Two veteran New York City detectives work on a case of serial executions of criminals who escaped justice.Two veteran New York City detectives work on a case of serial executions of criminals who escaped justice.Two veteran New York City detectives work on a case of serial executions of criminals who escaped justice.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
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- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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- TriviaRobert De Niro and Al Pacino have said in interviews that they did not feel proud of the final result of Righteous Kill. They even stated feeling unworthy of their fans' appreciation during the premiere, with Pacino going as far as saying that it is a movie they are both trying to forget. Therefore, both actors agreed that the next project they collaborated in together would be one to be proud of. 11 years later, they were finally very proud and pleased with their next collaboration: Martin Scorsese's The Irishman (2019).
- GoofsWhen Karen Corelli goes to her apartment, thinking she is being followed, you can see the shadow of the cameraman just before she steps up the first step leading to her door.
- Crazy creditsAfter the credits, the sound of a train is heard.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Entertainment Tonight: Episode dated 12 September 2008 (2008)
- SoundtracksWe Fly High
Written by Jim Jones (as James Jones), Zukhan Bey
Performed by Jim Jones
Published by All rights administered by Songs of Universal, Inc. (BMI) on behalf of itself and Sally Ruth Esther Publ.,
Inc. (BMI)/Zukhan Music/Art in the Fodder Music (BMI); admin by Arthouse Entertainment
Courtesy of Koch Records by arrangement with Shelly Bay Music
Featured review
Righteous Kill is a kind of prototypical modern cop thriller that has the intonations of a neo-noir mixed in with some iconic figures. The script, in a way, is much better than I might have thought, and the actors- stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, in a film technically for the third time and for the first time technically in the frame for more than a few seconds (a pressure obviously from those who whined about their bit at the diner in Heat) as well as the likes of Brian Denehey and Carla Gugino- do their best to make it an entertaining ride. And for all of its recycled elements and plot turns and tough-guy take-no-s*** dialog, it's a fun ride for what it's worth as far as substance goes. You want to see what will happen with these two veteran cop characters as they delve deeper into this killer case (somewhat ripped off from Magnum Force, or something like that in terms of the victims), and what the "twist" will ultimately be.
For those who might think it tired or stiff, I wouldn't put any real blame on the stars, or even Gerwitz's (flawed) screenplay, which does occasionally pull off dark and funny banter and some coarse dialog and action and thrills to the degree that one saw in his Inside Man script. The problem mostly was the direction; Jon Avnet is not a visionary, nor is he a really well-suited neo-noir director. He's just a competent technician (if not veerying close to outright hack) enough to dig up a few potent bits or visual touches, and mostly tries to make the film "hip" and "fresh" and "inventive" with the approach to style in the flashbacks, and he doesn't possibly bypass the pitgalls in Gerwitz's script. What is pleasing, ultimately, about the picture is that it's not bad at all, and is actually a good movie. But with characters played by near generational icons dubbed in the film as "like Lennon and McCartney", this isn't quite up to their previous snuff together. They deserve just a little better with the likes of Godfather 2 and Heat to their previous collaborations.
For those who might think it tired or stiff, I wouldn't put any real blame on the stars, or even Gerwitz's (flawed) screenplay, which does occasionally pull off dark and funny banter and some coarse dialog and action and thrills to the degree that one saw in his Inside Man script. The problem mostly was the direction; Jon Avnet is not a visionary, nor is he a really well-suited neo-noir director. He's just a competent technician (if not veerying close to outright hack) enough to dig up a few potent bits or visual touches, and mostly tries to make the film "hip" and "fresh" and "inventive" with the approach to style in the flashbacks, and he doesn't possibly bypass the pitgalls in Gerwitz's script. What is pleasing, ultimately, about the picture is that it's not bad at all, and is actually a good movie. But with characters played by near generational icons dubbed in the film as "like Lennon and McCartney", this isn't quite up to their previous snuff together. They deserve just a little better with the likes of Godfather 2 and Heat to their previous collaborations.
- Quinoa1984
- Sep 11, 2008
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $60,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $40,081,410
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $16,288,361
- Sep 14, 2008
- Gross worldwide
- $79,498,846
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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