K: Righteous Kill should have never been made. The plot was bad. There were several scenes that didn't make sense and I'm trying to figure out why they weren't cut from the movie entirely. Pacino and DeNiro, while fabulous actors, didn't have the great chemistry between them that I was expecting. And, worst of all, they were way too old to play the roles by 20 or 30 years. I don't know why they chose this movie to star in together. It's memorable for all the wrong reasons.J: "Righteous Kill"? A better title would have been "Righteous Dud". First let’s deal with the “elephant in the room” of this movie. I agree 100% with my partner in crime (pun intended) that all three powerhouse actors – I’m including Brian Dennehy in that trio – are FAR too old to convincingly pull off rolls as actively employed police detectives. Period. Bring them out of retirement for a case that points to them, sure – but no way would any police force in the country have detectives in or nearing their 70’s still working “the beat” as it were. If I’m off-base about that, please by all means let me know. It is also insulting to the many fine actresses that watch film offers dwindle as they reach the ripe old age of 40 years. Hollywood has traditionally been No Country For Old Women but, seriously! Let the double standard go.
OK, now on to the other reasons why this movie was a Righteous Dud. No chemistry. Yes, my PIC was also right about that. If there were ever lingering questions about why DeNiro & Pacino have never been actively paired in a movie prior to this (not counting “Heat” here for obvious reasons – they spent about five minutes occupying the same screen) – those questions have now been answered resoundingly. No chemistry. Period. There were brief moments when it looked like they were going to connect but nothing materialized. My concern was more along the lines of how do you put those two egos together and maintain control. The answer to that would seem to hint at a concentrated effort on the part of the director to try and keep a lid on them. How foolish! Just let them go already! I’d be willing to bet that a majority of the people that lost those two plus hours of their lives in the theater to view this movie would have been happy to be treated to some scene chewing – at least that would have made the trip worthwhile. Over the top? Neither actor got even close to the top. So, if there is no chemistry, why bother? My PIC wondered out loud if either of them read the script, which was truly awful for the most part. I was willing to give a couple of experienced actors the benefit of the doubt on that one and lay the blame, perhaps, on the direct and editor – did the really good and important stuff end up on the cutting room floor? Let’s hope so.
And what a muddled mess the plot was! At one point I asked my PIC if she knew what was going on. As she launched into her explanation of what she THOUGHT was happening suddenly a small-part character got killed off – what? So that blew that train of thought. There was so much going on, and so much that didn’t advance the plot at all, it was extremely difficult to spot and remember the turning point in the plot that was the basis for the whole movie. I knew there must be a twist on the way – at least, there better be or the movie would be even worse than it was. But when we actually got to the twist, it was wholly unbelievable and for me to say that takes a lot because I consider myself to be the Queen of Suspension of Disbelief! One minor, and obviously justified, moral slip was the cause for the whole plot? One person spends most of their life with another person and their trust is shattered by one minor moral slip? Please!
All in all, I was left wanting. Wanting more action, wanting more charisma between DeNiro & Pacino, wanting more clarity of plot, or at least a better plot. And also wanting less confusion- oh yeah, and FAR less time spent on the gratuitous (and really gross) sex which ultimately had nothing to do with the movie and will make me have nightmares for at least another two weeks! Yuck!
