Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
For Shane Black, who’d been out of the Hollywood game since the late 90s, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang would ultimately bring its own reward, as it inadvertently led to his appointment as the director of last year’s hugely successful Iron Man 3. But in 2005, the comedy thriller was something of a gamble for Black, one of the most highly-paid screenwriters of the 80s and 90s. Quirky and occasionally violent, it’s a fusion of Black’s own slick humour, all bickering dialogue and one-liners, and the hardboiled detective novels he clearly loves. Robert Downey Jr, who was himself just coming out of a difficult patch in his career, stars as Harry Lockhart, a shambling actor who pairs with Val Kilmer’s private investigator in order to research a potential film role. Together, they’re drawn into a complex and unpredictable murder case which takes in Michelle Monahan, a severed finger and a hungry dog. It’s a rambling, sharp and very funny film, full of digressions and bewildering turns of events, and Black’s laid-back direction and the sparky performances make it entertaining from beginning to end. A limited theatrical release meant that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang barely made its money back in 2005, but it’s a film which deserves to be remembered as a cult classic. With a hit like Iron Man 3 under his belt, we’re hoping Black gets to make more films like this one very soon. Continue @ denofgeek.com
