Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (US. 2005)

DIRECTOR/WRITER: SHANE BLACK

It’s difficult to sum up something that’s as pitch perfect as the self aware comedy crime film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I’ve gone through all the great lines, hilarious characters and slick direction and tried to find a no-fool way to present it to you, dear reader, in a way that would make you want to see it now. As in run out your door and GO GET A COPY OF KISS KISS BANG BANG NOW! Are you gone yet?

"In LA, while escaping from the police after an unsuccessful robbery, the small time thief Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr) is accidentally submitted to an audition for a role of detective in a movie, and invited to a party. He meets a private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer), who suggests him to participate of an investigation to develop his character. He also meets the gorgeous aspirant actress Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monoghan), and finds that she was a friend of his childhood for whom he had a crush. Harry and Perry get involved in an intricate murder case with many leads. With the support of Harmony, they find the sordid truth of the case"

The story here isn’t the important. In fact, it’s almost an afterthought. The two mysteries (That are really one) are presented in an incredibly convoluted way that befuddles more then it makes you go “Aw! So that’s how it was done!” The fun here isn’t the reveal, it's the ride. Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer literally light the screen on fire every time they banter back and forth at a speed that breaks the sound-barrier. They even get to play a dramatic beat or two that somehow doesn’t feel out of place between the spiders between cleavages and lines like “I’m knee deep in Pussy. I just liked Gay Perry so much I kept the name.” Michelle Monaghan looks suitably hot in a little Santa Clause number and the villains are pure 80’s cheese.

There’s absolutely no way you can catch every joke in one viewing. It’ll take two, three, even five go around for you to even begin to catch the way gags and visual cues expand, stretch and fall into each other like dominoes. Shane Black is famous for his wicked smart screenplays (most have been rotting away in development hell since he burst onto the scene with Lethal Weapon) and with his first directorial gig he puts it all on screen. It’s stylish, with a self-conscious use of color and lighting, without ever losing sight of the characters we slowly learn to love.

KKBB is a small film, there’s no denying that, but it does everything so well that it’s a must. It's not an action film (other then a few guns going off), it's a comedy with heart and creative passion to work in a genre and give you something fresh.

DVD: A skimpy little release for a film that BOMBED at the box office. There's a commentary from the two leads that is way jokey (to a fault) and I really wished the director/screenwriter had his own track. There's a puff piece Making Of and that's about it.


...And why the hell does every Shane Black film take place during Christmas? (Lethal Weapon, Last Kiss Goodnight)