Somehow, the idea of an Al Pacino/Robert DeNiro film still seems like an event film even though the the legendary actors haven’t had the same quantity of powerhouse roles as they used to, both choosing to pursue passion projects and in the latter’s case to also make horrible commerce pictures. Can’t fault him I suppose. He gets to share the screen with the colossal and and astonishing muse, Teri Polo.
Still, it’s DeNiro and Pacino. There’s no one like ’em and they deserve to make whatever movies they want unless it’s called S1m0ne or Hide and Seek. They’ve decided to make Righteous Kill, a thriller about two cops pursuing a serial killer, independently financed [though it’s hard to call a $60,000,000 film an indie] and directed by Jon Avnet, who may not be a total Milquetoast but certainly not a name who springs to mind when the words "directorial vision" are mentioned.
Al and Bob as two cops on a case? I’m sold. I mean, I’ve watched Dick Drefuss and Emilio Sheen do it twice already and they’re on the acting plateau just beneath DeNiro and Pacino. Of course I’ll watch the best in the business do it. That said, I don’t know what to expect from Jon Avnet. He’s not exactly Michael Mann. Shit, he’s not even Brett Ratner.
Hopefully the script is something special and they get someone cool like Leon Rippy or Tom Atkins or Arye Gross attached to play the villain.
Leo Grillo is not involved in Righteous Kill.