Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

2005 Comedy

A thesp-turned-crook gets a chance at career in movies as well as crime scene investigation in this offbeat action comedy with nods to Raymond Chandler. Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a struggling New York actor who high-tails it to Los Angeles. Once there, Lockhart winds up at the posh home of the aptly named homosexual private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) amid a lavish Hollywood party, hoping to score a life-changing role in a Hollywood feature. Harry becomes reacquainted with Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a girl he had a major crush on in his small-town Indiana high school, who may be a bit more interested in him now than she was years ago. He takes both her and her girlfriend home with him, but -- in a moment of drunken stupor -- accidentally sleeps with the wrong woman. Meanwhile, when a series of female bodies turns up across L.A., Harry slowly breaks into detective work, mentored by Perry. The biggest twist? Shane Black riffs Adaptation and other films by having Harry (via satirical narration) write the movie while he is living it. Harry assures the audience that unlike Lord of the Rings, this one won't have 17 endings. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang marks the first directorial credit for Black, who created the Lethal Weapon franchise. more..

Director: Shane Black

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan,Corbin Bernsen, Dash Mihok

Reviews

  • The deliriously enjoyable noir comedy-thriller Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang does nothing by halves and everything by doubles.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • Black's retro-noir reminds us why we love movies: because they can surprise us, even when we're ankle deep in bullet casings, bodies and enough twists to tie us in knots.

    Robert K. Elder - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • Amazingly and incessantly funny, a free-form riff on Hollywood shenanigans, the film noir genre and film in general.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    26 April 2013

  • Shane Black creates a movie that is defiantly smartass and too cool for the room. I couldn't have liked it more.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

  • Has some hilarious moments and still succeeds in dramatic terms.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2006)

     
  • Best Comedy Movie

    Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2006)

     
  • Best Thriller

    Empire Awards, UK (2006)

  • Outstanding Film - Wide Release

    GLAAD Media Awards (2006)

     
  • Screenwriter of the Year

    London Critics Circle Film Awards (2006)