"F" Rating by Robert W. Hammerle

"Righteous Kill" is a low grade, vile film without the slightest redeeming quality. It is as insulting as it is morally bankrupt.

The only thing "Righteous" about this pathetic excuse for a mainstream movie is the self-righteous quality of every actor appearing in it. The "Kill" in the title can only refer to the fact that most moviegoers would accept suicide rather than sit through this cinematic abomination a second time.

The performances of Pacino and De Niro, particularly Pacino, border on abject conceit. Pacino is so God awful that the irritation of his constant gum chewing provides a welcome relief from the insipid plot itself. De Niro does little more than recreate his lame, one-dimensional performance as Ben Stiller's father-in-law in the "Meet the Parents" (2000 & 2004) movies. He mugs his way through the entire film while performing one debased act after another.

If this was supposed to be De Niro and Pacino's attempt at a buddy movie, it is roughly as entertaining as watching a home movie of President Bush and Vice President Cheney clear brush at Crawford, Texas. It is not so much that the movie fails as entertainment as much as it is patently revolting and offensive.

De Niro and Pacino are police homicide partners worn out by the emotional demands of their profession. But rather than providing them with any type of insight into the criminal justice system, director John Avnet revels in their brutality as vigilantes who take justice into their own hands.

If a person is acquitted at a jury trial, then kill him in his apartment. If a motion to suppress is granted by a Judge and a defendant walks free, then kill him in his apartment. If a suspected drug dealer is too smart to be setup by one of their snitches, well then kill …..oh hell, you know what will happen.

As a criminal defense lawyer who has spent over thirty years representing citizens accused of serious crimes, I admit that these types of movies that glorify renegade cops are appalling to me beyond words. Any of you who have followed the headlines since the first of the year clearly realize the number of local police officers who have been charged with serious crimes.

To believe for a second that justice can only be done by law enforcement officers who kill for their version of the higher good is to applaud terrorism, pure and simple. Osama Bin Laden killed for a higher good on 9/11 and I would no more praise his actions in doing so than I would De Niro and Pacino in this regrettable film.

To add insult to injury, fine actors like Donnie Wahlberg, John Leguizamo and Melissa Leo (who is stunning in "Frozen River") are completely wasted in this mess. In Ms. Leo's case, she appears in one brief scene as a lowlife, drug addict who Pacino exploits in an embarrassing fashion. (Among its other "fine attributes," this movie debases women at every turn.) It is not an exaggeration to say that this film poisons anyone who appears in it.

Years ago, Pacino appeared in a film with a similar theme that was critically praised at the time, "And Justice For All" (1979). While that movie was saved by the quirky performance of Jack Warden as a mentally imbalanced Judge who consistently flirted with suicide, the movie ended with an audience-pleasing scene with Pacino violating the sworn obligation of every defense lawyer. I sat in that movie horrified as the audience applauded that moment, and I had to resist the urge to become physically ill.

For those of you who saw this year's morally flawed but satirically funny "Tropic Thunder," you know what is meant by the politically incorrect phrase "going full retard." Rogue cop movies like "Dirty Harry" (1971) worked because you had a villain in Andy Robinson who was as compelling, if not more so, than Clint Eastwood's police detective.

In "Righteous Kill," there is no compelling character, villain or otherwise. In other words, director John Avnet went "full rogue cop," and that equals cinematic trash no matter who stars in it.

Insert how this movie demeans women