Righteous Kill could never live up to all the hype that the studio is throwing at this movie. So I was disappointed, but I was surprised at what disappointed me.
I have gotten used to Al Pacino cruising through movies; doing weird imitations of himself. The last movie that I remember him actually making an effort in was Glengarry Glenn Ross. So, I was surprised that he wasn’t the weak link in this by the numbers not-so-thriller. Instead he gives a restrained performance.
It was De Niro who gave one of his stiffest and most self-conscious performances. It was strange to watch him doing so much to make me care so little.
The plot is standard cop drama. A serial killer is on the loose and is killing bad guys. The twist is that the killer is a cop. The twist depends on you not paying attention to the details of this movie and who could blame anyone for that. Jon Avnet seems determined to suck out any tension by giving the viewers the same shots they have seen over and over again in other, better movies.
John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg put in at least a little effort into their by the number roles.