Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Saturday, February 25, 2006

year: 2005
directed by: Shane Black
written by: Brett Halliday (novel) & Shane Black
notable cast: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan

Paparelli's rating: [0 = worst, **** = best]

This is one of the movies that surprised me in a very positive way. I had seen Robert Downey Jr.'s appearance on Jonathan Ross's show (on the BBC) and Robert gave me the impression he was being very hip and cocky in order to get people to watch the movie. I was expecting it to be a slightly disappointing action movie when I went in, but I liked it so much I went to see it again the following week.

Actually it's a very funny movie, action is not an important part of its appeal, that's just the setting. If I would explain what kind of movie it is, I would say that this is what Tarantino probably tried to do when he made Pulp Fiction. Only I think Pulp Fiction was not that great (an ineffective mix of weird clichés), but Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang does succeed in my opinion.

It's instantly noticable the script is based on a book. The characters and the dialogue are of a very high quality. It's all very snappy, witty and full of little jokes and references. I found myself discovering new things all the time when I saw it the second time.

There are several subthemes that pop up now and then, giving the movie a very recognizable atmosphere. I'm not sure if this originates from Halliday's novel which it is based on, or also stems from Black's writing of the script, but it feels good and that's what made me wanting to see it again after the first time. It also makes me hope there will be a sequel.

The acting is great. Downey Jr. and Kilmer are very convincing in their roles and deliver the humour well. Their characters are very likeable, but tough at the same time. They remain very cool, but it's easy to see they are caring and nice underneath it all. Sometimes it's almost like the movie makes fun of how people keep up appearances and won't show their soft spot.

Overall the movie is very entertaining and well worth to see several times. Don't bother about the main storyline, just enjoy the dialogue and the characters. I'm already looking forward to it appearing on tv. Also a sequel would be welcome (I hope they can keep the main cast together for subsequent movies).

1 Comments:

At 26 February, 2006 14:06, Anonymous said…

Fantastic review!