Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

An actor-turned-crook gets a second chance at his career in movies as well as fighting crime in this offbeat action comedy. Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a down-on-his-luck actor-turned-small-time crook who, while on the run from the police, literally stumbles his way into an audition for a role in a film. Not wanting anyone to know what he's been up to, Harry reads for the part — and gets it, landing a sizable role as a private detective. In order to prepare for the part, Harry is teamed up with Gay Perry (Val Kilmer), a tough-as-nails private eye, and when the film project unexpectedly goes into turnaround, Harry signs on as Gay's new partner. As Harry tries to pick up the sleuthing trade while staying out of the way of former cohorts and victims, he becomes reacquainted with Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a girl he had a major crush on in high school who may be a bit more interested in him now than she was years ago. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was the first directorial credit for Shane Black, who created the Lethal Weapon franchise.

AMG Review: With his scripts for Lethal Weapon and its first sequel, Shane Black helped to create and arguably perfect the modern action film. After taking nearly a decade off from the screen, he returns with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, a film that yet again shows that Black understands how to do this kind of material better than almost anyone. Black always remembered that story and character mattered. Action scenes come a dime a dozen, but even a rote chase scene is more suspenseful if the audience cares about the characters. For Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Black steals from the best - Raymond Chandler. The murder mystery at the heart of the film matters less than the self-referential games Black and his able cast are playing with the material. In Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, Black has found two actors capable of maintaining the tricky tone he wants to achieve, a tone that mocks the conventions of the genre he helped popularize while also firmly accepting its place in that genre. The only director who consistently performs to this high a standard with this kind of material is Quentin Tarantino, and while Black lacks Tarantino's visual flair, he can almost match Quentin's gift for story structure. Slick, funny, and very self-aware, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang provides an entertaining experience for those familiar with its antecedents as well as for those who simply enjoy a rousing action comedy.