Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang DVD Review (Robert Downey Jr.) Empire Movies

KISS KISS, BANG BANG DVD REVIEW

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
(Warner Home Video)

The Movie

The Extras

Reviewed by

8/10

6/10

Liam

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is a little bit of everything. It's a bit of a throwback to you old-day noir mysteries. It's a bit of a thriller. It's a bit of a comedy. The only thing that it isn't a little bit of is fun. No, instead it's a lot of fun from beginning to end.

The movie stars Robert Downey Jr. as Harry Lockhart, a criminal who while fleeing a crime, happens upon some movie auditions. It just so happens that the scene he's "auditioning" for is very similar to the crime he's fleeing from. He screams at the top of his lungs that his partner has been shot and admits his responsibility for his partner getting killed. The casting agents, oblivious to the fact that he's telling the truth, hire him based solely on his "old-school method style" of acting. (If only it were that easy...) Next thing we know, he's at a party for the movie he's been cast in. There, he is introduced to a gay detective (Val Kilmer) who is working on the movie, teaching Harry how to be more realistic. Soon, the two of them are thrown into a real-life murder mystery involving a sweetheart (Michelle Monaghan) that Harry grew up with.

If you read my reviews regularly, you'll know one of my biggest complaints is that movies just aren't original anymore. Well, with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang what we get is a little borrowed from a lot of different movies and genres and that's what makes the movie itself original. The movie is better as a sum of its parts. The characters are fun. The mystery is genuine and keeps you guessing up until the very end. Plus the movie isn't afraid to poke fun at itself from time to time.

I find that I'm becoming more and more a fan of Robert Downey Jr. During his whole "dark period" with the drugs and the arrests I pretty much wrote the guy off as nothing more than an entertainment headline. But with his performance in "The Singing Detective" and now this movie I'm really warming up to him and hoping he can turn in some more great dark comedic performances. Also, I've gotta mention Val Kilmer. This is another guy who is too often written off for his off-screen behaviour and his rumored on-set troubles and oversized ego. Say whatever you will about the guy, but more often than no he turns in solid performances and this movie is no different. And Michelle Monaghan? She's as talented as she is beautiful and I can't think of a better compliment.

Special features on this DVD include a great audio commentary by stars Downey and Kilmer with writer/director Shane Black, a 4-minute gag reel and the film's theatrical trailer.

Like I said, what I enjoyed most about this movie is that it was a cross-genre success. Too often you'll have movies that try too hard to be too much and fail. This movie has fun with itself and it translates into a movie that is fun to watch. And that success should be credited not only to stars Downey and Kilmer but also largely to writer/director Shane Black. Listening to this DVD's audio commentary only cements how much fun everybody had making this movie. Put it all together and what you've got is a movie that is very easy to recommend.

Features
Gag Reel
Commentary with Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr. and Shane Black
Theatrical Trailer

Video
Widescreen Version

Audio
English Dolby Surround 5.1
French Dolby Surround 5.1
Spanish Dolby Surround Stereo

Subtitles
English
French
Spanish
Closed-Captioned

Release Date
June 13, 2006

Rating
14A

Length
103 mins.

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