kiss, kISS,

bAng, banG

I remember reading one of those “Whatever happened to…” articles a couple of years ago about the former Hollywood screenwriting phenom Shane Black. You remember him, don’t you? He was that guy who wrote Lethal Weapon and sold it to a major studio at age 22 before he even graduated from film school. Back in the day, the man was a legend to the rest of us film geeks who were still trying to break into the industry.

Unfortunately, this is Hollywood we’re talking about; and, as with most overnight success stories, when Black’s Lethal Weapon series had run its course his career came to a standstill. Slowly, like the fog under a streetlight swallowing up Sam Spade at the end of one of those old, classic noir films, the name of Shane Black waned in the spotlight and faded into the L.A. smog. Our tragic hero became his own urban legend.

Or did he?

Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang marks the return of former golden boy Shane Black to the industry that originally chewed him up and spit him out almost 20 years ago. But, now the legend has returned; and, this time Black adds the title of director to his list of credits. Personally, I love the fact that this particular film is both his directorial debut and his comeback hit all rolled into one. I love it in the sense that a former “washed-up” screenwriter also brings back an entire cast of “washed-up” actors with him to star in this smart, funny, postmodern mockery of the very industry that labeled all of them as washed-up. Talk about being “Captain Fucking Magic.”

In KKBB, Robert Downey Jr. plays Harry Lockhart, a petty criminal, who manages to accidentally stumble into a casting call while running from the cops. The producer, Dabney Shaw (Larry Miller), sees Harry as his new “big discovery,” flies him to L.A., and hires a private investigator to teach him how act like a cop.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Once Harry arrives in L.A. and hooks up with P.I. “Gay Perry” (Val Kilmer), the bodies start dropping like flies. The guys inadvertently run across 2 corpses in a total of 3 hours; and, one even resurfaces (after they dispose of it) in Harry’s hotel bathroom. Add Harry’s old high school chum Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan) as an atypical femme fatale, toss in a few chase scenes here and there, mix in a bunch of tongue-in-cheek dialogue for good measure, and before too long, you’ve got yourself a good old fashioned murder mystery – Shane Black style.

From the film’s opening underwater shot (coming out of the credits) looking up at Harry trying to balance on the edge of a pool, you know this isn’t going to be your standard, run-of-the-mill detective story. As soon as Harry introduces himself as the film’s narrator and immediately tells us he’s a bad one, you realize there’s more going on than what you’re watching onscreen. Yet, by the time Harry stops to rewind the film because he accidentally left out part of the story and starts arguing with himself over whether or not he can say the word “fuck” in a movie, all you can do is just kick back and enjoy this hellacious joyride of washed-up revenge.

In all honesty, I originally intended my review of Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang to be just another short DVD blurb; but, for some reason, I just can’t stop talking about this film. It’s that smart. Because Black is purposely writing to an intelligent film audience and we recognize it, we can’t help but love him for being so damn smarmy. It’s like watching him extend his arms to re-embrace Hollywood and laughing when we see the “Kick Me!” sign he leaves on the industry’s back.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Casting Robert Downey Jr. in the role of Harry Lockhart was nothing but pure genius; and, it’s not just because of his underrated acting ability. Robert Downey Jr. is the downtrodden, self-depreciative Harry. We all know about his real life struggles with drug abuse. Come on, who hasn’t laughed at that stupid mug shot?

You start to realize just how much Downey’s absence from Hollywood as of late has been missed because his performance in Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang is flawless. He brings just the right balance of humor and trepidation to Harry’s pitiful existence through his “bad narration” and uncanny comedic timing. The same holds true for the “Iceman,” Val Kilmer, who somehow manages to pull off being both pompous and elusive at the same time, providing an effective onscreen partner for Harry. But, the best casting has to go to Corbin Bernsen playing a washed-up actor named Harlan Dexter. Huh. I never knew he could play anything other than a made-for-TV lawyer.

Overall, the film has the same type of self-awareness as Scream, which pokes fun at the genre, but never too seriously. Much like Black himself. It’s almost as if Gay Perry told him, “You’ve got 30 seconds. Go ahead and thrill me;” and, Shane did just that – only he did it over the course of an hour and forty-three minutes. Even so, most audiences will find Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang’s fast pace and flippant narration are more than entertaining enough to keep them involved all the way through to its deconstructive end.

Granted, those who aren’t familiar with the history of Shane Black probably won’t appreciate the subtle ironies of the film’s subtext as much as the rest of us film geeks. But, that’s just because we’re geeks. We still believe in the dream. We're the ones who still worship "Captain Fuckin' Magic."

Wait a minute. We are still talking about Hollywood, aren’t we? The most fickle industry on Earth? The black hole of broken dreams? Yep, that’s the one. But, if we know these clichés are true, then why do we still believe in its magic? Aaahhh…you have-a soooo much-a to wurn, young grasshoppa….

Hollywood will always be that one illusive place where even those with talent can make a comeback. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, does more than just mark the return of a tragic hero – it permanently removes the “washed-up” label from Shane Black’s nametag.

Only in Hollywood, baby…only in Hollywood.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures