Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Film Review)

IT’S HARD TO KNOW WHERE to start with this review, but I already know where to finish. Essentially it boils down to this… if there is one film you must see before the end of the year – this is it! Forget the blockbusters and Harry Potters – go see some real quality for a change! Next to my Sin City review I can’t quite think of another film this year which has impressed me so much. It really is an outstanding film. So – where to begin then? Well – let’s start with some words to describe this film…

Witty, Stylish, Outrageous, Surprising, Original, Hillarious, Shocking, Entertaining, Worthy.

I’ll base my review on each of the above words and by the time I’m finished – you will see what I mean, and why I’m advocating you go out, right now and book your seat at the cinema before this one leaves the lists to be replaced by something wholesome and family orientated for the kids at Christmas!

The Summary

First up lets deal with the plot summary for those of you who have no idea what the film is about. A petty thief (Robert Downey Jr.) posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl (Michelle Monaghan) and a gay detective (Val Kilmer) who’s been training him for his upcoming role.

Witty

Let’s start with witty then. This has the sharpest script I’ve heard in a long time. It has elements of Tarrintino and even some Burton mixed in there, but for the most part it’s just a fabulous mix of sharp one liners, witty exchanges and vicious putdowns. In fact – I’m going to splatter some quotes from the film throughout the rest of this review just for the hell of it, and to give you a taste of what’s in store for you

Stylish

The cinematography on this is terriffic. It’s the usual LA style and glamour that you’d expect from a slick flick of this genre, but it’s not done in an invasive way. Colours are sharp, but not overstated. Dress is quirky enough to keep it interesting, but not enough to cause you to do a double take. The script steals the show completely, but is followed closely by the acting from Downey Jr. In fairness – he probably didn’t have to act much in this (based on his personal life thus far) – but whatever the reasons, it just works.

Outrageous

There are some pretty amazing scenes in this film, and some cracking dialogue which frequently goes right to the edge of ‘too far’ without going over the edge. Moments spring to mind which are just so jaw dropping that you find the audience around you are having the same reaction as you – a combination of either tear inducing laughter or scrotum squishing cringing at the scenes on the screen in front of you. You sit there and think did they really just do that? and then you realise, yes they did and you just roll with it. The nature of the characters on the screen, and the pace of the plot keeps you interested though, and as an audience member you are never left behind for long.

Surprising

The plot twists are good enough to keep you interested, and there are quite a few surprises thrown in there to keep you guessing. This film is part detective story, part thriller and mostly comedy / buddy film territory – but it is done with great love and attention to detail. I was very surprised at just how well Downey Jr. was able to pull this off. I’ve watched him in a lot of films where I got the impression he was just ok. Not bad – but not great. In this film, he pretty much steals the show, both on screen (as Harry Lockhart) and off (as the narrator). I was surprised that Val Kilmers character (Perry Van Shrike) was so muted by comparison – but then as the film progresses I was thankful that it didn’t play to the usual cliches and go where other films featuring a gay detective would. And the most surprising thing about this film was the sheer entertainment value. I was still laughing in the car on the way home. I’m laughing now as I write this review just thinking about the various scenes. Honestly.

Original

I love the way this film is constructed and I really loved the narration. I’ve only encountered one other film where the narration was so fundamental to the story progression and keeping the audience entertained – and that was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This goes even further in the narration stakes and it works very well. Downey’s voiceover is just as jaded and sarcastic as it should be. The film literally oozes sarcasism and the way individual scenes play out are never as you would expect them. The script is highly entertaining and original, leaning toward ‘film noir’ in places but kept alive by the most acerbic exchanges of dialogue I’ve encountered since Pulp Fiction.

Hillarious

I’m not overstating this when I say this is the funniest movie I’ve seen this year. It’s just so sharp and well paced that you find yourself howling out loud at parts, in tears it’s so good. I even found myself laughing up to 4-5 minutes after the punchline or gag, just because it was so good. As an inept and stupid character in the plot, Downey Jr’s Harry Lockhart yields plenty of opportunities for gags and laughs, but it’s his interaction with almost everything around him which truely makes this stand out. I’m not kidding – funny doesn’t come close. Hillarious, gut wrenching, tear inducing, scrotum squishing – now they come close!. I could tell you what specific scenes I’m referring to – but that would spoil the fun. Trust me – you will know them when they hit – and there are many of them sprinkled throughout the film.

Shocking

Yup – there are some pretty shocking scenes in the film which you just don’t see coming. But they do anyway and once you get over the initial ‘Fuck me!’, it all just seems to make sense with the mood of the film. I’m looking forward to a second viewing (knowing what’s coming) to see if holds up as well.

Entertaining

At no point during this film will you be bored, or thinking about anything else other than what’s up on the screen in front of you. You may be slightly distracted by the audience around you – either convulsing in laughter or spitting out their popcorn in shock – depending on the scenes in question. Entertainment value on this one is huge.

Worthy

The only way to finish this (admittedly gushing) review is to simply say – this film is worthy. It’s worthy of your admittence at the cinema, of your indulgence on DVD and most of all, it’s worthy of being collected and put on your DVD shelf to be dragged down whenever you need good laugh. Enjoy – I certainly did!