Righteous Kill represented a moment in films that many Al Pacino and Robert De Niro fans were clamoring for. Unfortunately, that moment became a disappointment. While the chemistry between the two actors is undeniable, they deserved a story-line that lived up to both of their abilities and talents, and they didn’t receive it.
The Story
The film opens with De Niro’s character, Turk, reading to a camera a confession to the killings of 14 people. In the admission, he claims that he only killed the bad guys who deserved it: the rapists, murderers, drug dealers and pedophiles that had managed to avoid justice. Reading aloud, Turk explains at what point in his 30-plus years as a police officer he decided to take the law into his own hands.
The letter begins with a memory, recalling several years ago when Turk, along with his partner Rooster, played by Pacino, frames a man who had gotten away with killing his girlfriend’s daughter. This was apparently the turning point, in which Turk lost faith in his partner, and the system.
The viewer is never told about the first nine people who are killed, but skips straight to the tenth, leaving any questions the audience has about the first victims unanswered. Instead, the viewer is introduced to the murders at the end of the story, when the serial killer has started leaving short poems about the victims and getting sloppy.
Great Writer = High Expectations
Righteous Kill is written by Jon Avnet, who also wrote the screenplay for the Pacino film The Insider. Unlike The Insider, Kill does not keep the viewers on the edge of their seats, but insults their intelligence by telling them right away that the killer is one of the veteran cops, instead of giving them the chance to figure it out for themselves.
Supporting Actors Can Only Support So Much
Carla Gugino gives a great supporting performance as a detective and Turk’s girlfriend, a woman who’s dated plenty of fellow police officers, as well as a few firemen. Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo also do their best with what they’re given, breathing life into the scenes they’re in. But while the easy banter between Pacino and De Niro is fun to watch, it’s not enough to support the film. There are one too many plot errors that could've - and out of respect for these two legends - should have been done differently.
 |
 |
