Righteous Kill
Righteous Kill Image
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Metascore
36 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
4.6 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 65 Ratings

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  • Starring: Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, Robert De Niro
  • Summary: A serial murderer walks the streets of Manhattan, targeting violent felons who have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system. All the victims are suspected criminals whose bodies are found accompanied by a four-line poem justifying the killing. The killer’s mission is to do what the e cops can’t do on their own—take bad guys off the streets for good. When a notorious pimp becomes one of the killer’s victims, highly decorated detectives Turk and Rooster are called in to investigate. This case could easily be the biggest one in their 30 years on the force. With the unwitting help of a local drug dealer the detectives follow what few clues they have, but their search soon turns inward, eventually leading them full circle as they realize the killer may be one of their own. (Overture Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 27
  3. Negative: 8 out of 27
  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Stina Chyn
    70
    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.
  2. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Mary Elizabeth Williams
    60
    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.
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Luke Sader
    50
    An ordinary cop picture boosted by two charismatic superstars but hindered by its dearth of surprises.
  4. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    38
    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.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 31
  3. Negative: 17 out of 31
  1. mig
    10
    U people r just hating. This movie was awesome. 88 minutes was the worst movie in history. This one was awesome.
  2. ZackS.
    8
    I highly enjoyed this movie. Ya it was a little slow but it kept me guessing and i really did not expect the ending. I really recommend this movie it was just a good movie… Expand
  3. BobbieohG.
    7
    It truly needs a better director. Jon Avnet is terrible and pretty much ruins this movie. It has a good script, two excellent actors, and an okay crew or production team. But alike last time, it… Expand
  4. A_Northerner
    4
    Spoiler alert - pairing De Niro and Pacino together does not result in a great film alone. Given the chance to star alongside each other for what, on this outcome, may well be the final time, De Niro and Pacino play a pair of veteran detectives struggling to keep up with a serial killer on the loose. Thinking back I struggle to recall either of their characters actually doing any police work in the slightest, this falls to Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo. Both actors play their characters as nonchalant, wise-cracking smart asses. This is a natural character for Pacino but why both need to appear so is unnecessary and just adds to the feeling that their hearts were not in this fully. That said, the story plods along until the dreadful twist at the end that left me more confused initially than anything else until I recognised how the writer had got away with it. A cheap trick, not in league with the writers previous work (Inside Man), that leaves the viewer feeling disappointed with the previous hour and half serving no purpose but lead up to this charade. Ardent Pacino and De Niro fans may be interested but otherwise steer clear.… Expand

See all 31 User Reviews

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