I have never seen a movie that adheres to the typical cop-movie formula as strictly as Righteous Kill does. Director Jon Avnet fails to build suspense and ends up producing an overdone story, drenched in lukewarm predictability. The plot, themes, and characters are simply too recognizable to be exciting.
As the film opens, we meet Turk (Robert De Niro), who has been a cop for too long and is tired of seeing guilty criminals acquitted in court. Turk becomes a vigilante, killing wrongdoers who have slipped through the cracks in the system. If the current criminal justice system isn’t going to give these people what they deserve, then why shouldn’t he? Soon, Turk joins the investigation of his own serial killings, right under the noses of his fellow cops. It seems as though Turk’s partner, Rooster (Al Pacino), is aware of his friend’s actions and is covering for Turk throughout the course of the film. But the movie ends with a semi-interesting plot twist that forces viewers to reevaluate what they know about Turk and Rooster. The problem with the twist is that we’ve experienced this kind of deception too many times to be fooled, and the fact that one can easily predict the twist implicitly nullifies the surprise.
Despite the film’s formulaic nature, De Niro and Pacino’s performances are solid, although I expected nothing less from these two forces of modern cinema. Their tandem prowess, however, is not enough to save the film from falling into forgetability. Righteous Kill is simply your run-of-the-mill cop film. If you enjoy grizzled detectives and the comfort of a traditional story line, then I would recommend it. But if you’re tired of the typical crime thrillers, avoid Righteous Kill at all costs.
