Righteous Kill (2008), Film Review

More drama than thriller, Righteous Kill stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as two detectives dealing with their ever declining influence in the NYPD while trying to solve a series of murders committed by a serial killer who writes poetry.

First impression: Righteous Kill personifies everything that we culturally stereotype as male – cops reaching the end of their careers but not wanting to give up their turf to a younger generation, two men fighting over a gorgeous woman who appears to be playing both sides, one man worshiping another as his hero etc., etc. All so predictable you would expect to fall asleep somewhere in the middle of it then wake up ten minutes before the ending to find that you have missed nothing, but that will not happen.

I must admit, although the twists and turns of the script were good, if it had been a combination of any other actors I might not have even bothered to watch the movie. I don’t mean to complain, but the plastic anime look appears to be in vogue right now, and that kind of style would never have made this movie float.

So thank goodness for fearless actors. Neither Pacino nor De Niro seems to be afraid of being shown as less than perfect or even appearing pathetic, and the director made full use of this by filming lots of close-up shots for dialogues so you get a full face experience of the emotional turmoils behind the characters’ eyes and expressions. You are compelled to keep watching by something as little as a sidelong look, a muscle twitch or even an impromptu wave from either De Niro or Pacino, which may make you wonder if it is possible for an actor (not the character) to foreshadow the plot with body language.