Movie Review: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Poking fun at some of the action movie conventions that he helped create with his scripts for Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout, writer Shane Black has returned to the Hollywood scene in a rousing way, with the fast-paced confection, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

In doing so, he also manages to give Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, both among their generation's best actors, their meatiest role in years.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is a movie that asks (and practically encourages) audiences to not take the proceedings too seriously. Downey stars as Harry Lockhart, a two-bit criminal and the movie's admittedly inconsistent narrator. Early on, it becomes clear that the movie is willing to jump all over the map, as Harry recounts the tale of how he got to Hollywood, only to struggle to remain on a single train of thought. He's not a particularly good narrator, he says, but he's the only one we've got.

When a store break-in goes bad, Harry hides from the police where an acting audition is taking place. The producers are impressed by Harry's intensity and cast him in the role of a private eye. Next thing he knows, he's rubbing elbows with the bold and the beautiful at parties and clubs in Los Angeles. It's at these locations that he meets the story's other main characters, including private investigator Perry van Shrike, better known as Gay Perry, and Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), a childhood friend of his and down-on-her-luck actress.

Perry, who casually mentions that he's not gay (he is), but just likes the nickname he was given, also acts as a movie consultant and is employed to teach Harry about private eyes. In doing so, the pair stumble on an apparent murder, which may or may not be connected to another dead body that is later discovered. Harmony enlists the aid of Harry, who she believes to be a private eye. Harry, thrilled to find a familiar face in L.A., plays along and eventually manages to pull a reluctant Perry into the mystery.

As the characters struggle to wrap their heads around the quickly developing plot, audiences will be tempted to do the same. But make no mistake, this is a story built on style and attitude, with the seeming intent of trying to stay a couple of steps ahead of viewers at all time. The fast pace of the movie, Black's first as director, definitely works in its favor as you're much less inclined during slower periods to think just how illogical some of the situations seem to be.

Article Author: Mike Cullinan

Mike Cullinan is a journalist who clearly would have majored in film studies, had his college offered the program. Instead, he settled for a B.A. degree in communications, and just admires film in his free time. …

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