Righteous Kill
Overture Films | Release Date: September 12, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
18
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Film ThreatStina Chyn
I'd like to recognize Russell Gewirtz for a screenplay that boasts humor, an impressive plot twist, and for setting up plenty of room for De Niro and Pacino to get their grooves back in order. Read full review
60
SalonMary Elizabeth Williams
Despite how easy it would be to write off Righteous Kill as one sorry excuse for lazy filmmaking, there is still something utterly mesmerizing in the palpable chemistry between the two leading men. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLuke Sader
An ordinary cop picture boosted by two charismatic superstars but hindered by its dearth of surprises. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
A twisty, turny and ultimately silly thriller from "Inside Man's" Russell Gewirtz. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
A relatively harmless movie that becomes killing-a-mockingbird sinful for what it does to its leads. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The entire movie is one big build-up to a twist that, while not exactly cheating, plays is an awfully cheap trick. Read full review
50
Washington PostNeely Tucker
It's astonishing how much intensity and focus these two have lost, but the picture itself is not all that bad -- if you can get the collapsing-career thing out of your head. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
In pairing the two icons, Righteous Kill is definitely an event. What it isn't is much of a movie. Such a waste. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesGene Seymour
Righteous Kill's script is credited to "Inside Man's" Russell Gewirtz, and you wonder how the sleek, nuanced flow of that earlier movie evaded this one. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Its failure to live up to even modest expectations is a blow. There's nothing righteous to be found here. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The movie, which has more than 10 credited producers, feels like one of those slick, for-the-money projects Hollywood studios cook up via graph charts and marketing surveys. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJoshua Katzman
Watching these old pros play longtime buddies is a pleasure, especially since they're together in most scenes. But this thriller by Jon Avnet (88 Minutes) is mostly by the numbers, and its surprise ending, though effective, feels somewhat forced. Read full review
45
NPRBob Mondello
Slack, morally ambiguous, decidedly sub-Dexter serial-killer-cop story that's been cooked up for them (De Niro/Pacino). Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Trudging through a thriller that would have felt warmed over in 1988, the pair investigate a serial killer. Read full review
40
VarietyJustin Chang
Unable or unwilling to match the visceral chops and moral provocations of superior serial-killer chillers, Righteous Kill is content to be a twisty genre exercise; it's like "Seven" as reimagined by M. Night Shyamalan. Read full review
40
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
A clutter of recycled cop-movie and serial-killer film clichés. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
Of the supporting performances, Gugino, Leguizamo and Wahlberg offer solid turns, but are let down by dialogue. Read full review
40
TimeRichard Corliss
Instead of the meeting of maestros at the top of their form, Righteous Kill has the feeling of Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds facing off for the first time in an exhibition game. It's like Old Timers' Day at the Motion Picture Home. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyTim Grierson
It's a sad state of affairs when the best news about Righteous Kill is that it isn't awful. Read full review
38
USA TodayClaudia Puig
By the time the movie reaches its protracted conclusion, it feels like a slog. Pacino has a few funny lines, as does Leguizamo, but not nearly enough to save the film from collapsing under the weight of its own self-righteous tedium. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Under the guidance of Jon Avnet, they're (De Niro/Pacino) both playing New York police detectives - partners, no less - in the cop-and-serial-killer tale Righteous Kill, and they're thunderously mediocre. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeJason Matloff
When actors are as great as De Niro and Pacino, watching them in a movie like Righteous Kill is deadly. Read full review
30
The New YorkerDavid Denby
The movie is hectic, exhausting, and baffling. It's an embarrassment. Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Righteous Kill, a.k.a. The Al and Bob Show, is a cop flick with all the drama of "Law and Order: AARP." This movie defines drag-ass. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
A slow-moving, ridiculous police thriller that would have been shipped straight to the remainder bin at Blockbuster if it starred anyone else. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
It's not much fun to see these two reduced to "Mad TV" parodies of themselves. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
There's nothing righteous about this tired and tiresome good cop/bad cop NYPD procedural. Read full review
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