Image courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director :
Shane Black
Cast :
Robert Downey Jr……….Harry Lockhart
Val Kilmer……….Gay Perry
Michelle Monaghan……….Harmony Faith Lane
Corbin Bernsen……….Harlan Dexter
Shane Black reinvented the wheel, so to speak, with 1987’s Lethal Weapon. It would wind up catapulting Mel Gibson and Danny Glover into prominence and, amongst other things, gave the modern buddy action film a new template to work off. Having authored several sequels in the Lethal Weapon franchise, as well as several other notable action films, Black has taken the next logical step that every successful writer (and otherwise mediocre actor) takes: become a writer/director.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is the latest from Black, whose resume is dotted with appearances in such action stalwarts as Predator and writing credits for a number of films (including The Last Boy Scout and Last Action Hero). And for someone who’s been a pioneer of the action genre, Black certainly has taken those lessons to heart with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
The film centers on Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.), a thief from New York who winds up in the middle of a casting call. Somehow winning the part of a detective, he’s assigned the aptly named Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) to learn how to be a private investigator. Running into his old high school sweetheart Harmony (Michelle Monaghan) at a local bar, Lockhart winds up in the middle of a murder mystery that blurs the edge between fantasy and reality that doubles as both an amazingly funny spoof of the buddy action movie genre and a top notch entry to it.
The film is smartly directed and tightly written; Black has written a perfect action movie in Lethal Weapon and takes many cues from it in the action sequences. It’s inventive and creative, able to mix some well-developed comedy into some intense action situations. It’s obvious from his past that he knows how to develop action, but its how he weaves it into the story is fascinating. There aren’t action scenes there for the sake of having them; the action is quick and deliberate, but doesn’t overwhelm the story. This is a smart film, and it shows.
The film is also a bit self-effacing as well; narrated by Harry, that takes shots at the genre and at the film itself through it. The narration gets the facts incorrect, has to rewind and pause itself for clarity as well as comment on the film itself. There’s a certain “tongue in cheek” nature to it, as Harry even admits at one point that they use too much profanity as well as that his narration isn’t very good in other points as well.
With all this going for it, what really makes the film work is the chemistry between Kilmer and Downey. They act and react to each other in the way that Gibson and Glover did 20 years ago; Perry is a consummate professional and Lockhart is trying to fake his way through everything. Throw in Monaghan to the fray, with a tremendous chemistry with the duo, and it’s a film that thrives on the chemistry.
