[4.7/10] I think I’m done with Shane Black. I’ve seen his work as a writer in *Lethal Weapon*. I’ve seen his work as a director on *Iron Man 3*. And now I’ve seen the sweaty, cliched disappointment that is *Kiss Kiss Bang Bang*. The cumulative effect of those three movies is a firm confirmation that he and I are just not on the same wavelength, so I should spend my cinematic time elsewhere.

Let’s start with the easiest way that this movie in particular and I aren’t on the same page. The level of casual sexism at play here would be shocking if it weren’t sadly common a mere decade and a half ago (and hasn’t exactly gone away either). One of our protagonist’s “likable” traits is supposed to be his constant policing of female sexuality, in a character trait so miscalibrated it becomes utterly baffling.

Then there’s the fact that the film is ridiculously male gaze-y, putting fellow lead Michelle Monaghan and basically every other woman in the film in skimpy clothing and panning and zooming in on them in an objectifying way. I’m no prude, but there’s a clear dichotomy between the male and female characters in terms of who gets to be a character and who’s supposed to be a trophy and/or eye candy.

Then there’s the equally causal homophobia with respect to “Gay Perry” (which, in fairness, is a solid pun, at least). Even if you want to excuse the indiscriminate dropping of gay slurs as a product of the time, the film spends plenty of Perry’s moments on screen using his sexuality as fodder for the laziest of jokes in a way that quickly becomes cringeworthy.

That said, credit where credit is due, *Kiss Kiss Bang Bang* makes Perry the most competent and enjoyable character in the film. Much of that owes to the performance by Val Kilmer who pulls off the relaxed, capable, comfortable-in-my-own-skin vibe extraordinarily well and elevates a character and writing that even the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Michelle Monaghan are otherwise sunk by.

That especially comes through in the dialogue, which plays as overly cutesy and eye roll-worthy when it’s aiming to be charming and witty. This is a fratty version of the sort of motor-mouthed script penned by the likes of Amy Sherman-Palladino or Joss Whedon, where everyone’s full of rapid-fire quips and references, only here, Black’s take on the same patter is to toss in the aforementioned demeaning shtick and otherwise fail to the conversations that ring that sets truly great dialogue apart.

The film’s also full of unavailing post-modern touches in a crime film that make it feel like a lesser version of what Martin McDonaugh would later pull off in *Seven Psychopaths* (starring Harry’s erstwhile rival, Colin Farrel). Harry spends much of the movie not only talking directly to the audience via voiceover, but yakking about the conventions of Hollywood movies and the way these action-mysteries tell their stories even as he’s in one. It plays as cheesy and too cute by half rather than a genuinely clever device to get a bit meta.

The conceit generates a smattering of laughs here and there (mostly just Abraham Lincoln coming in with the parade of not-quite-dead cast members at the end), but mainly just contributes to the fingers-crossed, “What is even the point here?” vibe of the whole picture. The same goes for how Black and his characters use a hackneyed series of mystery novels to poke at its own deployment of those same tropes. It doesn’t come off as smart or self-aware, just “too cool for school” detached.

It also results in an overly winking method for *Kiss Kiss Bang Bang* to telegraph its own unavailing mystery. There’s one decent, well-motivated twist here, namely the reveal of what really happened with Harmony’s sister that plausibly accounts for her suicide and justifies the inclusion of the pink-haired woman. But beyond that, everything else in the mystery veers between the plainly obvious and the convoluted/contrived. This isn’t one of those clockwork mysteries where everything snaps into place. Instead, it’s a whodunnit that just makes the various occurrences seem more random and a matter of good/bad luck than good schemes or better detective work.

That sense of contrivedness extends to the way our heroes get into and out of tight scrapes. Nigh-magical headbutts, corpse arms that can support the weight of a human body while the action hero type is able to simultaneously dangle and blast away the bad guys, and tons of people getting shot and ending up little worse for wear all let the film descend into the action flick cliché festival it otherwise wants to make fun of. These scenes aren’t plausibly staged and lack real tension or suspense given the playacting vibe of the whole piece.

Some of this could be forgiven or excused if you wanted to spend more time with any of these characters besides Perry. Our protagonist is all but unlikable, seemingly blowing off his friend’s death after the opening scene and having little more than a stock “I always cut and run; I’ve gotta see this through” speech to give him any depth beyond his quirks. Harmony is a prime candidate for “men writing women” collections to be scorned. There’s just nothing here other than an hour and forty-five minutes of self-satisfied suck.

Which is all to say that Shane Black’s vibe just doesn’t work for me. There’s a try-hard quirkiness at the core of his works that always seems to be holding the audience at arm’s length at the same time it tries to wink at us. There’s no humanity or soul to these pictures, instead just a bundle of smart remarks, metatextual nods, and contrived scenarios. Throw in the unexamined, oft-condescending takes on women and gay people, and you have an ostensible auteur whose visions just don’t resonate with yours truly. There’s better crime stories, better RDJ vehicles, and better fourth wall-nudging movies out there than anything Black, or *Kiss Kiss Bang Bang* can offer.

Funny story, tailored for Robert Downey Jr. with a superlative Michelle Monaghan. Val Kilmer shines like in movies some years ago.

It's literally like someone took America by the East Coast and shook it, and all the normal girls managed to hang on.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is written and directed by Shane Black. It stars Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. Music is by John Ottman and cinematography by Michael Barrett.

Small time thief Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.) is running from the police and stumbles into a movie audition and gets the part! Partnered with private detective Gay Perry (Kilmer), who is to show him the ropes for the part he's to play, things turn just a little weird when dead bodies start turning up in his life…

Shane Black's first venture into big feature film directing is a master class of genre bending bravado. The screenplay and script bare all the hallmarks of Black, where anyone familiar with his writing work previously will know where to set expectation levels as per barbed dialogue and blitzkrieg energy. Yet this is very much one of a kind, a standalone of such dizzying thrills and shameless awareness of movie conventions, it practically begs to be visited on more than one occasion.

To simplify it, it's a neo-noir – murder mystery – bromance – romance – comedy – actioner! OK, so not really that simple, then! Black takes a loving homage to pulp cinema and mixes it with caustic asides to the Los Angeles industry that provides him with work. How wonderful. Downey's (fabulous) Lockhart is the fulcrum, acting as antagonist, protagonist, narrator and a number of other things as Black runs him through the meta mangler. Kilmer (also fabulous) sidles up to deliver sarcasm, machismo and tongue in cheek posturing, the chemistry with Downey concrete. An odd couple pairing beautifully baring fruit, and, well, just beautiful really.

Into the mix is the gorgeous Monaghan, who as Harry's childhood object of affection, is now a failed actress, slightly damaged, but strong and savvy, but also not, an unconditional femme fatale, but also not really! Corbin Bernsen (whose company produced the pic) files in for some joy filled has-been smarm, while sound tracking and photography sit comfortably with the nature of the beast. As a plot it's deliberately complex and convoluted, Black knows his noir onions, but he also wants to put his vibrant stamp on things, so he crowbars the comedy of The Hard Way into the hardboiled haze of The Big Sleep. And it works very well indeed.

Violence is aplenty but very much irreverently played. Murders occur, either by design or otherwise, various body parts get assaulted and they shouldn't make for belly laughs, but they do; and not in some lame Weekend at Bernie's way either. And yet still Black has time to trickle sad themes below the surface, one in particular really hits home and forces the viewer to snap out of the frivolity for some reflection. Make no bones about it, these are damaged characters straight out of noir's dark alleyways in the 40s and 50s. So Capra meets Siodmak - Dmytryk - Mann - Tourneur - Wilder...then?

Smarty pants film making makes for smart entertainment, see it more than once. Hell! See it annually in fact. 9/10

**Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’s excellent acting, script, and writing are held back by its annoying and avoidable language and nudity.**

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a clever and unique mystery movie with brilliant writing, dialogue, and acting weighed down by unnecessary and excessive language and nudity. Seriously, I would love this movie if you cut out all the f-bombs and nakedness. Robert Downey Jr. basically auditions for Iron Man with his manic and witty performance, and his unlikely friendship with Val Kilmer’s character is highly entertaining and hilarious. Characters break the fourth wall several times throughout, keeping the movie comical and fresh. I really wanted to like this movie more, but the crass language and needless nudity hold Kiss Kiss Bang Bang back from being a holiday regular.

Probably the best thing Shane Black's ever made, and I do not say that lightly, even the worst things he's behind have been okay, and the great (like _Kiss Kiss Bang Bang_) are truly great. The movie that turned me on to lead man Robert Downey Jr., but it's Val Kilmer that steals the show here.

_Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite._