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Righteous Kill Director: Jon Avnet Genre: Crime Drama Starring: Robert de Niro, Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Walhberg. Screenplay: Russell Gewirtz By Don Young A serial killer is taking out criminals that beat the justice system. Senior detectives Turk (De Niro) and Rooster (Pacino) are assigned to solve the case. Their biggest challenge may be finding a reason to stop the killer, known for writing a poem and leaving it with each victim. Their investigation crosses another murder case being investigated by detectives Perez and Riley (Leguizamo and Walhberg), resulting in them pooling their resources to catch the killer. A forensics investigator, Karen Corelli (Carla Gugino), contributes to the analysis of the evidence, and also is a sexual partner of Turk and a past one of Perez. At this point, there are several things evident; De Niro and Pacino are seasoned actors, as are the supporting cast, so this should be a movie that is well crafted and not just another cop catches killer after a bunch of violence and killing. There is still a bunch of violence and killing. The story is very complex and the audience will be lead around on many distractions or mis-directions. There’s much conflict between the five investigators, as the threat comes not from the killer, but from the chance that the killer is a cop, perhaps even one of them. But, which one of them? Turk and Rooster have seen years of failed cases and criminals who got off serious charges. They are both near retirement, which means their contribution to crime fighting may soon be over. Turk has a temper and expresses his feelings; “We got to find this guy so we can give him a medal.” Rooster is articulate and a plotter. He keeps his feelings in check as he tries to keep Turk from making situations worse than they already are. Perez is passionate about what he does, and perhaps is still about Corelli, while Riley is calm but strong. Corelli seems to be getting detached from the morbid work she does collecting evidence, and has trouble relating to people on an emotional level. Her sexual gratification only comes from increasing violence in the act, gratuitously provided by Turk. I went into the theatre expecting an exceptional movie. It begins with Turk and Rooster, who capture my interest. They deliver their performance. They walk into a crowded nightclub as if they’re ghosts. Turk goes to the washroom. While he stands at the urinal, a pretty young woman lawyer, Jessica (Trilby Glover), comes in to snort some coke off the shelf above the sink. Now, that’s a problem I have all the time in crowded clubs. The men’s washroom is empty, while the women’s is overfilled, causing all these young and beautiful women to come in to do their drugs, while I’m trying to go to the bathroom. In this case, Turk asks her where she bought it, and she tells him. Of course, it was the owner of the club, Spike (50 Cents), selling nickel bags to supplement his income. Turk pulls out his police badge and arrests her. I won’t continue this thread, as it doesn’t get any better. Next there is a shooting. One less criminal on the streets. Turk and Rooster are given the case to solve, which they recognize as one of a series. When they question why they should solve the case, Lieutenant Hingis (Brian Dennehy), claims it could end their careers and cost them their pension if they don’t. Wow! Two dedicated senior police officers solve crimes because they are afraid of losing their jobs and pensions so near to retirement. If I wasn’t a little dissatisfied with the writing before, I certainly am now. Then I notice the editing has continuity issues. In one scene in the office, detective Riley is looking up at Turk. A change of camera angle and he is looking down. It’s the type of thing you see in an amateur short film, but in a feature film with De Niro and Pacino? Did they have no budget left for postproduction so they hired students to cut the film? The movie continues, and reasons are given for thinking that an officer is responsible, and several suggest it is Turk. Father Connell (Malachy McCourt) is shot in confession for his abuse of young boys and a poem ties him to the other murders. And it is the same priest who was there when Turk was an altar boy. Simple math would make the Father about 80 years old, but he hardly appears a day older than 65, or just a few years older than Turk. This should have been an exceptional movie. It is not. It is worth seeing if you like De Niro being loud and violent and Pacino being the calm one. The audience will think they know what is really happening, but they may be deceived. There is a violent rape scene at the end, and the conclusion brings the awareness of how everything fits together. See this if you like mysterious crime movies with several veteran actors. Otherwise, it’s a pass. |