Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang marks the directorial debut of Shane Black, the screenwriter who essentially invented the contemporary buddy action flick with 1987’s Lethal Weapon. It comes as no surprise, then, to discover that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang features many elements that one might expect from the man behind films such as The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight – eg tough guys, beautiful girls, unflinching violence, etc – but it’s clear almost immediately that Black isn’t looking to create a carbon-copy of some of his earlier successes. The film, for the most part, refuses to take itself seriously, with the central character and narrator – Robert Downey Jr’s Harry Lockhart – occasionally stopping the film to point out how ridiculous it is and, at one point, even asking extras to step out of the way so we can get a better look at something on screen. Harry is a petty criminal who unexpectedly finds himself living in Los Angeles as a struggling actor, where he quickly becomes embroiled in an exceedingly complicated mystery revolving around a dead girl. Black sets the mood early on with a hilarious sequence in which Harry literally stumbles into an audition after being shot, and proceeds to knock out the producers with his “method” performance of a lowlife. Though Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starts out as a biting satire of Hollywood and action movies, it eventually becomes something far more conventional – particularly as the mystery takes over and Black abandons the snarky tone. Still, there’s no denying that the movie remains awfully entertaining throughout – something that’s due primarily to Downey Jr’s exceptionally engaging performance (as well as his genuine chemistry with co-star Val Kilmer).

*** out of ****