Righteous Kill. Unrighteous Career Moves.

Opening this week in the US is the new buddy cop vehicle for Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, Righteous Kill (2008). Wow. When I first heard this news I was stunned and incredibly excited.

Michael Mann’s Heat (1995) is, in my humble opinion, the most outstanding and engrossing crime saga ever committed to celluloid, and for these two cinematic icons to team up again this time as PARTNERS it seemed too good to be true.

Sorry to be a cliché, but I am getting the feeling that it is.

Anyone who follows the film trades will know by now that Righteous Kill is NOT being screened for critics.

What other film which opened recently also was not screened for critics? Bangkok Dangerous. The mediocre Nicolas Cage vehicle which will come and go before we have even realized.

See a connection?

Well there are only two:

1) Great actor/s
2) Lame film

Let's be honest here.
They are TOO OLD to play street cops!!!

How has this happened? Often when a film with such fantastic potential turns out to be a piece of garbage, there are various factors at work:

BAD DIRECTOR, GOOD FRIEND

Jon Avnet is the director of past, ahh, prestigious films such as Fried Green Tomatoes and Al Pacino’s “hit” from last year 88 Minutes. If anyone had the misfortune of seeing the execrable waste of Al’s talent, I am sorry for your loss. That movie was BAD. So what does Al do to bounce back? He stars in ANOTHER movie with this director! Why? Isn’t it obvious? They’re friends!

He looks so nice!
Go save someone from a burning building
and leave the films to Michael Mann.

GOOD FIRST SCRIPT, BAD SECOND SCRIPT

My previous post discussed how fantastic Inside Man was. Well whadda ya know, Righteous Kill from the same guy who wrote that! What you may not know is that this script, his second, follows practically the SAME plot stricture and TWISTS as Inside Man. And UNLIKE Inside Man, the dialogue is kinda, umm, lame.

Example? Check out this clip.

Compare that this THIS. See the difference?

LOTS OF MONEY, NOT MANY SHOOTING DAYS

Enough said. Whilst Michael Mann would have required 75 takes for every shot, Jon Avnet would be fine with three.

NEITHER DE NIRO OR PACINO READ THEIR SCRIPTS ANYMORE

Well, at least not all of them. That would explain 88 Minutes AND De Niro's "companion piece" 15 Minutes. Both exemplary forms of trash cinema.

After all is said and done, Righteous Kill may be okay. But it will never be a classic, and it will barely matter in the canons of either director. Go rent out Heat or Godfather Part 2.

Please.Have you seen this? No?
Shame shame shame...