Setting the bar for noir films, “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan brings something to look forward to in theaters this month.
With toxic pulp humor, the movie, directed by Shane Black (screenwriter for “The Last Boy Scout” and “Lethal Weapon”) doesn’t only have viewers rolling with laughter, but truly reveals that low-budgets films can accomplish honest acting.
The film cost $15 million to make; whereas most movies cost $60 million, but Black said the budget didn’t place limitations on the movies’ resources or the systematic scenes of humor.
“Sometimes less money means fewer limitations because there are fewer people scrutinizing it,” Black said, during a conference call two weeks ago. “You realize the limitations often go away when you reduce the budget because you’re no longer bound by that need to make all that money back.”
The movie sets aside stereotypes and puts a fresh look on both sexuality and life.
Ironically, the movie focuses on something more important than the profanity and R-rated scenes; it sends a message about fate and making choices.
“Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” starts with an introduction of a character named Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.), a petty thief who narrates the story about how an incident changed his life.
The movie flips in and out of scenes from Lockhart’s past to interrelate his youth with his future.
He then describes his circumstances in the present tense when he changes his fate.
Lockhart frantically stumbled into an audition room for an acting role in a detective movie after being chased by cops.
He then partners up with Gay Perry (Kilmer), a detective who offers to train him for the screening by having Lockhart follow him around.
Although Perry is tough, strong and witty, he is also gay, which sets a conflict between the two characters allowing each to reveal a perplexed but interesting side to their relationship.
The movie heightens from there, when the two characters witness the covering up of a murder and dead bodies start showing up in the most unusual places.
The film seems to be catered toward male viewers, but any gender would enjoy the humorous tidbits and effects from the film.
Kilmer and Downey Jr. create excellent chemistry, making the movie more enjoyable to watch. The movie not only brings entertainment to the big screen, but a slice of reality, too.
The movie is 100 percent pulp and humor with a combination of sex, mystery and murder.