Must See Trailer: De Niro and Pacino in RIghteous Kill

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on March 8, 2008

People seem to be overlooking the fact that 2008 is going to be a nearly monumental year for film. From the summer of fanboy love (Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones, etc.) to plenty of Oscar contenders (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Body of Lies, etc) it seems to be a full boat this year. But one film that seems to continually be overlooked is Righteous Kill, the film that is bringing together two legends, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

While the film itself doesn’t look all that interesting, with a simplistic plot and a supporting cast that is subpar at best (Donnie Wahlberg and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, really?), the draw on this one will be Al and Bobby D going back and forth on the big screen. The last time we saw this happen was in the brief final moments of the 1995 action classic Heat, in which Pacino and De Niro share a tense moment or two. Righteous Kill has the potential to be much more, a true rivalry story delivered by Hollywood greats.

As for the trailer, it isn’t much, but it could help to whet your appetite.

Righteous Kill is directed by Jon Avnet of The War and Fried Green Tomatoes and was written by Russell Gewitz of Inside Man. It also stars Dan Futterman (TV’s Rescue Me), Carla Gugino (Sin City), John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. It is being released by Overture films on September 12, 2008.

Read more articles by Neil Miller