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| Harry Lockhart (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.
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.
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Here's what our members thought of this title. 5 stars = very good, 1 star = poor.
 |  | A thrilling combination of all the best genres, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a razor sharp comedy, a complex murder mystery, a wild action adventure and an odd couple buddy movie rolled into one. Cynical and self-referential with a twisted, amusing world view and some solid gold performances, it's a cool film noir for the Noughties, fiendishly devised by first time director Shane Black.
Robert Downey Jr is Harry, a thief masquerading as an actor pretending to be a detective. Val Kilmer is Gay Perry, a seasoned private eye who likes men and tiny pistols. Michelle Monaghan, meanwhile, is Harmony, a struggling actress of easy virtue who is drawn to the guys by way of her sister's unlikely suicide. Intricate plotting prevents us from revealing any of the subsequent twists and turns as it's much too complex to explain in brief. Suffice to say it's a supremely entertaining ride, an ingenious parody that works at least as well as the movies it mocks.
"Shane has a unique voice that comes through in everything he writes," says producer Joel Silver, who first worked with Black back in 1987 when the budding screenwriter gave him Lethal Weapon. "Whether he's honoring the conventions of the genre or deliberately defying them, he always brands his films with original characters, innovative action and memorable dialogue. His writing style is as entertaining as the movies that wind up on the screen."
"I thought Shane's script was funny, romantic, suspenseful and full of fresh, unexpected moments," continues Silver, clearly a fan. "It's a sophisticated blend of genres and ideas. It pays homage to noir films and the pulp detective stories, but the tone is utterly contemporary. The passion he has for the private eye tradition really comes through. It might be the most romantic story Shane's ever written. It's definitely his most original."
"With Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Shane does for the private eye genre what he did for the action movie," says executive producer Susan Levin. "He brings together original, engaging characters in a story infused with clever dialogue and a rapid-fire tempo that calls back to classic screwball comedies. It was one of the best pieces of material I'd read in some time. With great material, you will attract great actors."
First of those great actors is Robert Downey Jr. "There's something about Harry that keeps you rooting for him, despite his tendency to get in his own way," suggests Silver. "We needed an actor who could convey the character's blend of optimism, recklessness, misguided persistence and likeability. In addition to his obvious talents as an actor, Robert Downey Jr. exudes a boyish charm and an appeal that is perfect for Harry."
"Robert totally inhabits Harry," says Black. "He brought a great deal of vulnerability and tenderness to the character, along with his endearing boyishness and a subtle comic timing that comes across in a simple gesture or a look. He brings a total commitment to his performance that appears effortless, but it's really misleading because it's tremendously difficult to do."
"Harry is the guy who wakes up when the neon lights go on," muses Downey, "and I've had some experience with being nocturnal myself. Like so many of us, Harry wants to do the right thing, even if he doesn't quite know how."
Standing by Harry, though he'd really rather not, is Perry, as played by Val Kilmer. "Gay Perry is a steely-eyed S.O.B. who could kick your teeth in, but he also has a few fussy predilections," says Black. "Despite the fact that his candor makes some of his clients uncomfortable, Perry is iconic. He's a mythic figure who commands the room when he enters it, and Val does that brilliantly."
"Val has a reputation for being this stoic actor that everyone is almost afraid of because he's so intense," concludes the writer/director, "but he's got a great sense of humor about himself that really shows in this character. At the same time, he brings a real subtlety to his portrayal of Perry, making this classic tough guy credibly gay without resorting to stereotypes or lapsing into caricature."
Smart, tough, funny, wild, violent and surprising, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a must list movie.
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