Opening This Week

By Ethan Alter

‘Righteous Kill’

More than a decade after “Heat,” acting icons Al Pacino and Robert De Niro team up for another cops-and-robbers thriller, only this time the twist is that they’re both cops! Wow, talk about your inspired casting choices. Al and Bobby play veteran members of the force on the trail of a murderer who is killing his victims in ways that resemble a killer they put behind bars many years ago. John Leguizamo, Carla Gugino, Donnie Wahlberg and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson round out the supporting cast. 1 hr. 40 mins.’The Women’

If you think “Righteous Kill” has got an impressive line-up of stars, just check out the credits for this remake of George Cukor’s 1939 classic. Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith and Debra Messing headline the story of a group of fortysomething friends who circle the wagons around one of their own (Ryan) when it’s discovered her husband is tomcatting around with a younger, hotter model (Mendes). Behind the camera “Murphy Brown” creator Diane English makes her big-screen directorial debut. 1 hr. 54 mins.’Burn After Reading’

After taking a detour to Cormac McCarthy country and Oscar glory with last year’s “No Country for Old Men,” Joel and Ethan Coen are back to their usual hijinks in the wacky story of two intellectually challenged gym employees (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand) who somehow get their hands on a damaging memoir penned by a CIA operative (John Malkovich). A bearded George Clooney is also on hand to add to the fun. 1 hr. 36 mins.’Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys’

Only a few short years into his filmmaking career and Tyler Perry is already proving himself to be one of the most proficient writer/ directors since Woody Allen. Too bad he’s never made a movie as good as “Annie Hall” or even “Mighty Aphrodite.” Perry’s latest flick is a sprawling family saga about the Pratts and the Cartwrights, who go from friends to rivals thanks to extramarital affairs, shady dealings and the odd paternity suit. Sounds like an average day in Tyler Perry land. 1 hr. 51 mins.

Ethan Alter is a New York-based film critic and journalist. He can be reached at nycfilmcritic@gmail.com.

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