Righteous Kill

Overture Films

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writers:

Russell Gewirtz

Cast:

Robert De Niro

Al Pacino

Carla Gugino

Donnie Wahlberg

John Leguizamo

Brian Dennehy

50 Cent

Expected release:

9.12.08

Our Take:

Since the movie Heat, where Pacino and De Niro shared one solid scene going one on one, everyone it seems has been clamoring for a rematch. That will be as much the marketing draw of this movie as the story. To make that pay off, the story and the direction are going to have to match the potential performances. Unfortunately, Avnet’s last outing with Pacino in this past April’s 88 Minutes, didn’t exactly set a high benchmark. In fact, that film has made less than 17 million in the US and in most critic’s reviews, didn’t earn a dime of it.

So what will make Righteous Kill any different? One, De Niro. From the moment he’s on the screen in the trailer, he sets the tone. But then he’s immediately followed by Pacino in the same setting and immediately we start thinking caricature. Both of these guys could lapse, it seems, into cartoon versions of themselves at the drop of a hat but in Pacnio’s case, he may be losing control of the metamorphosis. It’s no surprise that the roles we’ve loved Pacino in lately, (Roy Cohn in Angels in America and Eli Wurman in the way underrated People I Know) were over the top and slightly out of control. There’s also the sense here, incredibly, given the opportunity to create something really special, that the two actors are just playing. We hope that’s just the fault of the trailer which isn’t nearly as powerful as you would expect.

Production looks first class and the supporting cast is noticeably a-list. What remains is the story and how well it’s told. This is either two great actors coming together to make a movie or a movie used as an excuse to reunite two great actors. There’s a world of difference between the two and only the first option is worth the price of a ticket.