Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
From FilmFile
Taglines:
- SeX. MurdEr. MyStery. Welcome to the party.
- A bad week in a tough town.
Contents |
Synopsis
When a small time crook (Robert Downey Jr) flees the scene of a crime, and his partner in crime is shot, he blunders into a casting session for a new detective movie. As he reads the lines, his emotion over his friend hits him and he finds himself offered a trial for the role. Sent to LA, he is introduced to a gay private detective consultant (Kilmer) to pick up a few ideas. The two go on a surveillance, and end up witnessing a murder. From this point on things go from bad to worse, including an old friend turning up, the death of her sister, a missing finger, and two heavies who want them to back off from the mystery.
Review
Shane Black was the man responsible for the scripts for Lethal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight, and The Last Boy Scout. Here, in his directorial debut, we are given the same kind of dynamics between the characters that we have seen in those films, only better. The film is presented with a narration (by Downey Jr) throughout, but this is a flawed narrative, with amendments and corrections scattered throughout – all to wonderful effect. It is a script that draws on so many cliches of detective stories, but knows thay are cliches and so plays with them a bit. If it had taken itself serious as a film, this would have been a disaster. As it is a dark comedy, it works so well.
Both Kilmer and Downey Jr have done little to raise their film profiles in recent years (with the notable exception of Singing Detective in which Downey Jr was fabulous). This film puts them both back on the map as actors with talent. Kilmer’s usual theatrics and hamming seemed to have been toned down here, and Downey Jr is simply marvellous in the lead role.
Those of you expecting a high octane action flick may be disappointed. There is action, but not a lot of it. Instead we have a sly homage to detective films, with some of the best lines of dialogue of recent years. This is surely one of the highlights of the year.
Trivia
- Shannyn Sossamon's character was originally "Girl with Pink Hair" but was changed after production was completed to "Pink Hair Girl".
- Gay Perry's cell phone ring tone is "I will survive".
- Shane Black's directorial debut.
- As a sign of support to Robert Downey Jr.'s recovery from alcohol and drugs, Val Kilmer refused to drink during the entire production.
- Joel Silver noted that the film was originally budgeted at US$10 million because Warner Brothers were not confident in the premise. The film ran over and the final budget was US$15 million. Warner Brothers loved the film when it was screened, and immediately opened it at the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival in a high profile capacity.
- The film was given a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
- The phrase "kiss kiss, bang bang" appeared in the 1960s as an overseas slang for spy movies, especially James Bond movies. It was popular in Europe and Japan. It first appeared as a film title for a 1966 spy comedy made in Spain with Italian financing. It was also the title of famed critic Pauline Kael's second published collection of reviews. Kael wrote that she chose the words as her title because they are "perhaps the briefest statement imaginable of the basic appeal of movies."
- One scene in the film takes place in a club exhibiting living art, which, at one point in his life, Robert Downey Jr. worked as.
Cameos and allusions to other films
- Harry's hotel room number is 714. This number is also Joe Friday's badge number on the L.A. television cop show, "Dragnet" (1951).
External links
Comments
Want to comment on this review? Pop over to the forums and have your say
Add rating
Current user rating: 88% (1 votes)
