They’re two of Hollywood’s finest ever actors, but by the 2000s the game had changed and their breed of filmmaking had been left behind. De Niro was fronting hit and miss comedies (‘Meet the Parents’, ‘Showtime’) and Pacino was working infrequently but erratically (‘Insomnia’, Ocean’s Thirteen’).

The prospect of getting them back together again seemed like a perfect catalyst for both of their comebacks. Their last film together was ‘Heat’ – Michael Mann’s brilliant epic crime drama. Before that they starred (but never shared the screen) in ‘The Godfather Part II’.

It was a lot to live up to and in the end it fell flat. Despite a few good moments and solid performances, ‘Righteous Kill’ was a convoluted, glossy, cop thriller with little to say. It depended on a twist that took advantage of the audience instead of blowing them away. In the end, the audience and the critics saw through it.