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You might think that it just doesn’t get any better than an on-screen reunion of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, written by Russell Gerwitz (who also wrote the twist-filled crime thriller, Inside Man). And you’d have every reason to think that. I mean, it sounds like it would be the perfect combination—but, sadly, it isn’t.
In the highly-anticipated Pacino-De Niro reunion, the legendary actors play NYPD detectives Rooster (Pacino) and Turk (De Niro) (who are still out on the streets, despite the fact that both actors are past retirement age). Throughout the decades that they’ve been both partners and close friends, Turk and Rooster have faced all kinds of challenges together. But they face their greatest challenge ever when they’re handed the case of a possible serial killer—one who’s been killing acquitted criminals and leaving behind poems about the victims’ crimes.
As Turk and Rooster investigate the case—with the help of Detectives Perez (John Leguizamo) and Riley (Donnie Wahlberg)—the signs begin to point back to the NYPD. Everyone but Turk is convinced that the killer’s a cop—and the more Turk protests, the more Perez and Riley become convinced of his guilt.
Following the success of Inside Man, screenwriter Gerwitz was obviously under a lot of pressure to create another smart and surprising thriller—but this formulaic cop drama is neither smart nor surprising. Sure, there’s a twist in the end, but it’s one that you’ll see coming from miles away. In fact, if you’re paying attention, you’ll see it coming from the very beginning of the movie—not only because the clues are blatantly obvious but also because Gerwitz and director Jon Avnet try so hard to push the audience in the opposite direction that it’s nearly impossible not to see right through it. Still, even if you don’t see it coming, you won’t feel surprised as much as you’ll feel cheated—because the story uses cheap (and not exactly plausible) tricks to manipulate the audience and shove them in the wrong direction.
As for De Niro and Pacino, their characters are so poorly written that, instead of giving memorable performances as complex characters, they end up drowning in bad movie-cop clichés. De Niro is the straight-laced, well-meaning cop with a heart of gold who really wants to protect the city, while Pacino is the wild-haired, wise-cracking cop whose dialogue is almost entirely comprised of goofy one-liners. They’re the same guys you see in every other cop drama out there.
So while Righteous Kill promised to be a thrilling on-screen reunion of two legendary actors (though I’m not sure which is the film’s most impressive accomplishment: getting Pacino and De Niro on-screen together…or getting 50 Cent and a New Kid on the Block on-screen together), its star power is all but wasted on its sloppy script. Had the writing (and directing) been subtler, it could have been a surprising cop drama. Instead, it’s such a waste of talent that it’s almost depressing.
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