Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Shane Black is a fine writer and his screenplays for Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, and The Long Kiss Goodnight bristled with witty dialogue, great characters and deftly handled action scenes. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, his directorial debut, also shares these attributes, but suffers from a convoluted plot and a script so overloaded with witticisms and clever asides that the viewer soon feels overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the experience.

Robert Downey Jr. plays a low-life criminal who inadvertently becomes a potential movie star whilst escaping from a heist gone wrong (on the run, he stumbles into an audition and gets the part). However, things take a turn for the worse when he goes undercover as a private-eye (in order to gain first hand experience necessary for the role) and witnesses a murder...

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an ambitious debut — several complex plot threads intertwine and an ingenious narrative links scenes - but despite his best efforts, Black loses control of affairs and the film spirals out of control. Despite my best efforts at keeping up, I just couldn't follow the storyline. It doesn't help matters that half of the lines are spoken in a chaotic scattershot manner and the other half are mumbled, making staying abreast of the story nigh on impossible at times. There are probably many moments of pure genius in Shane Black's script - it's a shame that I missed a lot of them.

The parts of the film that I did manage to follow and understand are actually very good. Kilmer and Downey Jr. work well together and share some incredibly funny scenes, there are some genuine 'classic' moments (Downey pissing on the corpse in the shower is hilarious) and the manner in which the story unfolds is, at times, inspired. If Black hadn't been trying so damn hard to be so clever with his words and had concentrated more on telling the story, this may have been a real gem.

Although the film closes with all loose ends neatly tied up, I suffered the majority of the running time baffled by proceedings and struggled to keep up with the sharp prose that flows thick and fast from the word go.

Maybe this is one of those films that would benefit from an immediate second viewing in order to catch all the bits I missed first time round.

A lucky mistake shifts out-of-luck criminal Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr) from the gritty streets to glossy showbiz in L.A, landing him a part in an upcoming film. Another mistake then shifts him from actor to private detective, and this is where Val Kilmer comes in and things start to go wrong, more wrong and unbelievably wrong until they've snowballed into an enjoyable detective mess -- all to impress failed actress Harmony (Next big thing: Michelle Monaghan).

Shane Black's directorial debut 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is a comic film noir. Even in the dazzling opening credits using a montage of contrasts of red, black and white, it is evident that this is no run-of-the-mill crime story, but a viciously entertaining ride from scene 01. What makes it so special is that it mixes equal doses of humour and crime like a $15,000,000 blender, pouring out a balanced end product and glazing it with a clever narrative coating by Robert Downey Jr. Black also sprinkles some rapid-fire dialogue onto his product, which is facilitated by the comedic chemistry between Downey and Kilmer. Some of the lines, gags and images are truly laugh-out-loud worthy. Everything else is nice, but forgettable.

Its only problem, as far as I can see it, is its paper-thin plot. It does not seem believable; it is complex, dizzying and not nearly as involving as it would like to be. So back to formula on that one, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang would be a near-perfect comedy-thriller.

7.5/10

Shane Black is a good writer. Judging by Kiss Kiss Bang bang he is also a fantastic director. This dark comedy is an incredibly underrated comedy and showcases the powerhouse talent of Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr. and Shane Black. Laden with one liners and throwaway jokes Kiss Kiss Bang bang should be re watched to get everything in, for only one viewing is not enough. Perhaps this is the reason the film underperformed at the box office. If you are a fan of Robert Downey Jr. you owe it to yourself to watch this film.

I didn't expect much from this at all, but it turned out pretty good. Think of a Raymond Chandler murder mystery, updated to a sort of modern and enormously... self-aware buddy film-noir. Yes, a buddy-movie, film-noir, murder mystery, crime-thriller, all rolled into one hip modern self-referential update, packed with amusing references to all the clichés of the genres depicted. Before you can even think about the next cliché in the film, it grabs it, makes a mockery of it and proceeds at break-neck pace.

Petty thief Harry Lockhardt (Downey) is a lovable loser who accidentally winds up in the movie business, auditioning for the part of a private detective. Val Kilmer plays the real private eye, Perry Shrike (half the fun is picking the right name!) who has to learn him the trades of the business, but soon they both wind up in a murder mystery with so many twists and turns (and bodies), it'll make your head spin.

Downey and Kilmer seem to have the time of their lives, but not to the viewer's expense. Perhaps a bit too clever for it's own good with so many "clever" plot turns, that I was lost in the end, but perhaps I'm not as clever as I wish to. And I must say, Michelle Monaghan! Wow! She really gave one sexy performance! It derails a bit in the end and goes so wildly over the top with shaggy-dog jokes, ridiculously stupid bad guys and buddy-clichés, it makes Austin Powers look like a straight-faced classic. But as a whole very entertaining, with snappy dialogue, clever writing, and enjoyable performances. Just lots of fun.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10

Without a doubt I thought that this was truly entertaining film. I only managed to catch it at my local cinema in a one off showing, but I really wasn't disappointed.

Me and my friend went in the film not truly understanding what to expect. Basically it cracks down to Robert Downey Jr. starting the film off as a burglar, after being shot at he accidentally runs into an acting audition. Breaking down with tears in the office, he accidentally gets the acting job and whisked off to Hollywood with hopes of playing a detective in an upcoming film.

Cue Gay Perry a.k.a Val Kilmer who is fantastic in this film with his dry wit and humour adding some hilarious scenes to this film. He plays a gay detective assigned to help train up Robert Downey Jr. The pair of them get sucked into a story starting with discovery of a corpse and building into deeper plot involving kidnapping and murder. The plot line is genuinely well crafted, and is explored in the perfect amount of depth. It is quite simply littered with many funny moments. Probably the favourite of mine being the running joke of the gay detective through the film, involving the 'faggot' gun. Shane Black directs this film superbly, keeping it alive with sharp wit.

The whole cast clicks together perfectly with Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer shining with good support coming from Michelle Monaghan. The film is accompanied by a very light hearted narration from Robert Downey Jr. which makes the film that even bit more engaging.

Overall, a quirky, very amusing film, with a superb cast, and with a run time of 99 minutes, you simply can't afford to miss it.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang... A solid 10/10