Righteous Kill - B-

In theaters. Rated R, 101 minutes. Trailer.

Anytime Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino are together, I am paying attention. Their much ballyhooed joint appearance in Heat is still legendary even though the diner scene isn't all that remarkable. Now, with director Jon Avnet's Righteous Kill, we have an entire movie of scenes together. Trouble is, the material is not worthy of the players. Unfairly maligned and viciously taken down by critics, this film is a decent cop movie with a weak script and actors that are too old to pull of their roles. Click below for more RIGHTEOUS:

The two are partners/detectives in the NYPD, and are assigned to investigate a series of murders of lowlifes and wrongfully acquitted criminals. From the outset of the film, we know DeNiro was involved and the film plays backwards as the other cops (Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo) investigating similar murders start to zero in on a cop as the only likely suspect. The first 30 minutes are rough, with too many cliches to count and a much less than riveting story. As the plot thickens, though, Pacino's character becomes much more interesting as he protects DeNiro and works with the department. There are several suspenseful moments and for a few minutes I was genuinely entertained, but the opening, ending and amateurish script brought it down to a B-.

DeNiro was decent in his role, his voiceovers still all sound like Travis Bickle to me, though. He is old, but not too old for this role and is barely able to pull it off. Pacino, on the other hand, has gone the way of Barry Manilow and Paul McCartney - trying to look 25 instead of just a few years younger than his actual age. He walks like he is an old man, all paunchy and splayed out, and his tight face and perfectly permed bangs are overly distracting for a supposedly gritty NYPD cop. His performance is good, but he just doesn't have the vitality to pull it off. Carla Gugino is decent as the love interest, with pedestrian performances from Leguizamo and Wahlberg. Everyone is brought down by the profound lack of anything interesting to say (which is surprising coming from writer Russell Gerwitz (Inside Man)). As an aside, what is Wahlberg doing with the New Kids on the Block reunion? He had finally gotten some legitimacy as an actor and then he goes on the view to sing "Step by Step"!?

This one might be a C+, but I like a lot of it and love to see these two together.