Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) Review

 

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang follows two-bit crook Harry Lockhart, who stumbles into an audition for a mystery film while on the run from the cops. Winning the part, he lands in Hollywood, where he's flung into a tangled, murderous conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart and a private eye. 

Falling into (one of my growing favorite genres) the postmodern noir genre, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is a film that if you haven’t seen or heard much about it, go into it blind because it is utterly magnificent. It’s no wonder RDJ got picked up as Iron Man shortly after and Shane Black with him a few years later. It perfectly uses 4th wall breaking, hilarious narration by Harry to always set the tone and really jab you in the ribs to get your thoughts on the mystery or just the story as a whole, using it as a stellar backdrop to the crazy ass antics this trio of characters embarks on from the opening scene. 

And what’s crazy is, for once, the mystery of the film actually takes a back seat. It almost becomes inconsequential in the grand scheme of things because while it’s clever and well thought out, I don’t even care about that. I’m here, just purely enjoying every second we get of Harry and “Gay” Perry because they are electric. Throw Harmony in to the mix and it’s a ridiculously dark party that is just pure fun to witness unfold, mystery or not. 

Obviously, we get a kickass cast, starring Corbin Bernsen, Michelle Monaghan, Val Kilmer, and Robert Downey Jr.  Kilmer is brilliantly hilarious and witty and the way he riffs off of Downey is a combination I never knew I needed so bad. Downey also gets the chance to really go “full Downey” for the first time since his drug abuse problems and it pays off in strides as he delivers on both the action and darkly comedic sides. But seriously, I can’t stress enough just how good both Kilmer and Downey are together, on a hell of a script I might add. 

Loosely based on the novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, written and directed by Shane Black, is a deliriously dark action comedy that really comes out of nowhere and blows any and all expectations out of the water, proving that Black and RDJ have still got it and just how good of a character actor Kilmer is in any given role. 

9.4/10