Kiss
Kiss, Bang Bang is a strangely entertaining – if a tad convoluted –
noir/comedy that marks the directing debut of Shane Black. A bit of a legend whom,
way back in the 80s, at the age of 21, triggered quite a studio bidding war over
a little screenplay he wrote called Lethal Weapon. Black would go on to pen other
monstrous action hits including Predator and Last Boy Scout, before taking a lengthy
hiatus from the movie game. This film marks his return and does so with an endearing
sense of swagger even if Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang does get a little too self conscious
for it’s own good.
In
this zany noir thriller, Robert Downey Jr. plays a petty crook named Harry Lockhart.
While quickly fleeing the scene after a burglary goes awry, Harry happens to stumble
right into the middle of a big Hollywood studio movie audition. Desperate to remain
undetected as the cops close in, Harry reluctantly poses as an actor and to his
absolute shock, finds himself pursued for a role in a major motion picture. The
circumstances soon become even more bizarre, as Harry is then teamed up with Private
Eye Perry van Shrike (a hilarious Val Kilmer), a homosexual detective who moonlights
as a sort of consultant for actors prepping to play law men. The craziness really
ensues when Harry, Perry and an aspiring actress name Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle
Monaghan) find themselves embedded in a old fashioned murder mystery.
Kiss
Kiss, Bang Bang isn’t so much film noir as it is a clever ode to film noir.
The movie is purposely over-the-top and is constantly winking at the audience
as to announce; "Hey! I’m clever!" And for the most part, it is.
As a result, Shane Black has found a pretty fun way to have his cake and eat it
too. While this movie is full of standard thriller clichés, the writer/director
usually gets away with such business because he happily acknowledges these clichés.
Take for instance the way Robert Downey Jr. cheerfully narrates the film, and
brings to our full attention that he is narrating the story. Or how about Downey’s
joking that the film is running too long and going so far as to take a fairly
easy stab at the several endings on display in Peter Jackson’s masterful
Return of the King. It doesn’t hide the fact that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is
indeed a little too long, but it does keep the audience from squirming and consulting
their wrist-watches.
What
really gives Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang it’s kick are the glorious moments of uproariously
bizarre unpredictability. Bursts of violence and seemingly unfathomable situations
that have to be seen to be believed. And in fact, many of these off-the-wall sequences
brought Pulp Fiction to mind - while the overall tone of the movie sort of reminded
me of Brian Helgeland’s underrated Payback (albeit with quite a bit more
humor.) I really don’t want to give away any of the movie’s funniest
bits (and there are moments here that are among the funniest I’ve seen in
a long time) but I will say that KKBB gives new meaning to the phrase, "I
spit on your corpse."
Robert
Downey Jr. is just outstanding here. He carries the entire film as the lovable
but dimwitted Harry Lockhart. The turn affords Downey an opportunity to display
a wide range of emotions, as well as show off his great penchant for physical
comedy. It’s a terrific and lively work and it’s great to see this gifted
actor enjoying such great success as of late - with roles in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
and Good Night, and Good Luck. Val Kilmer is a scream as the self indulgent private
eye who sort of plays Bud Abbot to Downey’s Lou Costello. And while his character
is openly homosexual (he’s even nicknamed Gay Perry – hilarious!) Kilmer
lends a sort of subtle vibe to the role. Really funny work.
Michelle
Monaghan is a riot and shakes up the whole mythical stereotype that all young
actresses who come to Hollywood are taken advantage of. She’s extremely intelligent,
fiercely ambitious, and extremely sexy. As a trio, all three performers play off
each other wonderfully, and it’s this comic chemistry that gives the film
so much of it’s bang.
Overall,
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is an extremely entertaining film. It’s not the sort
of project I would have expected from Shane Black, but that’s kind of what
I like about it. It’s refreshing that he took a little time off, than re-entered
the game with something a little bit different. In a way, his movie sort of does
for the action and film-noir genre what "Scream" did for slasher flicks,
but with a little more flair. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang does tend to get a little drunk
on it’s own esoteric cleverness (film buffs and trivial pursuers will have
a field day) even so, I found it to be a damn fun time. It’s nice to have
you back Mr. Black.
On
a final note, if you find yourself having to really seek this flick out, make
the effort. It’s well worth it and it deserves much more attention than it’s
getting.
