Righteous Kill (2008) **

The third film to star Hollywood living legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, but only the second to have them share screen time, seems to be have been produced simply for the event of bringing these two together again. It's a shame as these two are utterly wasted in a film thrown sloppily together and hoping to ride on simply the thrill that it has both Pacino and De Niro. The first pairing was in Michael Mann's Heat, where they played a master thief and the cop determined to hunt him down, and only share the screen for two scenes. As adversaries who rarely meet up in the film, they had far superior chemistry there compared to here where they are partners constantly together investigating a serial killer than has been gunning down criminals in cold blood on the street. Sure they are comfortable with one another, joking and throwing friendly insults back and forth, but how gripping is that? They practically walk through the picture barely giving a glimmer of the A game the audience knows they are capable of providing. The sad fact remains that the parts written for De Niro and Pacino now fit the stereotypes of their acting styles, as if the writer was planning a skit for Saturday Night Live. De Niro frowns his way through most of the film, occasionally showing explosive anger while Pacino makes cheery wisecracks and ends with a manic rant that has become all too familiar.

There is a genuine lack of suspense throughout what should be a thriller about two veteran police officers who are hunting a merciless vigilante striking down those who have managed to avoid the swift sword of justice. From the beginning the culprit is strongly assumed to be Turk (De Niro) mainly due to the video where he brazenly admits to his killings without an ounce of regret. He's killing them since it's the only way justice can be served. He's a police officer that has grown tired with the faults and loopholes of the system that allows these vermin to roam free and therefore has taken it upon himself to do what the lawyers and courts cannot. To highlight his desensitised nature, he is currently dating Karen Corelli (Carla Gugino), a forensics specialist that is into rough sex and has strong masochistic tendencies that Turk finds himself having to provide. It's also shown that he has no qualms with bending the law to suit his own needs as he is seen planting evidence in order to convict a child murderer who had gotten off on a previous charge.

To contrast with the morally shaky Turk, his partner Rooster (Pacino) is a go with the flow type of guy who seems to be well liked by all whereas Turk tends to rub them the wrong way. There is a warm camaraderie between Rooster and Turk, as it seems Turk has no one else besides his partner to confide in and there is no one else that he trusts as much as him. Of course this friendship only gives a fraction of the chemistry that Pacino and De Niro obviously share that has been evidenced in their previous film. For partners, there is little spark between the two which only highlights how they work better against each other, feeding off one another which makes for a more dynamic exchange. Rooster backs his partner every step of the way, even with everyone else convinced that Turk is the obvious identity of the killer. Even when Lieutenant Hingis (Brian Dennehy) tries to talk some sense into Rooster, he will have none of it. He knows his partner inside and out and knows "to a moral certainty" that even if he is hot under the collar quite often, he is utterly incapable of these evil acts. It goes against every fiber of his being, and it's comforting to see that the bond between the two of them cannot be broken under any circumstances. Unfortunately it's a comfort that is not to last given the finale of the film which turns their friendship and partnership on its head.

In the end Righteous Kill is a wasted opportunity to feature two of Hollywood's biggest starts since as the years pass it seems less and less likely they'll get to work together again. De Niro and Pacino are utter professionals in every sense of the word and it is an insult to their skills and legacy that this was the best that could be devised to reunite them on the silver screen. Only their presence saves the film from being an complete disaster as it's made more palatable by simply having them both in the film. Unfortunately it will probably be remembered for the lazy fashion in which Pacino and De Niro are brought together for what could very well be the final time. Perhaps it would have been best to allow Heat to have that prized distinction but in what has become standard practice the glitz has overtaken the substance and this film is but one of the many victims of that unfortunate system.

Favorite moment: Being forced to speak to a police psychiatrist following a sting operation that goes wrong and ends up in the death of a henchman, De Niro and Pacino positively shine giving their dead-pan answers to the shrink not so subtly communicating their general disdain and boredom of having to go through the mandatory requirements to get back to doing their jobs. Oddly mirroring how the actors probably must have felt doing this film, it's a humorous bit of self-reflection that gives the film one of its more enjoyable moments.