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Movies / On DVD / Righteous Kill
Righteous Kill

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Righteous Kill (2008)

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Reviews Counted:137

Fresh:28

Rotten:109

Average Rating:4.1/10

Consensus: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro do their best to elevate this dowdy genre exercise, but even these two greats can't resuscitate the film's hackneyed script.

Rated: R

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Sep 12, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $39,983,772

Synopsis: Academy Award® winners Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) and Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) star as a pair of veteran New York City police detectives on the trail of a vigilante serial killer in the... Academy Award® winners Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) and Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) star as a pair of veteran New York City police detectives on the trail of a vigilante serial killer in the adrenaline fueled psychological thriller Righteous Kill, directed by Jon Avnet (Red Corner, Fried Green Tomatoes) and written by Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man). The cast also features hip-hop superstar Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (Get Rich or Die Tryin’).

After 30 years as partners in the pressure cooker environment of the NYPD, highly decorated Detectives David Fisk and Thomas Cowan should be ready for retirement, but aren’t. 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.

Like the original murder, the victim is a suspected criminal whose body is found accompanied by a four line poem justifying the killing. When additional crimes take place, it becomes clear the detectives are looking for a serial killer, one who targets criminals that have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system. His mission is to do what the cops can’t do on their own—take the culprits off the streets for good. The similarities between the recent killings and their earlier case raise a nagging question: Did they put the wrong man behind bars? --© Overture Films
[More]

Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Curtis Jackson, Carla Gugino

Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Curtis Jackson, Carla Gugino, Dan Futterman, Donnie Wahlberg, Trilby Glover, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo

Director: Jon Avnet

Director: Jon Avnet
Screenwriter: Russell Gerwitz
Producer: Rob Cowan, Avi Lerner, Randall Emmett, Jon Avnet, Lati Grobman
Composer: Ed Shearmur
Studio: Overture Films

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Release:

Jan 6, 2009

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Reviews for Righteous Kill

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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Despite those major reservations, watching De Niro and Pacino is still an event.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
09/26/08
Sun Online

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino save Righteous Kill from becoming another run-of-the-mill cop movie

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/11/08
Blake French
Blake French
Filmcritic.com

Not surprisingly, what's right about Righteous Kill begins and ends with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
09/11/08
Cathy Jakicic
Cathy Jakicic
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

De Niro and Pacino hit every step so perfectly, they make even the standard cop-movie moments shine.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
09/12/08
Chris Farnsworth
Chris Farnsworth
E! Online

The film is well-paced and features subtle performances from De Niro and Pacino.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
09/12/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

...a great actor's showcase in spite of being only an okay movie.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
09/12/08
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

A spotty cop procedural that serves its purpose performance-wise; De Niro and Pacino have been better, but they’ve also been far, far worse. Shoring up a convoluted script and journeyman direction, their double-act is muscular enough to please the crowds.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
09/26/08
Dennis Brabham
Dennis Brabham
Total Film

Tough gravelly voiced Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, playing NYPD detectives, are the selling point for 'Righteous Kill.'

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/13/08
Donald J. Levit
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

De Niro and Pacino's iconic acting and Avnet's stylish direction compensate for a movieish, implausible, predictable, and morally debatable tale, which combines elements of the cop and serial killer genres, imitating Seven and The Usual Suspects.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
09/11/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

A textbook chapter on framing and composition for the close-up and its use in editing sequencing.

Full Review Source: Outtakes With Fiore | comment Comment
09/12/08
Fiore Mastracci
Fiore Mastracci
Outtakes With Fiore

With the focus on odd and again, obvious twists and turns there wasn't enough time to sit back and watch two of the greatest actors of our time.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
09/15/08
Jeff Bayer
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

If the big draw here for you is seeing Pacino and De Niro paired on screen 'Righteous Kill' won't disappoint.

Full Review Source: Gazette (MD) | comment Comment
09/15/08
Jeffrey Lyles
Jeffrey Lyles
Gazette (MD)

It feels as if they're old friends who have worked together for decades, slipping into an easy camaraderie as well as a credible depiction of blue-collar beat-walkers. (Better still, they look like they're having fun.)

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
09/11/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

...if the movie starred Al Schwartz and Robert Greenblatt, it would hardly be worth watching.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
09/19/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

At last, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino star in a film together. Too bad it's a fairly run-of-the-mill cop drama with an ending you'll see coming from miles away.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
09/11/08
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

The flick is nowhere near the level of Heat because of the predictability but it does deliver great performances and hilariously awkward dialogue.

Full Review Source: WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) | comment 1 Comment
09/11/08
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
WJFK-FM (CBS Radio)

Smothering close-ups, slam-bang montages and sudden, bloody assaults, all sleekly effective.

Full Review Source: MTV | comment Comment
09/12/08
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
MTV

It's good to see the two great actors of their generation back together in Righteous Kill. Frankly, though, although a few sparks of fire at times, the heat has subsided significantly.

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
09/29/08
Larry Ratliff
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

Director Jon Avnet generously puts the actors together as often as possible, and the sheer satisfaction of watching Michael Corleone and Travis Bickle spark off each other almost mitigates the utter hokum that permeates every other element of the film.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
09/12/08
Mary Elizabeth Williams
Mary Elizabeth Williams
Salon.com

It's astonishing how much intensity and focus these two have lost, but the picture itself is not all that bad -- if you can get the collapsing-career thing out of your head.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 1 Comment
09/12/08
Neely Tucker
Neely Tucker
Washington Post
 
 
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Latest News for Righteous Kill

January 21, 2009: Razzies Name 2008's Worst Movie Nominees
No awards season would be complete without the Golden Raspberry Awards (AKA The Razzies), awarded each year to the very worst movies to hit Hollywood. This year's winners will... More...

January 04, 2009: Equally gritty old school crime thriller and flashy seductive post-modern whodunit noir, along with De Niro's off the job kinky rough sex lover forensic babe (Carla Gugino) who likes him to role play criminals in bed, Righteous Kill delivers the goods. Opens in new window
More...

January 03, 2009: Equally gritty old school crime thriller and flashy seductive post-modern whodunit noir, along with De Niro's off the job kinky rough sex lover forensic babe (Carla Gugino) who likes him to role play criminals in bed, Righteous Kill delivers the goods. Opens in new window
More...

November 28, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Local Critics Warm To Changeling; De Niro Delights But What Just Happened Doesn't
It's Friday, there's a new raft of movies in the UK cinemas this week, but are any of them any good? This week the UK film hacks give us their opinions on Clint Eastwood's... More...

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