Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Well, any film that features the directing debut of one of the greatest action screenwriters ever and features a teaming of two Future Oscar Winners should be a must-see for everyone. And as much as I enjoyed seeing the Legends Kilmer and Downey together, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the show got stolen by Michelle Monaghan as the female lead and Downey’s childhood friend he has always loved. Sexy, quirky, smart, and likable, she more than holds her own with her formidable co-stars and many of the best scenes here are the quieter ones where her ability and charisma take center stage. The film has a lot more comedy in it than Black’s usual fare, even veering at times into ZAZ territory, though luckily that’s kept to a minimum, but the dialogue is quite crisp, with many great one-liners and putdowns (mostly out of Kilmer’s mouth). Kilmer’s mentor role is played close to the vest and never over the top, managing to keep the character serious in spite of all the humor. Downey is the weakest of the trio, but still carries the film in fine fashion even if his narration at times goes off the tracks into being outrageously zany. The only real faults of the film is the now cliche technique (first seen in Black’s Long Kiss Goodnight) of having a major character seemingly shot dead only to have them up and about shortly thereafter with a minimum of damage. In addition, the film does kind of peter out in the last 5 minutes, with a heavyhanded scene between Kilmer and someone’s father, and NO satisfying resolution to the Downey-Monaghan relationship which in many ways was the heart of the film. Up until then though, it’s smart, funny, and action-packed, with much of the laughs coming from violent scenes (the vendor who opens fire and kills a bad guy, the interrogation of the orderly), and Downey getting the film’s most dramatic moment with the first time he’s ever had to kill somebody. All in all, a must-see for any fans of the two legends, and a chance to see a new female star hopefully on the rise…
9/10