Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Rated R for: Violence, Language, Sexuality, Nudity
Running Time: 1 hr., 43 min.
Starring: Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan
Rating: Three stars [out of four]

On DVD now


The problem with mainstream film today is that everything has been done before. Whether Hollywood is pumping out a remake or a movie that's so retread it might as well have been a remake, it seems that the creative and unique ideas have run their course, and the producers and directors that actually have talent are all in the indie circuit, trying to get their voices heard.

That's why it's so promising and disappointing at the same time when a movie like Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang comes along. It's promising because it's the first mainstream Hollywood film to come out in a long time that's actually creative and fresh. It's disappointing because the movie tanked at the box office, assuring that big studios will continue to shy away from the new and interesting, and stick to what works: remakes and films following the same old formula without deviation in an effort to cash in on trends.

Although this is the type of film best viewed with a big audience [comedies always seem so much funnier when there are a hundred other people around who get the joke, too], Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is now available at your local Blockbuster, so you can now catch what Hollywood, and apparently most of the movie-going public, doesn't understand.

Shane Black wrote the film [partly based on a novel by Brett Halliday] and also made his directorial debut here, showing a lot of promise. He is best known as the creator of the Lethal Weapon series, and here he takes a familiar Hollywood formula [buddy-cop comedy, where the established detective can't stand his new partner; a murder mystery that the protagonists stumble into; our hero meets the girl of his dreams, romantic tension ensues] and turns it on its head, breathing new life into a tired genre.

You see, the thing about Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is that Black realizes this is the same old formula, and decides to play around with it, making the movie tongue-in-cheek and having some smart fun with the old action movie clichés. It's a wink to the audience, and for once it doesn't underestimate our intelligence. It's almost as if Black is saying, "We know you've seen this before, and you know what to expect. So let's have some fun poking at the crap Hollywood expects you to swallow." That it doesn't take itself too seriously is what saves it from the doldrums of the typical absurdity of Hollywood. And Val Kilmer plays a gay detective. You read that right. He does it well, too.

Robert Downey Jr. stars as Harry Lockhart, a crook who, at the beginning of the film, finds himself right in the middle of a botched toy store robbery. As he's running for his life from the cops, his partner gets shot and he finds himself running through the first open door he can find in an attempt to hide out.

He happens to stumble right into a movie audition in progress and the producers mistake him for another wanna-be actor there for the casting call. He plays along to avoid capture and ends up getting the part.

Jump forward to a Hollywood party where Harry meets private detective "Gay" Perry, played by Val Kilmer. Perry got his nickname because, well, he's gay. He's also a consultant for the movies, and has been assigned to show Harry the ropes for his upcoming detective role.

It's also soon after that Harry meets up with his old high school crush, Harmony [Michelle Monaghan, whom you may remember as Tom Cruise's latest Mission Impossible cutie] and the romantic tension starts to build.

While Harry is accompanying Perry on a routine stake-out, they end up witnessing a murder, and it looks like they have been set-up for the crime.

Add to this the fact that Harmony gets dragged into the whole mess, and you've got all the elements for a typical action-comedy. As I mentioned earlier, though, this film is very aware of how typical the idea is, so they try to surprise you by moving the plot away from what you'd expect. I defy you to try and figure out what's going to happen next.

It's fantastic stuff, and the chemistry between Kilmer and Downey Jr. is pitch perfect. I think the film is worth watching for their performances alone.

What could have been the greatest weakness in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang turned out to be its biggest strength- playing into Hollywood's clichéd history, poking fun at itself and using much better than average, razor-sharp dialogue, the film pulls what could have been an exercise in tedium into the realm of good quality, fun fluff.

And that is something to be stressed here- don't go in expecting anything more than fluff. This is strictly entertainment, but it's entertainment in the highest sense- it doesn't cater to the audience nor insult their intelligence. If you're looking for a fun movie with a fresh take, look no further than Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.