Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Righteous Kill Blu-ray Movie Review

A star-studded cast can't save 'Righteous Kill' from a bad ending.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 21, 2009

Most people respect the badge, everybody respects the gun.

For a movie that seemed primed to be an event, Righteous Kill was anything but. For only the second time in their careers, legendary actors Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino (Heat) share the screen at the same time as two cops working outside the boundaries of the law and fighting the consequences of their actions. Boasting a strong supporting cast, compelling character development, and of course, excellent performances out of its leads, Righteous Kill works well enough until it betrays itself in the name of the trendy twist ending that ruins an otherwise above-average Cop Thriller/Drama.

The scent of Cape Fear is strong in 'Righteous Kill.'

Disillusioned with the system and its failure to find guilty some of the city's most heinous criminals, a vigilante takes matters into his own hands, doling out his own brand of justice, murdering the guilty in the name of righteousness. Detectives Tom "Turk" Cowan (DeNiro) and David "Rooster" Fisk (Pacino) are investigating both the murders and a drug ring run out of a dance club by a man known as "Spider" (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Streets of Blood). The two loose cannons botch a sting operation, resulting in a shootout with one suspect dead and a witness in the hospital. Police Lieutenant Hingis (Brian Dennehy, First Blood) orders the tandem to enter police-sanctioned therapy while they continue their respective investigations. As more bodies of criminals-gone-free are discovered, each with the same M.O., evidence begins pointing towards a cop as the killer. Also involved in the investigation are Detectives Perez (John Leguizamo, Land of the Dead) and Riley (Donnie Wahlberg, The Sixth Sense) who are suspicious of both Turk and Rooster and find themselves entangled in a web of half truths and misdirection that hinder the investigation and cloud the truth.

Righteous Kill works up to a point; there's a rather engaging movie here that takes a unique approach by selling its "ending" as a starting point and allowing everything to build on the knowledge that neither Turk nor Rooster are on the up-and-up. As the film opens, a character confesses to killing 14 people, and the film explores the investigation into those murders, with Turk and his partner Rooster leading the charge. It's a good set-up, and it works well by building on the mind-game concept of the dichotomy that's evident from the film's opening minutes onward. Of course, it's a story that's primed for a twist ending, and Righteous Kill delivers one that, yes, works well in theory, but not in the context of the film. By the time it comes around, it sucks the energy from the entire picture, sacrificing the film's integrity in the name of the twist, making for naught the superb character and story development that preceded it. Rather than stay true to the good-to-great 80+ minutes that came before it, Righteous Kill falls for the twist ending trap that works for M. Night Shyamalan but, unfortunately, not for Director Jon Avnet (88 Minutes). Here, the twist represents the "play it safe" route; staying true to everything that came before it would have been the bolder -- and better -- move.

Righteous Kill's lackadaisical-at-best and film-ruining-at-worst ending wastes an otherwise first-rate collection of talent. Not only is Robert DeNiro solid in this role, but the script does an outstanding job of developing his character. In only a few lines, a few looks, a few actions, his character is presented with a wonderfully fascinating dichotomy that sets the stage for both the film and the unfortunate turn of events at the end. His entire life is laid out clearly and precisely; his loves, his hates, his fears, his reasons for being a cop, and his respect for his partner all converge and paint the picture of a character that's both compelling and somewhat sympathetic, even in light of his actions. By the end of the movie, however, it's all for naught; audiences will leave Righteous Kill with no idea who he really is, and the film's ending absolutely destroys what is an otherwise solid performance and even better backstory for the character. Pacino seem content to play second fiddle; this is clearly DeNiro's movie, but the Scent of a Woman star delivers his usual upper-class effort. Equaling the legendary pair is John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg; while they don't have the same credentials as the two leading men, they nevertheless match them line-for-line throughout the film. Even Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson turns in what is, arguably, the best performance of his career, certainly far better than his lackluster effort in the equally terrible Streets of Blood.

Righteous Kill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Righteous Kill arrives on Blu-ray with a righteous 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. Though not quite up to the standards of The International, this one nevertheless encompasses the sort of high quality imagery Blu-ray fans have to expect and demand of big studio releases. Starz once again proves to be one of the best in the industry here; the transfer features few flaws and boasts superb detail, color reproduction, depth, and clarity. Worn rails on a stairway leading down from a train platform, brick façades, clothing, and practically every other object in the film reveals wonderful texture and detail that brings each frame to vivid life. A wonderfully deep transfer, clarity reaches far and wide in every frame; distance shots remain sharp and true, and the transfer provides solid levels of detail and color in far background images, particularly in cityscape shots. Flesh tones can range from slightly ghastly to overly red, but black levels remain fairly stable throughout. Eagle-eyed viewers may note minor aliasing in one or two shots, but generally, Righteous Kill borders on reference quality imagery that's sure to please.

Righteous Kill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Righteous Kill features a solid but not particularly engaging Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Despite several moments of intense action, much of Righteous Kill revolves around the spoken word, and dialogue reproduction represents one of this track's strong suits. The disc has several additional opportunities to shine; for instance an early scene inside Spider's "Club 404" features a pleasing atmosphere with music and general patron chatter filling the soundstage nicely. The music seems slightly diminished in volume, but there's an adequate level of bass to be heard -- and felt -- in support. Other, quieter scenes feature atmosphere of a lesser intensity but of equal or greater realism. A bar scene, for instance, delivers a more subtle but nevertheless realistic background ambience, and several gunshots during the film's climax ring out with some authority and ricochet throughout the soundstage. The louder action scenes don't compete with the upper-echelon presentations found on reference-grade discs, but Righteous Kill nevertheless delivers a good all-around listen that's neither stellar nor in any way poor.

Righteous Kill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Righteous Kill features several extras, headlined by a commentary track with Producer/Director Jon Avnet. Avnet begins with a discussion on his initial involvement with the project and the process of bringing both Pacino and DeNiro to the film. He discusses the film's status as a character study, how the movie develops as it forms into a cohesive whole during the shoot, the themes of the film, and more. Avnet at times falls into the trap of simply putting the images on-screen into his own words. The Investigation: An in-Depth Look at 'Righteous Kill' (1080p, 14:23) is next. Despite its promise of an "in-depth" look into the film, the piece plays out as a standard-fare behind-the-scenes piece that features cast and crew recalling the plot and themes of the film, their experiences on working on the film, and other pleasantries that make up these sorts of features. The Thin Blue Line: An Exploration of Cops & Criminals (1080p, 19:05) looks at the challenges of working in law enforcement while providing some real-life stories of cops gone bad. Also included is BD-Live functionality, the Righteous Kill theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:29), and additional 1080p trailers for Henry Poole is Here, The Visitor, and Sleepwalking. Also included on disc two is a digital copy of Righteous Kill that's only playable on Windows PCs.

Righteous Kill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A borderline great film for 80-some minutes, Righteous Kill falls apart in its final sequence, sacrificing the film's superb character development in favor of a shock ending that neither elevates the quality of the story nor builds on the themes so carefully crafted throughout most of the movie. It's a shame, really, because Righteous Kill proves a righteously good movie until it stabs itself in its own back in the end. Oh well. There's still Heat. Fortunately, all is not lost. Starz has delivered Righteous Kill to Blu-ray with fine results. Boasting a borderline reference-quality 1080p transfer, a suitable lossless soundtrack, and a handful of extras (including a worthless PC-only digital copy), fans of the film or its actors should have no reservations about the technical quality. Give it a rent.