I’m not usually one to rush out and see a film on its opening weekend, but a friend and I felt like seeing a movie last night, and this is one we both wanted to see. I was a little nervous about it, because the makers declined to let Entertainment Weekly see it in advance so they could review it, which generally isn’t a good sign – but I enjoyed it. It wasn’t the best freakin’ film ever, but it was solid, and watching these two guys share the screen was indeed a treat.
They’re both grizzled old cops – Pacino, at 68, revelling in his crags and sags more than De Niro, a young pup of 65 – and someone is killing a slew of bad guys, one at a time. I hate spoilers, so I won’t even get into the basic premise – just say that it all seems very cut and dried, and was totally absorbing even at the cut and dried level. Carla Gugino is good as a crime tech, and John Leguziamo and Donnie Wahlberg both completely hold their own as another pair of cops.
Overall, worth seeing, though you don’t need to rush out and see it in the theater.