Righteous Kill (2008)

Two veteran New York City detectives work on a case of serial executions of criminals who escaped justice.

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writer:

Russell Gewirtz

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Turk
Al Pacino	...	Rooster
50 Cent	...	Spider (as Curtis Jackson)
Carla Gugino	...	Karen Corelli
John Leguizamo	...	Det. Simon Perez
Donnie Wahlberg	...	Det. Ted Riley
Brian Dennehy	...	Hingis
Trilby Glover	...	Jessica
Saidah Arrika Ekulona	...	Gwen Darvis
Alan Rosenberg	...	Stein
Sterling K. Brown	...	Rogers
Barry Primus	...	Prosky
Melissa Leo	...	Cheryl Brooks
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Martin Baum
Oleg Taktarov	...	Yevgeny Mugalat

Storyline

Turk and Rooster, two aging NYPD detectives who have been longtime partners are faced with a serial killer who is murdering sociopathic criminals. They both have personal issues, and when they start working with a younger team, Perez and Riley, tensions between the pairs of partners is inevitable, especially since Turk is now living with Perez's ex-girlfriend, also a homicide detective.

---

Plot Keywords:

execution | new york city | nypd | serial killer | confession | 

---

Taglines:

Watch your back.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Lionsgate [United Kingdom] Metropolitan Films [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Russian

Release Date:

12 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las dos caras de la ley

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£768,803 (UK) (26 September 2008)

Gross:

$40,076,438 (USA) (12 December 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films, Emmett/Furla Films, Grosvenor Park Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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

---

Goofs

When Turk and Rooster are in the church (near the beginning after the weapon has been planted) the harsh key light (sun ray from window) comes from stage right. When they cut to the close up it comes from stage left.

---

Quotes

[from trailer]
Turk: When you walk outside, watch your back.

---

Crazy Credits

After the credits, the sound of a train is heard.

---

Connections

References The Brady Bunch (1969)

---

Soundtracks

"Il Trovatore - Tacea la Notte"
Written by Giuseppe Verdi
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

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.