Twelve years ago, Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro shared the screen for two unforgettable scenes in the Michael Mann film, Heat. There was that quiet, magical sit-down in the coffee shop (one of the few moments in the movie Pacino acts like a sane person) and the inevitable showdown at LAX that resulted in one of the great finals shots I've seen. Some people were let down that these former Godfathers didn't get to interact more together. The way I see it, it would have been nice, but I appreciate what I got. Happy days for everyone though, these two legends are teaming up again.

Pacino and DeNiro will reunite in the Jon Avnet film, Righteous Kill. The really good news is that this will not be a two-scene tease as they will share much of their screen time together this go around. They play two detectives on the hunt of a serial killer.

DeNiro has starred in a lot of garbage lately (his sophomore directorial effort The Good Shepherd being the obvious exception) but I do like what I see and hear about his role in the upcoming Stardust. Maybe we're seeing the origins of a resurgence.

AND UP: Pacino

See, it's not always about yin and yang here at Film.com.

Let's get back to this DeNiro and Pacino thing. This puts Pacino in an interesting position. It's almost like a title bout rematch. See, when I was a wee lad, my geeky high school buddies and I would debate as to who was the better actor. Now, you were either in the DeNiro camp or the Pacino camp. We shouted. We yelled. We took no prisoners. Feelings were hurt. Things were said that shouldn't have been. And in the end, no one really won. Not really.

Then Heat came out and this was a very big deal. It was an actor's duel ... to the death! Once and for all, one camp would be proven correct. And for the most part, critics would argue DeNiro won that battle. The consensus was Pacino over-acted. And I, a hard-headed member of Pacino's camp had to agree, despite the heartbreak. It was a terrible time. I felt like that kid who asked to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson to "say it isn't so."

While Pacino's work was polarizing back then, I think time has worked in Alfredo's favor. Every time I watch Heat and his performance, it grows on me. Partly because I admire the risks he took and partly because -- of all the performances in the film -- it's his lines, his delivery that my friends and I continue to quote and mimic whenever the opportunity arises (about every 5.4 minutes -- on average). That's gotta count for something.

Was the first bout really a unanimous decision in DeNiro's favor? Can Pacino contend with him in this next title bout? I'm not sure. But I'll be sitting ringside to find out.

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