perfomances, the characters they played weren't unique. De Niro playes the hot headed detective while Pacino plays the cool, calculating one. Both archtypes that have been constantly used in police dramas and honeslty in this writer's opinion, done to death. The writers didn't even offer any real depth to these characters both were superficial at best. The purpose was to show the relationship between two cops who have been partners for many years and trust each other but the dialogue felt contrived at times as if the writers were simply rewording things they heard in other, better movies. The rest of the cast of characters is even more one dimensional. You have the hard ass chief, the horny love interest, the jealous ex, less than memorable victims.
Even both veteran actors presence in the film could not save the movie from lazy writing. I should have know something was wrong when Curtis Jackson (more commonly know as 50 Cent) showed up in the film; because we all know "Get Rich or Die Tryin" was a great film (that's sarcasm there ladies and gentleman). Jackson plays a drug dealing, club owner named Spider. Although his acting was passable all he did was play a racial sterotype. The fact that the studio thought it necessary to not publicize Jackson's participation in the film is suspect. With Jackson's shaky track record in film, his involvement would have caused the film a loss of credibility.
Althought the film had ocassional dialogue gems, as a whole it felt rushed and ill concieved. The movie has an ending that is touted as a "twist" but in reality it is anything but. The only reason that the ending was a "twist" is because you give the writers some credit and say to yourself that there is no way that could possibly end the movie the way they did. But that's exactly how they ended it. Rather than rely on smart writing the writers simply used misdirection to distract the view and add suspense when there really wasn't any to begin with.
The film considers itself a "thriller" but honestly I felt bored midway through. There was nothing thrilling about the movie. Nothing. Even the final confrontation, which should have been exciting was dull and bland. The confrontation felt old, it relied heavily on a concept that's been used hundreds of times and often times done much better.
Sadly what initally seemed like a promising film was in fact nothing but a tedious, lazily written mess meant only to cash in on the name recognition of two well know and respected veteran actors. So much more could have been done with the film to make it truly great but as it stands it is hardly worth watching. It saddens me to think of all the wasted potential this film had. I would suggest passing on this film. If you are itching to see De Niro and Pacino side by side spend your time and money buying and rewatching "Heat."
"Righteous Kill" is a movie about two NYPD detectives, Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino), who are trying to catch a serial killer. The serial killer in this case only kills criminals who think that they have beaten the system. The kills range from Rapists to a child molesting priest. And that basically accounts for the plot. Nothing revolutionary but the simple combination of De Niro and Pacino may tempt more than a few people to shell out the $10 to see it. It tempted me.
Although De Niro and Pacino put on good perfomances, the characters they played weren't unique. De Niro playes the hot headed detective while Pacino plays the cool, calculating one. Both archtypes that have been constantly used in police dramas and honeslty in this writer's opinion, done to death. The writers didn't even offer any real depth to these characters both were superficial at best. The purpose was to show the relationship between two cops who have been partners for many years and trust each other but the dialogue felt contrived at times as if the writers were simply rewording things they heard in other, better movies. The rest of the cast of characters is even more one dimensional. You have the hard ass chief, the horny love interest, the jealous ex, less than memorable victims.
Even both veteran actors presence in the film could not save the movie from lazy writing. I should have know something was wrong when Curtis Jackson (more commonly know as 50 Cent) showed up in the film; because we all know "Get Rich or Die Tryin" was a great film (that's sarcasm there ladies and gentleman). Jackson plays a drug dealing, club owner named Spider. Although his acting was passable all he did was play a racial sterotype. The fact that the studio thought it necessary to not publicize Jackson's participation in the film is suspect. With Jackson's shaky track record in film, his involvement would have caused the film a loss of credibility.
Althought the film had ocassional dialogue gems, as a whole it felt rushed and ill concieved. The movie has an ending that is touted as a "twist" but in reality it is anything but. The only reason that the ending was a "twist" is because you give the writers some credit and say to yourself that there is no way that could possibly end the movie the way they did. But that's exactly how they ended it. Rather than rely on smart writing the writers simply used misdirection to distract the view and add suspense when there really wasn't any to begin with.
The film considers itself a "thriller" but honestly I felt bored midway through. There was nothing thrilling about the movie. Nothing. Even the final confrontation, which should have been exciting was dull and bland. The confrontation felt old, it relied heavily on a concept that's been used hundreds of times and often times done much better.
Sadly what initally seemed like a promising film was in fact nothing but a tedious, lazily written mess meant only to cash in on the name recognition of two well know and respected veteran actors. So much more could have been done with the film to make it truly great but as it stands it is hardly worth watching. It saddens me to think of all the wasted potential this film had. I would suggest passing on this film. If you are itching to see De Niro and Pacino side by side spend your time and money buying and rewatching "Heat."
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