Righteous Kill (2008)

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writer (WGA):

Russell Gewirtz (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Most people respect the badge. Everybody respects the gun.

Plot:

Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Nypd | Bar | Ex Girlfriend | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Tom 'Turk' Cowan
Al Pacino	...	David 'Rooster' Fisk
50 Cent	...	Spider (as Curtis Jackson)
Carla Gugino	...	Karen Corelli
John Leguizamo	...	Det. Simon Perez
Donnie Wahlberg	...	Det. Ted Riley
Brian Dennehy	...	Lieutenant Hingis
Trilby Glover	...	Jessica
Saidah Arrika Ekulona	...	Gwen Darvis
Alan Rosenberg	...	Stein
Sterling K. Brown	...	Rogers
Barry Primus	...	Dr. Prosky
Melissa Leo	...	Cheryl Brooks
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Martin Baum
Shirly Brener	...	Natalya

Also Known As:

Las dos caras de la ley (Argentina) (Peru) [es]
Õigustatud tapmine (Estonia) [et]
A Dupla Face da Lei (Portugal) (literal title) [pt]
A törvény gyilkosa (Hungary) [hu]
As Duas Faces da Lei (Brazil) [pt]
Asesinato justo (Spain) [es]
Frente a frente (Mexico) [es]
Kurzer Prozess - Righteous Kill (Germany) [de]
La loi et l'ordre (France) [fr]
Meurtre légitime (Canada: French title) [fr]
Oikeuden kasvot (Finland) [fi]
Orijinal cinayet (ler) (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Ou fonefseis (Greece) [el]
Pravedno ubojstvo (Croatia) [hr]
Sfida senza regole (Italy) [it]
Zawodowcy (Poland) (poster title) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #44434) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Africa:16LV | Singapore:M18 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Millennium Films

Trivia:

Carla Gugino played the sex partner of Robert De Niro in this movie. 15 years earlier, she played his daughter in This Boy's Life (1993)

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Karen Corelli goes to her apartment, thinking she is being followed, you can see the shadow of the cameraman just before she steps up the first step leading to her door.

Quotes:

Dr. Prosky: How do you feel when You've fired your weapon?
Turk: Dirty Harry said there's nothing wrong with a little shooting, as long as the right people get shot.
Dr. Prosky: And when the wrong people get shot?
Turk: It sucks... but I'd rather be in than out.

Movie Connections:

References Se7en (1995)

Soundtrack:

My Weakness

Disappointing thriller from legendary actors

Surely with a movie that stars both Al Pacino & Robert de Niro, you just can't go wrong? Both are legends of the big screen, and both are lauded for making legendary roles their own.

Yet sadly with "Righteous Kill" it just doesn't pay off. It's a thriller around a serial killer of various nefarious characters (pimps, drug dealers etc). The film begins with a confession by de Niro (a cop) that he is the killer, and we are led on a journey as he and his partner (Pacino) fight off another pair of cops who are suspicious that the trail leads to de Niro.

Having starred together in Heat, you'd expect some high standards, but for some reason the chemistry here just doesn't work and at points you think they really aren't interested. Fellow actors aren't too strong either, and much of the action seems to be just going with the flow. The storyline is interesting enough (with a good finale) but never seems to grip you through much of the film.

Overall, its a disappointment and you expect better from a film that has de Niro & Pacino together in it.