Review of Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang (1966) by Connor G — 05 Mar 2014

It's a shame Val Kilmer's career hasn't seen a similar revival to Robert Downey Jr., because the two of them are magnetic in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." Black's script is excellent, even if it occasionally gets a bit too clever (the fourth-wall breaking gags are never nearly as funny as the simple interactions between the two leads). Also, the final shootout gets a bit silly and feels slightly out of joint with everything that came before, although Downey Jr. still sells it.

Still, I think it's a shame that a story so gleefully subversive of detective-noir stories can still seem blissfully unaware of the more problematic aspects of the genre. Female characters show up to get killed or get naked, and the final moment of Monaghan's character arc is essentially treated as a footnote. Also, weirdly enough, I noted that Harry kills two unarmed black men during the course of the film. Granted, they are "bad guys," but they're also the only people of color in the whole movie, and it happening twice (the latter moment treated as a punchline), just feels weirdly specific. So either it's a bull-headed lack of understanding of historical context, or it's a seriously misguided attempt at satire (See what happens to black people when they try to make it in Hollywood!). You'd think Black is too self-aware to be so ignorant... but regardless, it's rather off-putting.

Despite the problematic elements, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is still a terrifically entertaining flick.

"Ficus.".