Righteous Kill Blu-ray delivers stunning video and solid audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
A pair of veteran New York City police detectives are on the trail of a vigilante serial killer.
After 30 years as partners in the pressure cooker environment of the NYPD, highly decorated
Detectives David Fisk and Thomas Cowan should be ready for retirement, but aren't. Before
they can hang up their badges, they are called in to investigate the murder of a notorious
pimp, which appears to have ties to a case they solved years before. Like the original
murder,
the victim is a suspected criminal whose body is found accompanied by a four line poem
justifying the killing. When additional crimes take place, it becomes clear the detectives are
looking for a serial killer, one who targets criminals that have fallen through the cracks of
the
judicial system. His mission is to do what the cops can't do on their own--take the culprits
off
the streets for good. The similarities between the recent killings and their earlier case raise
a
nagging question: Did they put the wrong man behind bars?
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 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 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 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.
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.
During the 60th Annual Academy Awards, it was almost unthinkable that an independently produced film would manhandle the top studio films of that year, but that is exactly what happened. Documenting the life of Pu Yi, 'The Last Emperor' won nine Oscars, winning ...
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring the Robert De Niro and Al Pacino film 'Righteous Kill' to Blu-ray on January 6th, day-and-date with the DVD release. For this two-disc set, video will be presented in 2.35:1 1080p accompanied by a ...
