Righteous Kill

I take pride in being able to spot the twist ending in a film long before we get there, and I'll be the first to admit that I judge those movies harshly when they telegraph their passes. So, obviously when I am duped I tend to be pretty impressed with a film.

That is definitely the case with Righteous Kill, the latest offering from new kid on the block (no pun intended...more on that to come) Overture Films. The studio opened in 2006 and based on the cast, one can guess that Righteous Kill probably sports a higher budget than anything the studio has released so far. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are the headliners, but the supporting cast is filled with surprising performances from some big names.

The movie opens with surveillance footage of Robert De Niro's character Turk reading a murder confession. That means we know the killer gets caught, so rather than sit through the movie trying to figure out who the killer is or will he get away with it, you're watching to find out why a cop turned into a killer and just how his comrades catch him. The story isn't told with the same inventiveness of Memento, but splicing footage and voice overs from Turk's confession with footage of the murders in question and conversations that take place right before the trigger is pulled is very cool.

The acting is great. You know you're going to get something special from De Niro and Pacino might just be Heath Ledger's best competition for an Oscar so far (surprising since Pacino has been screaming his way through most roles lately). The story regarding the movie goes something like this. Robert De Niro called Al Pacino personally to ask him to be in the movie. Whatever their relationship is away from the cameras, the two are very comfortable together on camera. It's easy to believe that their characters have been partners for almost 30 years.

It's the supporting cast that really sets Righteous Kill apart from most cop dramas. John Leguizamo, who is always good, plays Simon Perez as the kind of hot head that hates De Niro's Turk because he knows that's him in 20 years. The real surprises are a couple of musicians turned actors. New Kid Donnie Wahlberg and rapper 50 Cent (billed here as Curtis Jackson) are both great! Wahlberg plays Perez's partner Ted Reiley. 50 Cent plays drug dealer Spider better than he played a stylized version of himself in Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

The movie is not without its problems, but the one that really jumps out at me can be forgiven. There are a lot of sex scenes between Carla Gugino's Detective Corelli and Turk are largely unnecessary, but any chance to see Carla Gugino in her bra is appreciated.

So you know the final resolution to the murder investigation is revealed in the first five minutes...or is it? The twist is a nice one. In fact, the twist has me considering paying to see Righteous Kill again, and for someone as cynical as me when it comes to movies, that's saying a lot.

The Greek gives it an A.