Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Movie Review:


Action screenwriter Black (Lethal Weapon) gets the chance to direct his own material, and the result is one of the most enjoyable romps in ages--knowing, witty, clever and full of outrageously good action.

Harry Lockhart (Downey) offers a post-modern narration to his story: a low-life crook back East who literally stumbles into a film audition and ends up in Hollywood tagging along with a private investigator (Kilmer) to prepare for his screen test. Then he runs into an old friend (Monaghan) he's always had a crush on, and he also ends up in the middle of two murder cases. While the body count continues to grow.

From the childhood prologue and the sleekly animated titles, Black creates a film that's a gigantic in-joke, but he smartly keeps the audience right on the inside. Everything here is a nod to cinema--he's playing with structures and forms, cliches and expectations. The baddest guy in the movie is gay. The glaring red herrings are actually rather important. Nasty things actually happen to the central characters. The banal realities of the film industry really do determine what we see on screen.

This is all done with a high-energy, freewheeling style and a convoluted L.A. noir plot straight from Raymond Chandler or James Ellroy. It's also infused with sharply hilarious banter, wild action comedy and the constant understanding that we're watching a movie that borders on being a spoof. Fortunately, this concoction works, partly because Black never loosens his grip on the material but also because the cast are clearly having a great time.

Downey is divinely hyperactive, brilliantly maintaining Harry's constant imbalance and developing a terrific sense of chemistry with both Kilmer and Monaghan. Kilmer hasn't been this watchable for years; his timing is impeccable, and he wonderfully makes the very most of his character's ambiguous sexuality. Monaghan is also great fun in what could be the film's most thankless role, but is actually a sharply drawn romantic-comedic character all her own. Perhaps the film feels a bit too smug for its own good, but it's so much fun that we wouldn't want it any other way.



Rich Cline

It's been a hard year for movies, full of disappointments and very little real incredible surprises. As the year winds down it's hard to find anything that you could describe as Oscar worthy. So many of the key films are either obviously commercial and not one has had that gasp with awe moment. Well not yet. Be not concerned though, all those negative thoughts will disappear the instant you watch “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”.

Kiss Kiss is the kind of film that you dream about seeing at least once every year. It's edgy, gritty, original, interesting, hilarious and probably the best screenplay of the year.

The film’s plot revolves around a struggling actor, Harry (Robert Downey Jr.) who is flown to Los Angeles for a screen test. To prepare for the screen test, Harry is teamed up with private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) to prepare for the role of a lifetime. During Harry’s first 12 hours in L.A., he gets reacquainted with his old high school dream girl (Michelle Monaghan), finds a dead socialite in his bathroom and dragged intp the most twisted mystery he could possible imagine. Mickey Spillane would be proud.

It's been nearly a decade since Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. have been in a movie so insanely clever that you'll likely be screaming with delight. You'll instantly realise how much of a waste the past decade has been for them on screen. There's been a lot of criticism about film’s that try to be clever for their own good and it annoys people. Well they said that about “Ferris Bueller” back in the 1980s and about that utterly brilliant IKEA scene in “Fight Club” but those were just warm-ups for Kiss Kiss. Clever has never been this good for a movie. Every line is precious and every laugh is one you will remember.

The movie is enthrallingly put together, so often a narrative can hinder a movie, but not here, it all works to enhance the fun. You'll be reminded of the 30's era film noir, instead shot through with a noughties edge, all laced with a jet back acidic wry humour. You'll be laughing out loud. Few films have such a priceless screenplay, that is so deserving recognition that it really should win the Oscar come next year.

“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” comes highly recommended for those who utterly love movies. One of the best films of the year.



So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

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