Review of Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) (2001) by Michael Y — 08 Mar 2011

"Anyway, by now you may wonder how I wound up here. Or, maybe not. Maybe you wonder how silly putty picks shit up from comic books." This defines the movie's theme perfectly. Original and hilarious.

A thief goes from stealing Christmas gifts to being invited to a Hollywood producer's party. He tags along with a private investigator to prepare for a role he accidently auditioned for, but winds up in a murder mystery as though it were right out of a pulp fiction novel. Now he, the private investigator and his high school sweetheart try to solve this completely tangled up, unpredictable series of events. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang has some of the best dialogue I have ever heard in a film, quickly and hilariously preformed by Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. These two work wonders together as serious and yet comedical characters. The comedy is wonderfully original, but you have to have a quick ear to catch every word and continuing references. The murder mystery itself might be overwhelmingly complex, but it's homage to the old film noir genres is very well constructed, and at times, emotionally sweet.

The sence of noir is very abundant in this movie. It's a 2005 movie, but it captures the mood and look of noir films wonderfully. When it's not trying to be comedical. But it's advanced and impressive detail of different lighting and creative camera positions make a mysterious movie. Though this movie is a neo-noir movie, it is set in the bizzar world of modern day L.A. The parties, the clubs, every place in this movie gives the sence of what L.A. has turned into but still hasn't lost it's deep dark side around it's corners.

Robert Downey Jr. is priceless in this movie. Not only for being the funny man we love, but for playing a more-than-meets-the-eye kind of character that faces these unpredictable situations and decisions. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang drives itself to be different, and that's exactly what you'll see.