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Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) DVD Review
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) DVD Credits:
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) Directed by:
Shane Black
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) Written by:
Shane Black
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) Cast:
Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Joel Michaely, Corbin Bernsen
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) DVD Release Date:
12th June 2006
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

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Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) Synopsis:

Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is basically a decent guy. Sure, he's a petty thief who skates through life on a shaky cocktail of dog-eared charm and cockeyed optimism, but he wants to do the right thing. He just doesn't know how, exactly. Harry's perpetual bad luck takes a turn for the better when he and his partner are doing some after-hours Christmas "shopping" at a New York City toy store and the security alarm breaks up the party. (Yeah, it sounds like trouble, but keep reading.) In making his frantic getaway from the cops, Harry inadvertently stumbles into an audition for a Hollywood detective movie, and faster than you can say Jack Robinson, the producer flies him to Los Angeles for a screen test. Thrust into the cutthroat world of L.A.'s pros, cons, losers and wannabes, Harry is teamed with tough-guy private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer), AKA "Gay Perry," to prepare him for his screen test. Gay Perry is ruthless, relentlessly tough and – you guessed it – gay. He also has little patience for Harry, who tries out his acting skills by passing himself off as a detective. It seems like nothing short of destiny when the thief-trying-to-be-an-actor-impersonating-a-detective crosses paths with Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), an aspiring actress who needs his help. Inspired by her hero Jonny Gossamer, a fictitious hard-boiled private eye featured in a series of pulp detective novels, Harmony moved to Hollywood to pursue her dreams...but a few years and a lot of rejections later, she's facing the harsh reality that her best days may be behind her. When the mysterious suicide of Harmony's sister intersects with a seemingly unrelated case that Harry and Gay Perry are investigating, they suddenly find themselves embroiled in a real-life murder mystery. Bodies surface and re-surface...long-buried family secrets erupt in present-day mayhem...and what began as a free trip to L.A. may result in Harry's one-way ticket to the city morgue. If he's going to stay alive and become the hero that Harmony needs him to be, Harry will have to convince a reluctant Gay Perry to help him solve the case. He'll need to channel Jonny Gossamer's tough-as-nails swagger. And a little dose of luck – or is it fate? – wouldn't hurt, either.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) DVD Review:

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang begins with a misleading scene of perfection. Young children have a play magic show while adults eat barbeque. Everything is nostalgic and misleading because before you know it you are hit over the head with brilliant dark humor that leads into a fantastic title sequence. From there the film just keeps rolling, humor, charm and satire follow along for the whole entertaining journey. Shane Black’s script is dead on and Robert Downey Jr. breathes life into each line of dialogue. It seems a match made in heaven to make a film about all sorts of hell on earth.

Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.) is a petty thief in Hollywood until he bursts into a late night casting session while running from the cops. In his panicked state he is mistaken for a talented actor and given detective lessons in preparation for an audition. Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) is the private detective given the task of teaching Harry the ways and when Harry’s old high school sweetheart gets mixed up in Perry’s case things get even more complicated.

The plot is extremely simple, but the construction of the film is genius. It makes use of the very expectations that it also makes fun of. The last film to do this well was Adaptation. More than anything else, it’s a fun film to watch. There is humor in all of the right places and it is actually quite unpredictable as much as the film is unpretentious about the mystery.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang marks the directing debut of writer Shane Black, who was behind the Lethal Weapon series. Black takes his experience with these classic buddy films and applies it to a witty script that he wrote. He acting is also some of the best in a comedy I have seen in years. Kilmer is great as the wisecracking flamboyant detective while Downey Jr. is magnificently entertaining. I have always known him to be a great actor, but this is among his best work.

The genius of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is that it is postmodern cinema at its best. After years and years of watching films, we have certain preconceived notions when we go into a theater. We know how certain things are supposed to happen. If the main character acts confident and tough, we can easily assume that he is able to back it up. Shane Black works like an illusionist, leading us in one direction only to pull the curtain back to reveal a completely different end result than is expected. Sometimes this comes quiet jarringly through the narration when the voiceover talks directly to the audience, or referencing his own narration abilities. It is also common for the film itself to seemingly stop in the projector as Downy Jr. continues to narrate. These things are possible because the narrator is aware of the fact that there is an audience.

There are only a few special features on the DVD, but they are all great. There is a gag reel, which is funny because it is obvious that the actors are having a great time. Aside from the theatrical trailer, the other special feature is the commentary track. The commentary track has three of the people responsible for making this film great; Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr. and Shane Black. They are obviously comfortable with each other and there are times when they have a lot of fun, but far too much of the commentary is filled with silence that isn’t commentary. That is during the slower portion of the film, but as the film picks up so does the commentary.

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Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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