Modern film noir? (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (DVD))

Member Name: sunmeilan

Product:	Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (DVD)
Date:	15/02/08 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great performances, laugh-out-loud funny

Disadvantages: Some may find it overly violent

Harry Lockhart is a thief and lucky man. On a job with his friend, his friend gets shot and Harry is chased by the police, but manages to avoid them and, by some fluke, ends up being interviewed for a part in a film. He impresses the casting people so much that they send him to Los Angeles for a screen test, whereupon he immediately stumbles across a murder. Along with childhood friend, Harmony, and a private detective, Perry, he tries to work out who the murderer is. But will he be able to do so without being killed himself? Or indeed without losing his fingers?

Harry Lockhart is played by Robert Downey Junior. Whereas I know his name very well (who doesn't, with all the bad press), I'm not actually sure I've ever seen him in anything before - certainly I've not seen any of his recent films. It was a nice surprise to find that he is fantastic as Harry Lockhart. Harry is the male equivalent of a tart with a heart - you know he's a bit of a rough diamond, but you can't help liking him. There is something about the twinkle in his eye that I found irresistible. And despite the fact that the plot is a bit weak at times - it has more coincidences in it than an Agatha Christie book - he manages to carry off the role with skill. He has certainly won me over.

Val Kilmer, who plays Perry, is another actor about whom I know very little (no, I've never seen any of the Batman films, nor do I want to). Perry is gay, which makes room for a slew of jokes about homoexuality; however, I didn't find it at all offensive. I thought he was great as Perry. To begin with, I thought he was going to be rather bland, and in fact he may have been was it not for his relationship with Harry. The pair of them work really well together, sparking off each other, and it is a pleasure to watch them. Hmm, maybe I will give Batman Forever a try after all.

Harmony is played by Michelle Monaghan. She looks great and does a pretty good job of the role, although I wasn't exactly bowled over. The emphasis was very much on Harry and Perry though, so that is perhaps not her fault.

I love film noir, which I can best describe as rather gritty, or hardboiled, crime fiction with a dark, murky setting. It often involves a cynical private detective who, like Harry, has a past, but is basically good. Although Kiss Kiss Bang Bang certainly has the cynical Harry, it doesn't particularly have the dark, depressing settings, and although it is gritty, it also has a comedy value that I certainly can't remember from the more traditional film noirs I have seen - The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. However, I don't think this matters. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a modern film noir and I think it has injected new life into the genre, which can only be a good thing.

I knew that there were some comic moments in the film; what I didn't expect was to laugh out loud on more than one occasion. One of my favourite scenes is when a dog makes off with Harry's severed fingers. Then again, perhaps I just have a sick sense of humour! There was also a lot of humour in the relationship between Harry and Perry, something which I think is as much down to their acting skills as the screenplay.

Another thing that I liked about the film is the way that the story is told. Harry is the narrator of the story, which helps to make it seem that bit more realistic - for example, he is narrating, then remembers something else which involves going back in the story, which the viewer sees as a rewind. This may not be particularly original, but it really added colour to the story for me. A good move on the part of screenwriter and director Shane Black, to my mind at least.

The only (minor) gripe I have about the film is the very beginning. I started and stopped the film twice within the first ten minutes before I finally got round to seeing the whole film, simply because it is quite disjointed and doesn't make that much sense. Had it carried on for longer like that, I probably wouldn't have watched it. Luckily I did.

There is a fair amount of violence in the film, as can be expected with a film that is largely centred around murder, and I think that the guidance rating of 15 is about right.

I really enjoyed this film. I loved the combination of gritty thriller and comedy, and I thoroughly enjoyed the acting, particularly that of Robert Downey Junior. The plot could perhaps have been a bit more realistic, but it entertained me and so I am quite happy to allow for the lack of realism - just how many films are totally realistic anyway? Highly recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £5.99

Classification: 15

Running time: 103 minutes

Summary: A bloody good film