2008 Woodie Awards
MOVIE REVIEW: A "Bang"-Up Black Comedy
LaGina Phillips
Issue date: 11/16/05 Section: Valley Life
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Director: Shane Black
Features: Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
In a year of remakes and sequels it's refreshing to see a film that boldy mixes a variety of eras and genres and has saucy fun with it. A 1940s detective flick throwback with touches of '60s James Bond movies and set in present-day Los Angeles, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" pays tribute to the genre while incorporating slapstick humor and self-aware, film-savvy dialogue.
First-time director Shane Black, who helped start the genre of violent, buddy, cop comedies with rude, funny languauge when he wrote "Lethal Weapon," doesn't venture too far from his comfort zone.
He mixes a murder mystery storyline and plenty of flashy gun action with no-bars-held comedy.
The best on-screen duo in the genre since "Weapon's" Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, Downey and Val Kilmer's witty banter keeps the film fresh. Harry (Downey), a thief posing as an actor acting as a detective, gets mixed up in a series of murders while preparing for his screen test with the help of "Gay Perry" (Kilmer), a private investigator.
While interrogating one of the bad guys, Perry tells him "This isn't good cop, bad cop. This is fag and New Yorker," which sums up the duo's chemistry throughout the film.
Harry's jaded, smartaleck narration is like a film buff's guide to the movie's plot as it parallels clichés from pulp fiction, a recurring theme.
One of Harry's favorite detective novels comes to life as the bumbling actor tries his best at cool-guy detective work.
The film's title, a reference to a nickname given to James Bond by adoring Japanese fans, sets the tone for the film.
At its core, the film is a detective flick with plenty of shoot-'em-up action, but Harry's narration doesn't let the film take itself too seriously for too long.
Downey delivers an ace performance as the criminal-slash-actor-slash-detective. Kilmer is solid and funny as the pro who plays for the other team. The film delights in playing out clichés and turning them on their heads.
As Harry says, "Don't worry, I saw 'Lord of the Rings.' I'm not going to end this 17 times."
