Righteous Kill

When Robert De Niro and Al Pacino team up for a film, it should be an event, as it was for Heat. Unfortunately, this one is directed by Jon Avnet, who directed Pacino in the awful 88 Minutes. While this movie is better, it’s only because De Niro and Pacino manage to rise above the garbage. There are echoes of Travis Bickle in De Niro’s portrayal of a cop who might be dirty, and Pacino has some good moments as his partner. But the plot goes from moronic to absolutely ridiculous, and the dynamic duo can’t save things. I hope this isn’t it for them on film together; perhaps Martin Scorsese or Michael Mann can come up with something for them to do. The script isn’t good enough for broadcast TV, let alone a big Hollywood release. It’s upsetting to see two greats wallowing in a movie that received such little fanfare. This should’ve been one of the year’s biggest movie events. Instead … it’s just a movie, and not a very good one at that.