Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

I'm like most people I guess. For me, there are movies that are "just" movies, things I enter for fun.

And there are others I enter as part of lucid living, what are usually called "art" films.

Its an artificial division that exists only because of the accidents of market forces that channel money down the different pipelines. But we accept it and apply different criteria. Too bad in a way, because when we encounter something like this, it falls between categories.

All the images are drawn from the popular vocabulary, but all the flows are out of bounds for popular movies. The cleverest element here is that all the advanced ideas from the inner "intelligent scriptwriters coven" (ISC, a sort of Skull and Bones) are mutated to funny slants on the cinematic vocabulary.

This is fun, but it isn't what the press calls a spoof, or any of the nuances they like along those lines, lines designed to support one or the other of those monetary channels. Its the language of Hollywood unleashed to eat a movie in bits, even while getting their appetite from the wholeness and perfection of the uneaten thing.

We have characters as other characters. Characters as actors. Detectives, and a pretend actor playing a pretend detective as our thrice-removed noir narrator — who forgets details and lapses into selfreferential monologues.

We have a peed-on body, a gay detective, not quite as cool as Dafoe in "Boondock Saints." But the dialog is so cool, each word sharpened, with characters correcting each other's words.

We have a writer outside and one inside. And a movie about a detective with a movie about a detective inside, each one dealing with sex and all four of these crisscrossing in the plot.

The only odd duck is the one that ISN'T odd, the pretty — very pretty — redhead. She's sort of the anchor here, an actress playing an actress who is the only one whose character is not acting. There's only one place where it seemed to take itself seriously, when our real detective encounters the hidden villain.

This part wasn't written for Robert Downey Jr, but it may as well have been. He's one of our best folded actors and he fully understands the multiple folding mechanics Black is using. He's a national treasure.

This won't be selected as one of the two "must see" movies from 2005 (a bad year). But that's only because of its commercial wrapper. Nevertheless, you really should see it. really.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Fmovies: I was lucky enough to see a preview of Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang at a 'mystery' film showing at the Rivoli Cinemas in Melbourne recently.

I really don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy the film as throughly as I did.

The film centers around Harry (Robert Downey Jnr) a petty thief who while escapes into an audition for a new detective movie. After an amusing audition, he's whisked of the bright lights and parties of LA.

I won't go too much into the story because to give any of it away would take away from the unpredictable nature of the film. Worth seeing just for Val Kilmer's Gay Perry!

I saw a special screening of the movie yesterday and I thought it was going to be so boring, but I was entirely wrong! It was very funny and well written. It was a refreshing take on screenplays and acting and its great to see Robert Downey Jr. back again. Val Kilmer's role as Gay Perry was also spectacular. Michelle Monaghan looks like she can be Liv Tyler's little sister but with more substance (sorry Liv Tyler fans) I loved the sarcasm and humorous one-liners used throughout the movie. The constant reference to real life actors and movies gave it an almost "real life" feel. I recommend this movie for a good laugh and great narration by Downey, Jr.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang fmovies. The immensely likable novel "Bodies are where you find them", written by Brett Halliday, has been adapted for the screen by Shane Black and the result is one of the funniest movies playing around. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" boasts an amazing dialog with some of the wittiest lines of any film in recent memory.

The film pays a tremendous bonus to fans of the genre, which combines a detective story technique with some amusement and irony thrown in. The result is a fun time at the movies. Mr. Halliday pays tribute to those forgotten cheap pulp fiction novels that were so popular at one time in this country.

The director has to be congratulated for combining the talents of two actors that pay off in unexpected ways. Robert Downey Jr., one of the best film actors, is paired in this movie with Val Kilmer, who tends to play heavy roles, but has never been seen as he is shown in the movie. Both these men compliment one another in ways we didn't expect. The chemistry between them seems to indicate these two actors had a lot of fun while making the film, as it shows in the way they play against one another.

Lovely Michelle Monaghan is seen as Harmony, a beautiful young hopeful working her way up in Hollywood. Also in the cast Corbin Bernsen, who is seen as Harlan Dexter. Larry Miller has a few brief moments in the picture.

"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is a witty and intelligent film. Thanks to its director, Shane Black, it's a film to be treasured.

A lucky mistake shifts out-of-luck criminal Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr) from the gritty streets to glossy showbiz in L.A, landing him a part in an upcoming film. Another mistake then shifts him from actor to private detective, and this is where Val Kilmer comes in and things start to go wrong, more wrong and unbelievably wrong until they've snowballed into an enjoyable detective mess -- all to impress failed actress Harmony (Next big thing: Michelle Monaghan).

Shane Black's directorial debut 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is a comic film noir. Even in the dazzling opening credits using a montage of contrasts of red, black and white, it is evident that this is no run-of-the-mill crime story, but a viciously entertaining ride from scene 01. What makes it so special is that it mixes equal doses of humour and crime like a $15,000,000 blender, pouring out a balanced end product and glazing it with a clever narrative coating by Robert Downey Jr. Black also sprinkles some rapid-fire dialogue onto his product, which is facilitated by the comedic chemistry between Downey and Kilmer. Some of the lines, gags and images are truly laugh-out-loud worthy. Everything else is nice, but forgettable.

Its only problem, as far as I can see it, is its paper-thin plot. It does not seem believable; it is complex, dizzying and not nearly as involving as it would like to be. So back to formula on that one, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang would be a near-perfect comedy-thriller.

7.5/10

KKBB was shown at the Fantasy Filmfest in Germany. This festival for horror, sci-fi and thrillers is touring Germany in several big cities. KKBB was the opening movie in Cologne and it got a feverish applause after wards.

I can only say that this movie is one of the biggest surprises in the Action/Thriller/Comedy-Genre in the last years. If you liked Black's scripts for Last Boy Scout, Long Kiss Goodnight, Lethal Weapon etc. for their tongue in cheek humor, wicked dialogues and sick ideas, you're gonna love this movie.

The cast delivers and gets the movie going. I don't want to spoil it for you, but Black still has some very cool one-liners and dialogue. Downey Jr is really amazing in this role as your typical looser-criminal kind of guy.

The film struggles a bit at the end, but it was so much fun to watch nonetheless. The Teaser Trailer came out today, so you might want to watch that. Luckily doesn't already show you the best parts.

I really hope that this movie attracts a big audience, because Black has definitely written and directed a highly entertaining movie, showing you Hollywood behind the scenes. Watch this movie!