Righteous Ill

They’re two of the greatest ever. Jordan and Magic, Bach and Beethoven, Harvard and Yale. But they joined forces on the backside of their careers, so we’ll never think of the duo as we did Newman and Redford, or Lennon and McCartney. And at some point, Robert Deniro and Al Pacino are going to answer to the movie gods for mailing in the last 10 years of their careers.

This weekend I saw Righteous Kill, which marked the first time the two Don’s shared the screen. Sure, they were both in Heat and Godfather II, but we never saw them share the screen. Maybe we never should have. It’s not that Righteous Kill is a horrible movie, it’s just not up to their standards. It felt like watching Kate Hudson and the lead singer of the Black Crowes, maybe it worked for them, but no one else needed to see it.

It isn’t often that you see a movie, and would have rather spent the $7 (it was the matinee) just to see the two stars interviewed together to promote the film. But that’s the case with Kill. Some movies, we shorten the title when they have longer titles, but I couldn’t refer to this as just “Righteous.”

I had a bad feeling when I first heard of this movie a year or so ago. I love both actors, and it isn’t as if they just lost their talents, but they had just stopped reading screenplays. Deniro was more concerned with his budding real estate empire, and mocking himself, and Pacino was stuck in his Scent of a Woman character, and yelled his way through some 10 films, including Heat. But maybe, just maybe, uniting would bring out the best in each other again. It didn’t happen. I guess they felt they had to do it, while they were physically able. But Newman and Redford have passed on multiple oppurtunites to work together because the script wasn’t right, if only Bob and Al had used such high standards. Then again, they had a couple of classics with each other, for us to enjoy.

This was Deniro, doing a combination of the NYC cops he played in City by the Sea, 15 Minutes and Showtime. The best laugh comes from seeing Pacino lift weights in the gym, and a small action scene where we see the two of them jump over a railing with agility they’ve never had. Come on, I doubt Pacino has lifted anything heavy since the machine gun he picked up Scarface.

Heat was it, and the greatness of Heat should be enjoyed more now, than ever before. Deniro put out a few quality films right after Heat, with Sleepers, Cop Land, Wag the Dog and Jackie Brown. He made us laugh with Analyze This and Meet the Parents. But he swung and missed more than he made solid contact. The Fan, Great Expectations, 15 Minutes, The Score, the comedy sequels, and nearly bored us to death with the Good Shepherd. Pacino gave us Donnie Brasco and the Insider, but can we please forget he did S1m0ne, Gigle, Two for the Money and Any Given Sunday? I doubt it, but I hope so.

The best thing I see in their future right now, is the fact they are both attached to a video game to compliment Heat. Keep doing whatever Michael Mann wants you guys to do. In fact I have to pass a rule for these two giants, no more working with anyone else other than the top guys: Tarantino, Martin Scorecese, Mann, Soderbergh and the Scott brothers. Deniro is attached to a new Michael Mann flick, Frankie Machine, about an ex mob hit man living a civilian life but goes back to the life from the urging of the son of a Mafia Don. Hopefully, this is Deniro’s return to greatness. Michael Mann has the highest batting average of any major director in Hollywood. Added bonus, Machine was penned by Levien and Koppleman, the duo responsible for Rounders.

If you’re itching to see some Bob and Al, I recommend popping in Heat, or looking for the Insider, which has been on cable of late. But if you must, keep an eye out for the following previews: Defiance, about a Holocaust story I’ve never heard, where three Jewish brothers give us what may have been the inspiration for Red Dawn. Pride and Glory, with Edward Norton and Collin Farrell doing sort of a Departed type thing. Maybe Farrell can actually put out a quality flick.