Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Without a doubt I thought that this was truly entertaining film. I only managed to catch it at my local cinema in a one off showing, but I really wasn't disappointed.

Me and my friend went in the film not truly understanding what to expect. Basically it cracks down to Robert Downey Jr. starting the film off as a burglar, after being shot at he accidentally runs into an acting audition. Breaking down with tears in the office, he accidentally gets the acting job and whisked off to Hollywood with hopes of playing a detective in an upcoming film.

Cue Gay Perry a.k.a Val Kilmer who is fantastic in this film with his dry wit and humour adding some hilarious scenes to this film. He plays a gay detective assigned to help train up Robert Downey Jr. The pair of them get sucked into a story starting with discovery of a corpse and building into deeper plot involving kidnapping and murder. The plot line is genuinely well crafted, and is explored in the perfect amount of depth. It is quite simply littered with many funny moments. Probably the favourite of mine being the running joke of the gay detective through the film, involving the 'faggot' gun. Shane Black directs this film superbly, keeping it alive with sharp wit.

The whole cast clicks together perfectly with Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer shining with good support coming from Michelle Monaghan. The film is accompanied by a very light hearted narration from Robert Downey Jr. which makes the film that even bit more engaging.

Overall, a quirky, very amusing film, with a superb cast, and with a run time of 99 minutes, you simply can't afford to miss it.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang... A solid 10/10

Shane Black's films seem to have a very unique sense of humour about them. They don't always work for me but they often contain either very clever humour that makes you smile inwardly, or there will always be a couple of moments of genuine laugh out loud humour along the way. 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is probably the funniest thing I've seen from him.

The film is very self-aware. It is not afraid to break the fourth wall with its narration. I'm not always the biggest fan of narration but it works reasonably well here. In particular because the story is pretty darn complex, so it is good to have a guiding voice that can clear the odd thing up.

The film is boosted by a great cast. Robert Down Jr. And Val Kilmer were perfectly suited for their roles. Kilmer in his prime was such a treat to watch. I had a good time with this one. 7/10.

I didn't expect much from this at all, but it turned out pretty good. Think of a Raymond Chandler murder mystery, updated to a sort of modern and enormously... self-aware buddy film-noir. Yes, a buddy-movie, film-noir, murder mystery, crime-thriller, all rolled into one hip modern self-referential update, packed with amusing references to all the clichés of the genres depicted. Before you can even think about the next cliché in the film, it grabs it, makes a mockery of it and proceeds at break-neck pace.

Petty thief Harry Lockhardt (Downey) is a lovable loser who accidentally winds up in the movie business, auditioning for the part of a private detective. Val Kilmer plays the real private eye, Perry Shrike (half the fun is picking the right name!) who has to learn him the trades of the business, but soon they both wind up in a murder mystery with so many twists and turns (and bodies), it'll make your head spin.

Downey and Kilmer seem to have the time of their lives, but not to the viewer's expense. Perhaps a bit too clever for it's own good with so many "clever" plot turns, that I was lost in the end, but perhaps I'm not as clever as I wish to. And I must say, Michelle Monaghan! Wow! She really gave one sexy performance! It derails a bit in the end and goes so wildly over the top with shaggy-dog jokes, ridiculously stupid bad guys and buddy-clichés, it makes Austin Powers look like a straight-faced classic. But as a whole very entertaining, with snappy dialogue, clever writing, and enjoyable performances. Just lots of fun.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10

I'm not sure whether or not I like this film. On the one hand, I enjoyed watching it and I respect the fact that it's tried to be a little different; but on the other hand, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang reminds me too much of the guy at the buffet who fills his plate and doesn't end up eating it all. The film is a comedy, a thriller, a murder mystery, an action flick; a character study and a crime film, all rolled into one. It would be hard for any film to take this cocktail and spin it into a coherent piece, but to it's credit; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang almost succeeds; but cracks begin to show where the story is concerned, as the film clearly makes the conglomeration of genres it's central point, and it's too easy to get confused. The film is based on a collection of stories by Brett Halliday, and it follows a petty thief who stumbles into the top flight of Hollywood by chance, and soon finds himself part of a murder investigation after witnessing a car speeding into a lake. The investigation includes a gay detective named 'Gay Perry', and his former childhood sweetheart, Harmony.

The cast is one of the film's main assets. Director Shane Black is always happy to show off his main star, who has finally made his way back into 'A' class movies after some...errr...time out. Downey is a talented actor, and it's through him that the film gains most of its vitality. He is joined by Val Kilmer, who is a lot better than I thought he would be in the role of the gay detective. Michelle Monaghan rounds off the cast, and holds her own against the two bigger name male leads. Shane Black is most famous for his action films, including credits for the Lethal Weapon series and Arnie vehicle; The Last Action Hero, but like the film's main lead; Black has had some time off recently, and this film marks his comeback. Some people were relieved to see the Predator co-star back in action...I cant say I share the sentiment, but all in all; I'm glad that he has finally made his directorial debut with this film. On the whole, this will appeal to people who like their films to be quirky and offbeat. The mock-noir style bodes well with Downey's witty performance, and the film is constantly entertaining; even if it doesn't always hit the mark dead on.

KKBB was shown at the Fantasy Filmfest in Germany. This festival for horror, sci-fi and thrillers is touring Germany in several big cities. KKBB was the opening movie in Cologne and it got a feverish applause after wards.

I can only say that this movie is one of the biggest surprises in the Action/Thriller/Comedy-Genre in the last years. If you liked Black's scripts for Last Boy Scout, Long Kiss Goodnight, Lethal Weapon etc. for their tongue in cheek humor, wicked dialogues and sick ideas, you're gonna love this movie.

The cast delivers and gets the movie going. I don't want to spoil it for you, but Black still has some very cool one-liners and dialogue. Downey Jr is really amazing in this role as your typical looser-criminal kind of guy.

The film struggles a bit at the end, but it was so much fun to watch nonetheless. The Teaser Trailer came out today, so you might want to watch that. Luckily doesn't already show you the best parts.

I really hope that this movie attracts a big audience, because Black has definitely written and directed a highly entertaining movie, showing you Hollywood behind the scenes. Watch this movie!