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Review: RIGHTEOUS KILL / Jon Avnet (2008)

September 11th, 2008 by Scott Marks

Look how they make him look. Like a bum! Like a Mama Luke!

Righteous Kill (2008)
Directed by Jon Avnet
Written by: Russell Gewirtz
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy and Curtis Jackson
Running Time: 100 min.
Aspect Ratio:

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

So much meat and so little sizzle. As a thriller, it’s not competent enough to turn heads and as an unintentional comedy, it’s not bad enough to be good. What’s truly amazing is how few sparks fly when the two stars finally get to spend quality time together in the same film.

The sixty-plus actors play a pair of brotherly homicide cops in their fifties and the glaring cinematography easily adds a couple of decades. When a serial killer turns out to be DeNiro, it’s up to Al to defend his buddy and do whatever he can to prove his innocence. A serial killer on the force forms a terrific premise for a film (ask Larry Cohen), yet in the unskilled hands of Jon “Fried Green Hack” Avnet it becomes a sub-average crime thriller. The only reason this earned one star is due to a twist ending that came as a complete surprise.

The killer on the loose has a habit of leaving short poems at the scene of each crime. While DeNiro can fight, he’d much rather recite his videotaped confession (it functions as the film’s narration) in a monotone that makes Travis Bickle’s diary entries sound like an auctioneer.  With the exception of a few rousing exchanges peppered with “f–ks,” they never come to life, particularly Pacino. I’m surprised that Al agreed to work with Avnet after their lethal collaboration on 88 Minutes, one of the worst films of 2008.

Who knew that Brian DePalma would have such an everlasting impact on Al’s countenance? That leather jacket that he wore in Carlito’s Way has come to mean as much to Pacino as the cowboy hat Jimmy Stewart wore in the Anthony Mann’s westerns. And talking about hair-wear, what’s that schmate perched atop Al’s noggin? His inferiority complex would be better served by a pair of lifts rather than a height-enhancing swatch of broadloom.

DeNiro delivers the same crumpled expressions he’s been serving up for well over a decade. (Has “America’s Finest Actor” turned in a decent performance in a watchable movie since Jackie Brown? If any of you suggest Stardust, I’ll personally beat youse with my f–king shinebox.) How much higher a tax bracket does he aspire to? After all the unmitigated garbage he’s insulted us with over the past too many years, he should be refused payment on his next five features. Give the money to Marty’s Film Foundation and that’s that.

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Filed Under Reviews, Theatrical