About half-way through I realized I wasn't watching something in the ordinary. I've only watched it once before and wasn't really paying attention to it. I was now, and I think it's one of those hidden little gems that combines very good acting with a funny homage to the neo-noir genre. The dialogues beteen Robert Downey Jr's Harold Lockhart and Val Kilmer's Gay Perry.
"Look up "idiot" in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?"
- "A picture of me?"
" No! The definition of the word idiot, which you fucking are!"
Yes. More of this please. I need more dialogue humor like this in my life.
So, I suppose I should start giving reviews on every show/movie I binge/watch/have watched. Not really gonna do every episode because I'm not fucking suicidal. Don't expect anything like, in depth though. I'm no reviewer.
ANYWAYS, while this film is still fresh, I suppose I should give my thoughts on it first and foremost. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is such a great film to kinda to just kinda sit back and enjoy. It's extremely funny, some of the funniest I've seen in a while, and honest to God has a surprising amount of heart behind it. I expected a film in RDJ's "slump" to be lacking in quality, but Downey is just as charismatic here as he's ever been, and is honestly what sells this film for me.
The plot itself is fun enough, if not a bit predictable, though as a satire that was most definitely the point of this film. I certainly enjoyed the jokes, clever gags, and the chemistry between Downey, Kilmer, and Monaghan is certainly a threeway made in heaven.
Overall a 9/10
I remember buying this blind from a Walmart bargain bin back in 2006 for like $5, just because I hadn't seen RDJ in a long time.
Became an instant favorite of mine that evening, and I'll rewatch it several times a year when I need something light and fun. Now on to the spiritual successor: The Nice Guys.
EDIT: Oh, if you love this movie, do yourself a favor and get it on DVD or Blu-ray, because the commentary with Downey, Kilmer, and Black is almost as funny as the movie itself.
[4.7/10] I think I’m done with Shane Black. I’ve seen his work as a writer in Lethal Weapon. I’ve seen his work as a director on Iron Man 3. And now I’ve seen the sweaty, cliched disappointment that is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The cumulative effect of those three movies is a firm confirmation that he and I are just not on the same wavelength, so I should spend my cinematic time elsewhere.
Let’s start with the easiest way that this movie in particular and I aren’t on the same page. The level of casual sexism at play here would be shocking if it weren’t sadly common a mere decade and a half ago (and hasn’t exactly gone away either). One of our protagonist’s “likable” traits is supposed to be his constant policing of female sexuality, in a character trait so miscalibrated it becomes utterly baffling.
Then there’s the fact that the film is ridiculously male gaze-y, putting fellow lead Michelle Monaghan and basically every other woman in the film in skimpy clothing and panning and zooming in on them in an objectifying way. I’m no prude, but there’s a clear dichotomy between the male and female characters in terms of who gets to be a character and who’s supposed to be a trophy and/or eye candy.
Then there’s the equally causal homophobia with respect to “Gay Perry” (which, in fairness, is a solid pun, at least). Even if you want to excuse the indiscriminate dropping of gay slurs as a product of the time, the film spends plenty of Perry’s moments on screen using his sexuality as fodder for the laziest of jokes in a way that quickly becomes cringeworthy.
That said, credit where credit is due, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang makes Perry the most competent and enjoyable character in the film. Much of that owes to the performance by Val Kilmer who pulls off the relaxed, capable, comfortable-in-my-own-skin vibe extraordinarily well and elevates a character and writing that even the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Michelle Monaghan are otherwise sunk by.
That especially comes through in the dialogue, which plays as overly cutesy and eye roll-worthy when it’s aiming to be charming and witty. This is a fratty version of the sort of motor-mouthed script penned by the likes of Amy Sherman-Palladino or Joss Whedon, where everyone’s full of rapid-fire quips and references, only here, Black’s take on the same patter is to toss in the aforementioned demeaning shtick and otherwise fail to the conversations that ring that sets truly great dialogue apart.
The film’s also full of unavailing post-modern touches in a crime film that make it feel like a lesser version of what Martin McDonaugh would later pull off in Seven Psychopaths (starring Harry’s erstwhile rival, Colin Farrel). Harry spends much of the movie not only talking directly to the audience via voiceover, but yakking about the conventions of Hollywood movies and the way these action-mysteries tell their stories even as he’s in one. It plays as cheesy and too cute by half rather than a genuinely clever device to get a bit meta.
The conceit generates a smattering of laughs here and there (mostly just Abraham Lincoln coming in with the parade of not-quite-dead cast members at the end), but mainly just contributes to the fingers-crossed, “What is even the point here?” vibe of the whole picture. The same goes for how Black and his characters use a hackneyed series of mystery novels to poke at its own deployment of those same tropes. It doesn’t come off as smart or self-aware, just “too cool for school” detached.
It also results in an overly winking method for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to telegraph its own unavailing mystery. There’s one decent, well-motivated twist here, namely the reveal of what really happened with Harmony’s sister that plausibly accounts for her suicide and justifies the inclusion of the pink-haired woman. But beyond that, everything else in the mystery veers between the plainly obvious and the convoluted/contrived. This isn’t one of those clockwork mysteries where everything snaps into place. Instead, it’s a whodunnit that just makes the various occurrences seem more random and a matter of good/bad luck than good schemes or better detective work.
That sense of contrivedness extends to the way our heroes get into and out of tight scrapes. Nigh-magical headbutts, corpse arms that can support the weight of a human body while the action hero type is able to simultaneously dangle and blast away the bad guys, and tons of people getting shot and ending up little worse for wear all let the film descend into the action flick cliché festival it otherwise wants to make fun of. These scenes aren’t plausibly staged and lack real tension or suspense given the playacting vibe of the whole piece.
Some of this could be forgiven or excused if you wanted to spend more time with any of these characters besides Perry. Our protagonist is all but unlikable, seemingly blowing off his friend’s death after the opening scene and having little more than a stock “I always cut and run; I’ve gotta see this through” speech to give him any depth beyond his quirks. Harmony is a prime candidate for “men writing women” collections to be scorned. There’s just nothing here other than an hour and forty-five minutes of self-satisfied suck.
Which is all to say that Shane Black’s vibe just doesn’t work for me. There’s a try-hard quirkiness at the core of his works that always seems to be holding the audience at arm’s length at the same time it tries to wink at us. There’s no humanity or soul to these pictures, instead just a bundle of smart remarks, metatextual nods, and contrived scenarios. Throw in the unexamined, oft-condescending takes on women and gay people, and you have an ostensible auteur whose visions just don’t resonate with yours truly. There’s better crime stories, better RDJ vehicles, and better fourth wall-nudging movies out there than anything Black, or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang can offer.
Great movie, didn't knew about this one and it turned out to be great, funny, fast, intriguing, and Michelle Monaghan mamacita.
This film is a joy to watch. For me it's the film that brought RDjr back to us. It also gave us Val Kilmer back after a long time in the wilderness alas he forgot his compass afterwards, though he is fun in MacGruber :)
The script is tight and with sharp wit, the acting top notch. Must see.
Outstanding movie! I really did not expect to like it this much.
Great cast and entertaining enough.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is your funniest friend at a bar, where the good times and tears of laughter will help you look past the occasional babbling and instants of distraction that sometimes go on to long.
As fresh as a peppermint shower and just as sweet, this buddy crime mystery proves that Val Kilmer can do comedy, that Robert Downey Jr can do action and that Michelle Monaghan is the second coming (and maybe even the third).
Apart from the acting, the dialog is the strongest part of the movie, while the story is a bit convoluted and the narration an unnecessary distraction. Still, if you're looking to have your cockles warmed by a Christmas movie that isn't, your holly jollies could do far worse than Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
A wild black comedy from writer/director Shane Black, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is irreverently fun. When small-time crook turned actor Harry Lockhart shadows a PI to research a role he ends up entangled in the murder of a Hollywood producer’s daughter. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan, the film has a strong cast. Downey in particular gives an incredible performance, and does a great job at balancing the dark humor with the action. Additionally, the noir satire is especially well-done. However, the plot is packed with a lot of unnecessary tangents and filler that distracts from the mystery and slows down the film. Yet despite the clutter, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is entertaining and delivers some good laughs.
Funny and special movie with very smart dialogues and perfect Michelle :) 7.5/10
This is one of my favorite movies, i love it!
I've never heard anything about this film until I saw some great reviews here on Letterboxd and why in the hell didn't I've never heard of it before!? It's great!
It's a highly entertaining dark comedy! Shane Black's writting is funny and sharp and his direction very stylish. It's thrilling, quirky, dry, clever with super fast dialogues.
Once again Robert Downey Jr. is amazing! The more I see from him the more I love him. But I also really enjoyed Val Kilmer's role as the gay detective. The two had some great scenes together and the crazy situations that they are involved provide great laughs.
Enjoyable funny film, that was made for Robert Downey Jr. A comedy/thriller with a very original style.
witty and quick dialogue is definitely a good description. i love this movie for it, as well. i've seen it a number of time and it's still funny every time.
Love this movie, witty and quick dialogue.
Shout by Milo123BlockedParent2016-02-20T16:18:44Z
This film is easily one of the most fun movies that I've seen in a while. So good!