Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - a self-aware, clever play on the film noir genre - is aptly named, as five minutes after the opening credits, somebody has already been shot. The opening credits are reminiscent of Maurice Binder’s famous work for the James Bond franchise, with high contrast landscapes, stylized blood splatter name transitions, and silhouetted black figures, all set to a swanky, Harlem jazz track.

Robert Downey Jr plays the thief Harry Lockhart, and the first we see of him, he is pleasantly chatting to a “Chloe,” as he sifts through the racks of a closed toy store looking for her birthday present. After his partner accidently sets off the alarm, Harry manages to evade the police as well as the trigger-happy next-door neighbor that shoots his partner. After ducking into a nearby building, Harry finds himself in the audition room for a detective movie. He wings the audition and gives the performance of his life because he’s basically reading the transcript for what just happened to him 30 seconds ago. Harry is then flown out to LA where he meets Gay Perry, played by Val Kilmer, the real life detective who’s assigned to teach him the tricks of the trade.

In their first “training” session, Gay Perry brings Harry along on a job. They witness somebody dumping a body and are sucked into an elaborate murder mystery. Along the way, Harry is reunited with his High School dream girl Harmony Lane, played by Michelle Monaghan. Harmony isn’t your typical damsel in distress. In High School, everybody in Harry’s graduating class had taken a stroll down Harmony Lane, all excepting Harry’s best friend Chutney whom she’d promised, for his sake, not to sleep with. Monaghan holds her own against Downey and Kilmer with a unique interpretation of Harmony, who houses a dark family secret.

The constant banter between Monaghan, Kilmer, and Downey makes this movie worth watching. It’s the quirky indie version of Bad Boys. Kilmer and Downey is a partner match-up made in heaven – in typical Downey fashion, he rambles a sarcastic monologue-style joke until Kilmer shuts him down with a deadpanned, snarky one-liner. Kilmer’s Gay Perry informs a guy they’re holding at gunpoint, “This isn't ‘good cop, bad cop.’ This is fag and New Yorker. You're in a lot of trouble.” Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a successful and smart parody of the detective movie genre.

Cast & Credits:

Robert Downey Jr
Michelle Monaghan
Val Kilmer
Larry Miller
Corbin Bernsen

Warner Bros and Silver Pictures presents a film written and directed by Shane Black. Running time: 102 minutes. English. R.