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A murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief masquerading as an actor. With the anticipation of 'The Predator' rising with each day close to it's release i decided to watch Black's first directional work and unfortunately it was rather disappointing to say the least. The plot and storyline as a whole wasn't anything memorable or good, the perfomances were alright and the whole action comedy didn't work that much for me plus i found Black's work in Iron Man 3 much closer to him except the Mandarin twist i guess. (4/10)
NateWatchesCoolMovies
Shane Black's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a riot from start to finish. It has one of the most snappy, sarcastic, intricately hilarious scripts I've ever heard, as well as a vibe of unabashed detective story escapism set against the trashy world of the L.A. film industry. Robert Downey Jr., in my second favourite performance of his, (Natural Born Killers takes number one) plays Harry Lockhart, a fast talking burglar who finds himself in L.A. by chance. He's being groomed for a role as a P.I. in a big budget flick, and being trained by actual private investigator Gay Perry (Val Kilmer). Yes, he's gay, before you ask, and Kilmer steals the movie. He's always had a wise cracking, facetious side, which he employs in overdrive here, giving us a hoot of a jaded, preening wiseass, with just the right hints of humanity buried beneath the blizzard of jabs and quips. They both get embroiled in a murky, confusing murder mystery plot involving the beautiful would be actress Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan). Monaghan doesn't get half the respect she's owed, and here flaunts her obvious talents well, latching onto the script wonderfully. The story itself is really muddled, and demands multiple viewings. But it's more about the exchanges between characters, the perfect comedic brew of awkward dialogue, snarky arguments and episodic, farcical antics that make this one such a treat. The script is beyond funny, and when you have actors like Downey, Kilmer and Monaghan in constant go mode, it takes flight and becomes something really special. There's killer funny work from Larry Miller, Dash Mihok, Rockmund Dunbar and Corbin Bernsen as a sleazy Malibu debonair as well. Go in with a focus on character and dialogue, as opposed to story. Save that for a later viewing. There's so much to enjoy in the acting and writing department that you won't even care what's happening, as long as you get to spend as much time as possible with these verbose creations of typewriter wizard Shane Black.
runamokprods
This unfairly overlooked if sometimes uneven parody of detective and noir films (that has moments of feeling like a real thriller itself) is extremely well acted. It's no surprise that Robert Downey is a lot of snarky-but-lovable fun as a NYC small time thief brought out to L.A. to test for the lead in a film after a series of bizarre twists. What did catch me off guard was Val Kilmer matching Downey laugh for laugh and sharp edge for sharp edge as a gay Los Angeles private detective who takes Downey under his wing. The two make an improbable but very entertaining pair. It's also nice that writer/director Shane Black and actress Michelle Monaghan make something a little more fun and complicated of 'the girl' than simply someone who looks good while waiting for Downey to get busy and kiss her. The plot of the mystery itself has got a number of gaping holes and silly coincidences, and it lacks a real of feeling of danger, but the film has a breezy charm and quick witted inventive intelligence that just about renders the fact that the detective story doesn't really work a moot point.
Scott LeBrun
Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a small time thief who bungles his way into a gig as an actor. He's sent to LA, to work with a private eye named "Gay Perry" (Val Kilmer) who does consultation work for the movies. He runs into the extremely enticing aspiring actress Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), whom he manages to convince that he is an actual detective, and gets mixed up in a case Perry is working involving Harmony's kid sister and Harlan Dexter (Corbin Bernsen), a former actor turned entrepreneur.Taking his inspiration from a novel by Brett Halliday, writer & debuting director Shane Black of "Lethal Weapon" fame basically sends up pulp detective fiction and the ever-popular "buddy- cop" genre. There are definitely some flashes of wit throughout, although the script isn't always terribly funny. Some of the gags are entirely obvious (such as when Black and Downey Jr. break the fourth wall and make fun of the conventions and clichés of filmmaking), but they still generate some chuckles. The script also works in digs at the way English speaking people don't always use the proper grammar. The banter between our two leads is consistent, and Black gives his movie some good pacing, and the widescreen photography is just right.There is a solid cast at work here; besides Bernsen and the lovely Monaghan, we have the comedian Larry Miller, Dash Mihok and Rockmond Dunbar as a pair of goons named "Frying Pan" and "Fire", and the cute Shannyn Sossamon. But what makes "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" easy enough to watch is the chemistry between Downey Jr. and Kilmer, who are an amusing comedy pair. Downey Jr. also co-wrote and sang the end credits song! Some fun darkly comic bits include the mangling of Downey Jrs.' finger.At the very end, Downey Jr. and Kilmer are able to send the viewers away with a smile.Six out of 10.
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