RIGHTEOUS KILL

RIGHTEOUS KILL: In his prime, Robert De Niro could elevate a curse world to the level of Shakespeare’s finest prose. The passion of his convictions was such that it didn’t matter what was being said, it was how the line was delivered. If nothing else Righteous Kill proves he can still swear like a truck driver when the script calls for it - and there’s even a glimmer of the old intimidating thug cemented in many a Scorsese movie. But truth is director Jon Avnet’s anonymous cop thriller could have starred any two actors and inspired about the same amount of apathy. De Niro and Pacino are longtime partners on a serial killer investigation; the victims, all criminal scum deserving of their fates. Played out in a video confession in the opening of the film, De Niro confesses to all the murders, explaining his vigilante justice as cop’s vengeance against a faulty system. Trouble is, he’s now been charged with investigating himself and jeopardizing his partner’s career in the process. Righteous Kill is well-acted, competently directed and serves as a perfectly adequate rental on movie night after the kids go to sleep. Trouble is, a movie starring De Niro and Pacino deserves much more than “perfectly adequate” execution. Righteous Kill shouldn’t shoulder all the blame, but you just can’t help but think that both actors missed their window of opportunity to collaborate on something truly memorable. De Niro’s mole has never looked more three-dimensional, though, thanks to the stunning Blu-ray from Anchor Bay Entertainment. The transfer is unusually good, with a trio of special features and an extra digital copy of the film for portable media players.