Righteous Kill is a horrible movie; there's very little else to say about it. Helmed by Jon Avett - who also directed Al Pacino in the equally awful 88 Minutes the year before - the film features the second collaboration (at least where they share scenes) between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, with the first being the glorious 1995 crime film Heat. With nearly everything in this movie coming off as repugnant, particularly a head-spinning sex scene between an ancient De Niro and a nubile Carla Gugino, its hard to imagine Righteous Kill being a great bromantic film which affirms male friendships. This feels particularly true when one examines the story, which depicts two geriatric detectives investigating a vigilante killer, and contains one of the more obnoxious, cliched twists in recent memory. Despite these marring factors, there are small, visceral thrills to be found in seeing De Niro and Pacino share the screen together. This probably has more to do with their iconic statuses in cinematic history than anything regarding their characters. Still, their presence augments the interplay between Turk and Rooster. Despite the film's derivative script, one can sense a mutual respect crackling between the two of them, and their characters' dynamic feels realistically rooted in a copious amount of shared experience. This lends select scenes from the film startling albeit brief moments of pathos.
Adam Mohrbacher has been afflicted with an obession for film since his earliest memories. In addition to his work with WhatCulture, Adam has been a contributor with Filmophilia.com, FilmMonthly.com and Examiner.com. You can also check out his personal blog here: adammohrbacher@wordpress.com.
A devoted fan of all film genres and styles, Adam gets equally giddy over the sensitive, existential musings of Ingmar Bergman, and the brawny brilliance of Arnold Schwartzenegger. He loves fish tacos and misses the work of Heath Ledger and Jack Lemmon on a daily basis.
