36
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60Despite how easy it would be to write off Righteous Kill as one sorry excuse for lazy filmmaking, there is still something utterly mesmerizing in the palpable chemistry between the two leading men.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterLuke SaderThe Hollywood ReporterLuke SaderAn ordinary cop picture boosted by two charismatic superstars but hindered by its dearth of surprises.
- 50Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyPhiladelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyA twisty, turny and ultimately silly thriller from "Inside Man's" Russell Gewirtz.
- 50San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubSan Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubA relatively harmless movie that becomes killing-a-mockingbird sinful for what it does to its leads.
- 45NPRBob MondelloNPRBob MondelloSlack, morally ambiguous, decidedly sub-Dexter serial-killer-cop story that's been cooked up for them (De Niro/Pacino).
- 42The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsTrudging through a thriller that would have felt warmed over in 1988, the pair investigate a serial killer.
- 40VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangUnable or unwilling to match the visceral chops and moral provocations of superior serial-killer chillers, Righteous Kill is content to be a twisty genre exercise; it's like "Seven" as reimagined by M. Night Shyamalan.
- 40The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisA clutter of recycled cop-movie and serial-killer film clichés.
- 38USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigBy the time the movie reaches its protracted conclusion, it feels like a slog. Pacino has a few funny lines, as does Leguizamo, but not nearly enough to save the film from collapsing under the weight of its own self-righteous tedium.
- 25Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversRighteous Kill, a.k.a. The Al and Bob Show, is a cop flick with all the drama of "Law and Order: AARP." This movie defines drag-ass.