7.5

KISS KISS BANG BANG

Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr ) is a amateur thief who narrowly avoids getting busted by literally running straight into an audition for a Hollywood film. Surprisingly he gets the part and it soon off to Hollywood to research his detective role with real life detective Gay Perry (Val Kilmer). During their research the pair is witness to a murder, which is pinned on Harry. Naturally they pair up, reluctantly at times, in order to find the true murderer. To complicate matters Harry’s childhood crush and now struggling actress Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan) shows up with a mystery of her own to solve – but are they both connected, and will any of them live long enough to find out.

As can be garnered from the plot synopsis Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has a dense plot that can become slightly confusing if you are not giving it your full attention. However that attention span will not be a problem as the script is filled with laugh out loud one liners and rapid fire dialogue (often too rapid to keep track of). Not to mention a great collection of characters brought to life by a talented bunch of actors with excellent comedic skill and timing.

Downey and Kilmer work well together, Harry’s fish out of water reactions to the unfolding events proving great moments of comedy when contrasted against Perry’s seen it all before attitude. Downey’s narration of the film is a real highlight, providing many laughs as he bumbles through the telling of past and present events (the discovery of a body in his bathroom – and what he does to it – one of the film’s funniest moments). Monaghan as Harmony rounds out the trio providing a likable heroine who can easily hold her own, perhaps even better than Harry, when it comes to crime solving and head busting.

Certainly not what was expected Kiss Kiss Bang Bang offers a refreshing take on the detective film proving that even the most done to death genres can find new life with an off kilter take. Indeed a sequel featuring these characters would be most welcome, the ending strongly hinting at the possibility. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a clever, refreshing, engaging and most of all fun film.