Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?
Righteous Kill squanders the once-in-a-generation pairing of De Niro and Pacino on a formulaic thriller with a telegraphed twist. The plot recycles familiar dirty-cop and serial-killer tropes without much ingenuity, and the cinematography is flat TV-movie quality. The two leads bring professionalism and some charisma, elevating the material above its station, but even their combined star power can't disguise how by-the-numbers the script is. The ending's twist was widely seen as predictable, offering mild satisfaction but little genuine surprise. Overall a missed opportunity that coasts on marquee value.