FILM FRENZY

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Val Kilmer takes a seat while Robert Downey Jr. looks for the nearest exit from his dire predicament in scenes from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Photos: Warner Bros.)

By Matt Brunson

KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005)
★★★ (out of four)
DIRECTED BY Shane Black
STARS Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer

(Val Kilmer passed away last week, at the age of 65. In his honor, here’s a review of one of his most enjoyable pictures.)

The original press material for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang back in the day stated that a new genre, the buddy/action movie, was born with the release of 1987’s Lethal Weapon. That must have been news to Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, whose seminal 48 HRS. beat the Mel Gibson-Danny Glover film into theaters by a full five years (and cases can also be made for some ‘70s flicks like Hickey & Boggs and Freebie and the Bean). Still, the point was taken. Written by Shane Black, Lethal Weapon did help solidify the format, and Black himself returned to it many times: 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2 (the best of the series), 1991’s The Last Boy Scout (with Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans, and just awful), and 2016’s often overlooked The Nice Guys (Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling).

Also in the mix is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which finds Black not only penning its script but also making his directorial debut on the project. Yet anyone expecting more of the same will be pleasantly surprised: From its opening moments, it’s clear Black isn’t making a buddy/action movie as much as a send-up of a buddy/action movie. That might sound like a crass way to capitalize on one’s own output when original ideas start running out, but there’s very little about Kiss 2 Bang 2 that feels lazy or exploitive. On the contrary, the movie is fiercely intelligent in the manner in which it sends up the usual trite clichés, not only of crime flicks but of Hollywood movies in general.

The picture’s main attribute is its leading duo, Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. At the time, personal problems and off-screen eccentricities had railroaded their respective careers for long stretches at a time, but here they look great and act great. Downey stars as Harry Lockhart, a none-too-bright thief who stumbles into an audition for a detective flick while running from NYPD cops. Impressed by what they perceive as method acting (really, Harry is just blubbering over the death of his partner in crime), the producer ships him out to LA, where he’s expected to prepare for his screen test by hanging out with a macho private eye named Perry van Shrike (Kilmer). There’s a reason the PI’s nickname is “Gay Perry.”

As Harry tries to pick up tips from Perry, he also stumbles across Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), a former classmate — and the unrequited love of his life — from his high school years back in Indiana. But the apparent suicide of Harmony’s kid sister throws the trio for a loop, mainly because all evidence indicates that her demise was actually the result of murder.

The plot for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang becomes needlessly complicated and doesn’t hang together all that well, resulting in a tendency for the picture to move forward in fits and starts. And because Joel Silver is on board as producer, it’s inevitable that this will end with a major action set-piece involving a vehicular chase, one which momentarily drags down the movie. But for the most part, this is sharp entertainment, featuring crackling dialogue and a generous helping of laugh-out-loud moments. And its ability to deconstruct tired Hollywood clichés is second to none. The easy bar pick-ups; the finger caught in the slamming door; the lone bullet in the spun chamber; the requisite happy ending — these conventions (and more) are all gleefully turned inside out. As scathing indictments of Tinseltown go, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang may not be The Player, but it’s a player nonetheless.