Righteous Kill: Severely Underrated

So I saw Righteous Kill for the first time a few days ago. You know, "one of the worst movies of 2008"? I couldn't believe it. Its been said that watching DeNiro and Pacino reading a notebook together would be fun to watch. Two of the greatest actors, what's not to like? The problem people had with this movie is that they were being extremely childish. If it isn't a Godfather II, Scarface quality movie, then its terrible. "What a waste of talent" seems to be a popular description of this movie. That's the most asinine thing I've ever heard in my life. Now everyone thinks they're a critic who works for some big name magazine or something, labeling Pacino's acting as supbar, and the story is predictable, and that the editing was bad. Again, who said that if it isn't a classic, then its automatically on the other side of the spectrum?

WARNING Spoilers below:

Righteous Kill is a crime drama starring DeNiro, Pacino, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, and Carla Gugino. DeNiro and Pacino are two grizzled, NYPD veterans who aren't ready to retire. After a criminal is left to run rampant in the streets, DeNiro takes it upon himself to get him behind bars. The movie than goes on a twist, where Pacino is a covert serial killer, killing corrupt criminals that managed to slip through the cracks of the courts. After murdering them at point blank range, he would leave a four line poem explaining the horrors these men have committed. DeNiro is not exactly the most beloved man in the force, and his coworkers are quick to label him as the killer. After many attempts to uncover his "righteous kills", he is found to be uninvolved in any of these, leaving the cops to believe that it might not have been him. But, throughout the entire movie, scenes would play were DeNiro was speaking to the camera, "confessing" to these crimes. At the end, the audience finds out that he was reading the personal diary of non other than his long time cop buddy, Pacino. Held at gunpoint, he was ordered to read these confessions into the camera and turn himself in. Pacino and DeNiro tangle for a little bit, which ultimately ends in Pacino getting shot.

SPOILERS OVER

While I don't think that this story is most riveting, the term "wasted talent" is just over the top. These two men still acted profoundly in this movie, the movie's storyline and plot itself was what led to its alleged demise. I don't think the DeNiro/ Pacino combo is easy to pull off, I think this movie pulled it off.