Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - Review and Analysis by Scott Wood for Critical-Film.com

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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) A film review by Scott Wood For Critical-film.com   I've always been a fan of Robert Downey Jr., but along with many other people whom I have discussed him with, I don't really have a justified reason for my fandom. He hasn't starred in anything beyond “Chaplin” that I've particularly noted him in, and anything where I thought he was stand-out, he was a supporting actor, or part of an ensemble. Yet, I always knew that Downey Jr. had a role like “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” in him somewhere and that it would take just the right kind of director to get it out of him. Downey Jr. has a natural on-screen charisma similar to John Cusack, Michael Keaton, and Steve Carrel. It doesn't what the situation, he is always imminently watchable. Why he hasn't been given a chance to run a movie (complete with voice-over) like this earlier, is a mystery to me.   “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” is Shane Black's directorial debut, and a wholly enjoyable debut it is. There are so many movies made these days that attempt the kind of entertainment that Black provides with this picture, and so very few that actually succeed. Action-comedy is what I suppose you would call it, similar to the “Lethal Weapon” series that Black also penned. The tendency with movies of this genre that fail is that they go too far one way or the other, which especially hurts if the action isn't that riveting or the comedy that funny.   “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” works on both levels equally. The situations that the protagonist is put into are suspenseful and thrilling, made all the more so by the fact that Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.) is so ill-equipped to handle them. Also, the movie is funny in its charm, sarcasm, and Raymond Chandler-inspired wordplay, that the viewer cannot help but get caught up in it. It is in this way, that by being an action-comedy, one genre can enhance the other. One cares more for what happens to a character that he/she feels as though they know and like, than they do for someone they feel is distant or is unfamiliar with.   Shane Black uses a third-wall shattering technique of having the narrator talk directly to the audience as though he's telling a story impromptu with no script. It is a gutsy move, because the risk is always there of being too cheesy with it, and taking it too far. At times the narration does go too far in this ambition, but without it, I don't think I like the movie as much.   If you see entertainment as cinema's purpose, then you will love “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.” Movies actually serve many purposes: self-expression, arousal, escape, political comment, self-exploration, fear, and of course, enjoyment are just a few of these. “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” is an hour and forty minutes of pure enjoyment.   (Three and a half Stars)   This review was provided in HTML format, as your browser is not capable of displaying flash content. To experience Critical-Film.com the way it was meant to be seen, please download the flash player from <a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&promoid=BIOW">Macromedia</a>.