Review of Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang (1966) by João P — 09 Dec 2015

A petty thief posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl and a detective who's been training him for his upcoming role. [IMDb].

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is my all-time favorite crime comedy. Shane Black's direction and writing is immaculately handled throughout. The acting, esp. that by the three main players, is superb and arguably the highlight of the film. The dialogue is filled to the brim with clever, side-splitting humor and the script is a beautiful nod to classic noir films. I watch Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang so much, just to listen to the script. Black has designed a script that I'm jealous of. It's a perfect blend of comedy, action and a pulpy murder mystery.

Robert Downey Jr. is a revelation and his role in this movie as Harry Lockheart is up there with Kirk Lazarus from Tropic Thunder and his turn as Paul Avery in Zodiac. This is a more restrained performance and it's great to see him play an inept, bumbling idiot. Michelle Monaghan and that little red dress... I can't get over how hot she is. She is an ideal noir girl and she gives a great performance as Harmony. But the best part of this movie is Val Kilmer by a long shot. He disappeared into a bunch of direct-to-video flicks and came back swinging with his role as "Gay" Perry. Every word that comes out of his mouth is pure fire and had me rolling on the ground in uncontrollable laughter.

I've yet to read Brett Halliday's 1941 mystery novel, "Bodies Are Where You Find Them", but I can honestly say that Shane Black has crafted my favorite noir comedy script. Considering that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is based on that book, I need to read it ASAP. Each line of dialogue is masterful and the comical beats throughout are timed and delivered to perfection. Every joke hits for me and hence why, I often say that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is one of the best comedies ever made. It also helps that there's actually a great story at the helm of this as well. It's convoluted in all the right ways like noir films typically are and it pays great homage to the classics with a self-aware and ironic sense of style. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is in my top 30 favorite movies of all time and it's a must-see. Highly recommended.