Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

I didn't hear much about this movie when it was released last year, but I heard enough to make me want to see it. It didn't seem to me to be the type of film that would show locally, but I live near enough to a large city that I can drive less than an hour to see more "artsy" films if I so desire. Unfortunately — and for reasons unknown to me — even the bigger venues nearby never had Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang on their marquees. I'd all but forgotten about it when a movie buff friend of mine mentioned it had been released on DVD and suggested we rent it. I agreed, and now I can only regret that I didn't drive whatever distance might have been required to see this gem sooner.

As Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang begins (the title references what one cynical moviegoer suggested to be the basic premise of too many movies), we meet petty thief, Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey, Jr.). He and a partner are Christmas "shopping" in New York when a mishap leads to a police presence. As he runs away from the cops, Harry bursts through a door only to find the room occupied by several people seated at a long table. He's surprised that they're not surprised, and he's even more nonplussed when they welcome him and hand him a sheet of paper.

Harry, as it turns out, has mistakenly entered a room where auditions for a new detective movie are ongoing. Thinking he's the next actor to read for the lead part, the group begins his audition without further ado. Harry is just about to inform them of their mistake when a police officer shows up. By going with the flow, Harry manages to avoid arrest and — shocking even himself — secures a screen test at the same time.

Once Harry is in Los Angeles, he's teamed up with a real investigator, Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer), so that he can get some background for his character. Perry, who is flagrantly homosexual and thus known to most of his acquaintances as "Gay Perry," barely tolerates Harry's presence. But a job is a job, so Perry cooperates, at least to some extent.

Harry and Perry first meet at a party thrown by the wealthy Harlan Dexter (Corbin Bernson) where Harry manages to find trouble; later, Perry takes Harry on a stake-out with him. If that's not enough to keep Harry occupied, things begin to get really complicated when Harry runs into the beautiful Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan) and discovers he has feelings for her. At the same time, the stake-out with Perry goes very, very wrong; Harmony wants Harry's help with a problem of her own; and the Los Angeles fast life has Harry's head spinning from good guys to bad guys, and from guys who seem bad but who might be okay after all. Or vice versa. Or even, possibly, both.

If all of this sounds complicated — and I've frankly not touched on the half of it — well, it kind of is. But not to worry: Harry helpfully serves as an informative narrator to ensure the audience keeps up with all of the action. So we have Harry, Perry, Harmony, and Harlan, plus twists, turns, and dangers involving characters like Mr. Frying Pan, Mr. Fire, and Pink Hair Girl all coming into play. And the result — which could so easily have been a chaotic mess — is a wonderful melange of comedy, mystery, drama, and more.

Robert Downey, Jr. has long been known as a brilliant actor, but he's had problems getting and keeping work at various times in the past thanks to some serious problems with drugs and alcohol. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was filmed after his rehabilitation, and his brilliance here is incandescent. He's funny, he's tragic, he's dramatic, and touchingly vulnerable, sometimes all at once. His demons aside, he's arguably the best actor of his generation (I consider his only real peer to be Johnny Depp).

Val Kilmer serves as a surprisingly good foil for Downey with some real comedic talents of his own (those of you who've seen Kilmer starring in the obscure Top Secret — if you're an Airplane fan, you'll love Top Secret if you can get your hands on it — already knew he could do it). Michelle Monaghan who seemed wooden at times in this summer's Mission: Impossible III is delightful in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; Corbin Bernson and the others in the supporting cast are also very good.

Shane Black made his directorial debut with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. He also wrote the script, which doubtless helped his able direction and excellent edits considerably when piecing the story together. Black, who may be best known for penning the original Lethal Weapon screenplay (he also had more than a little to do with the Lethal Weapon sequels as well as other films such as The Last Action Hero), has really topped himself here. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang has the best script I've seen since the superlative Sideways. Topping off a truly clever script is the fact that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang knows it's a movie, and it knows we're watching it, and somehow that device — which really only worked really well some years ago in the TV series Moonlighting — only makes this very good movie even better. Good for Black!

In researching a little background material for writing this review, I learned that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang received a standing ovation when it premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival. I'm not all that surprised. My girlfriend and I laughed so hard we had to rewind the movie on more than a few occasions to catch things we subsequently missed; we actually clapped at some scenes during the movie; we both jumped and shouted a couple of times; and we both raved about it the minute it was over to such an extent that we were seriously tempted to watch it again right then and there (only time constraints prohibited us from doing so).

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang may be the best movie you've never heard of — or at least not heard enough about. Buy it, rent it, or borrow it, but if you like movies, for heaven's sake, see it. As you likely know, I don't give top marks to very many movies. But this one deserves it and then some.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is rated R for "language, violence, sexuality and nudity." The humor is also very adult. (How many children are going to get the pun that is "Gay Perry" anyway?) I can't recommend the movie for children under the age of, say, 16 or so. But for those adults with intelligence combined with a black sense of humor, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang will be a real highlight of your movie watching year, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

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