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• Amusing 'Black' comedy, some of Kilmer and Downey's best recent material, "Bang Bang" has that essence of cool posted on 20 Aug 2009

  ***1/2 Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan, Larry Miller, Corbin Bernsen, Angela Lindvall. Directed by Shane Black"Leathal Weapon" creator Shane Black is back with "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and amusing buddy flick. And sure we've seen the whole routine with feuding amongst the two which leads to idiotic events in the case but it works well her. Even if you've seen it a million times before "Bang Bang" seems to be original and witty with the jokes in it. A well adapted Brett Halliday novel done by director Black most of the dialogue is not serious but that is good because in this line of material you want to hear something funny Petty crook Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.) is mistaken for an actor and sent to L.A where he meets up with his dream girl sweet heart (Monaghan). Their rekindled relationship goes awry against his newly found case lead by Gay Perry (Kilmer, who has the essence of cool). The two attempt to find the whereabouts of a corpse and leads to some very amusing pieces of comedy.Shane Black does a great job directing "Kiss Kiss" and it does have the essence of cool. But what is so cool is that the essence is real and the movie isn't overbearing in an egotistical manner. The movie works very well, Kilmer and Downey do some of their best recent material. Surely one of the year's most under rated movies and a soon to be comedic icon

• Best movie I've seen in months posted on 18 Aug 2009

  Val Kilmer as Gay Perry was a perfect fit. He played the role so well. Witty and funny without relying on the same old stereotype. Better than most actors playing gay men. Robert Downey and Michelle Monaghan also played their roles to perfection. Some of the best scenes in the movie came from these two working together.I was not expecting a spy/thriller/mystery to be nearly as funny. I doubt that anything along these lines will come out for years with the same comedic punch. Right from the opening scene, you felt like you were actually looking at the situation through RDJr.'s point of view. Personally, I think he is a much better narrator than Morgan Freeman...funnier at least.

• Thankyou you've made my day posted on 04 Aug 2009

  Ah, it's so rare and refreshing when something just oozes with talent. Haven't laughed that much since... actually I can't remember.Anyway, "welcome to the party". If you haven't got here yet then stop what you're doing and if you're not watching this within an hour then there's no hope for you. Your narrator will be Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr), who steals stuff (toys, gum, watch, whole lot of other things which aren't free) but don't worry he "feels badly" about it. He didn't really pay attention when they were teaching grammar, probably because he was staring at Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), the 'dreamgirl' who screwed every guy in school except him and his best friend Chook Chutney, who, according to 'Gay' Perry (Val Kilmer), was probably also gay. 'Gay' Perry by the way says stuff like "poo-perfect hell", keeps a small revolver by his balls, oh and his ring-tone is 'I Will Survive'.Ah it's bringing a smile back to my face already... :-D Back to the point, Harry has gone from N.Y. to L.A. by an interesting turn of fate, and he's being taught detective lessons by 'Gay' Perry for his screen test. Lesson 1 is: what to do when you witness a car driven into a lake with a dead girl locked in the trunk. Lesson 2: how to concentrate on pretending to be a private detective whilst trying to get a spider out of Harmony's bra when she turns up blathering on about her murdered sister. Lesson 3: what to do when the dead girl suddenly turns up in your shower and why you shouldn't accidentally pee on the corpse.Add a cut off finger, definitions of the word 'idiot', 'Ike, Mike and Mustard', hanging on by the arm of the same corpse suspended in mid-air, Protocop eating cookies and drinking beer, some of the strangest Christmas parties I've ever seen and detective novels where "my case... and your case... are the same f***ing case".Not your thing? Go and see it anyway, just for the scenes between Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer, Shane Black has written the best material for their characters, I can't find fault in it. Really. I'll be paying more attention to all three in future."Now go, vanish".

• Downey excels posted on 04 Aug 2009

  Being Shane Black's first directing attempt, he nailed it.. Perfect job, Shane. Robert Downey Jr. was superb as Harry. You are laughing one minute and tearing up the next. His quick delivery of the one liners is Downey's forte.Val Kilmer and Downey have a real chemistry on the screen. You can tell they are friends and have much respect for the other's craft. Michelle as Harmony was fantastic, also.. I had never seen her in a movie, but will certainly look for her projects in the future. I hope Shane will think about a sequel for these actors. Kilmer and Downey are just too good together to not pair them again on screen.. Go see this movie, you will have a great time. You might even want to see it over and over, and that's a rarity these days...

• poor casting and undecided direction for film posted on 29 Jul 2009

  I watched the film with zero knowledge of what it was even about, no trailer nothing. That said, the film doesn't have a clear direction. It tries to be quirky and funny while trying to be an action/thriller/who don it... It doesn't really deliver on any of those to any high degree. It has a few funny moments but only a handful... it has a few action/thriller moments but maybe only a couple.... as for th whodunit, well its pretty clearly a formula whodunit because you figure things out way before the characters on screen. So it fails to know what it is supposed to be.The second more damaging problem is the casting. There isn't a problem with Downey it with the Michelle and Val. With Val you just don't buy him as the gay detective... he does a pretty good fat detective but I doubt a gay detective in Hollywood would ever allow himself to pack on as many pounds a val has in this movie. The second problem is with Michelle, she is just two young for the role. Her character and Downey's are supposed to be the same age (34) and quite frankly it just doesn't work. Lets face it reality is wasn't even 30 when she made the film and he was already past 40... so what were they doing splitting the difference and picking 34 as their age? Sorry but he looks 40 and she looks like her mid twenties. Now considering their supposed past in the film it doesn't fly... moreover they didn't even need to have had a past for the film to have worked, it would have worked better if they had no past together.

• Great movie with tons of funny scenes. I was rolling in my seat with laughter! posted on 23 Jul 2009

  I saw a special screening of the movie yesterday and I thought it was going to be so boring, but I was entirely wrong! It was very funny and well written. It was a refreshing take on screenplays and acting and its great to see Robert Downey Jr. back again. Val Kilmer's role as Gay Perry was also spectacular. Michelle Monaghan looks like she can be Liv Tyler's little sister but with more substance (sorry Liv Tyler fans) I loved the sarcasm and humorous one-liners used throughout the movie. The constant reference to real life actors and movies gave it an almost "real life" feel. I recommend this movie for a good laugh and great narration by Downey, Jr.

• The Simple Art of Murder posted on 21 Jul 2009

  'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' was marketed absurdly (in the UK at least) as almost an art-house movie but in reality it is the kind of purely entertaining film that Hollywood used to be able to make in its sleep. The film has no pretensions, the plot is convoluted but essentially unimportant and the film's success rests on the witty dialogue and the interplay between the engaging, offbeat characters. Robert Downey is too old for his role and Michelle Monaghan too young for hers but they, along with Val Kilmer as Gay Perry, give excellent performances. I hope to see more from Shane Black, who also wrote the underrated hokum 'The Long Kiss Goodnight'.

• Quote-O-Mania posted on 17 Jul 2009

  That isn't actually a word ... at least I don't think it is ... But I think it's obvious what I mean: You have so many cool, fresh, good, exciting and (fill your own word in here) quotes, that you could use and cherish ... for quite some time. And of course the jokes had to be great, what with the mastermind Shane Black behind it all, of Lethal Weapon and Last Boy Scout fame! But he also directed this one, to be sure no one would mess up his beautiful script perhaps? That's just a guess, but I'm surprised, that there isn't another recent project attached to his name.But back to the movie for a little bit, which I won't spoiler for you. But I can tell you, that you're in for a big treat ... and if you like action/detective/comedy movies all mixed together, than you will love this! Especially as it doesn't takes itself to serious! Quite the contrary, the beginning alone ...And a last advise/comment "Black" humor isn't for everyone, if you catch my drift ... ;o)

• Possibly in my top ten favourite ever movies posted on 13 Jul 2009

  I saw this movie yesterday and i must say i was impressed. I went with my friend who wasn't very keen on seeing it, but he ended up loving it. i was looking forward to seeing it, but i was not to fussed if i didn't. but I'm glad i did. Not only did it have some good action scenes, it had excellent quick witted humour which made me almost cry with laughter. This is definitely my favourite movie of the year. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Robert Downey Jr, because he is unbelievable in this movie. he was perfectly cast. the script was brilliantly clever. the acting was impressive and even the plot was good. even though i lost the plot halfway in, i didn't care because i was enjoying it that much. i officially call myself a Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr fan. A definite DVD buy.

• Oozing with style and fabulous performances from Downey Jr. and Kilmer posted on 13 Jul 2009

  Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was a movie I had heard about and seen trailers at the end of last year. I heard great things, and became even more intrigued when I heard it was written and directed by Shane Black, who created two characters who helped influence my love for film (those two obviously being Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh). But unfortunately, the film came out nowhere near me, and my hopes of seeing the film were basically sunk until the DVD came out. I waited in intense anticipation, and when it finally did come out, I did not hesitate to pick it up.The film is about Harry Lockhart's (Robert Downey Jr.) accidental trip to L.A. Harry is a thief who manages to get away from the police only to stumble into an acting audition and wooing the studio executives. He gets the part, and is flown to L.A. where he meets "Gay" Perry (Val Kilmer), a private detective hired to help train Harry for his eventual part. On their first training session, they witness the dumping of a body, and things only become complicated as both characters become mixed up in the dumping. Adding to things is Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), Harry's old high school crush who only make things even more complicated for Harry. The film is told in chapters with narration from Downey Jr., frequently lapsing into flashback, freezeframing and backtracking moments.Without ruining much more of the plot, Black has created a fine pseudo-take on the "buddy cop" genre. His screenplay is littered with thrilling moments and sequences of absolute dark hilarity. While not being a conventional buddy cop film, it has the familiar tired feelings, but feels more original than other entries in the genre. Downey Jr. and Kilmer are absolutely perfect in their roles, and have electrifying chemistry on the screen. Black's written words become so much stronger as the film goes on and these two actors play them out with the single best actor partnering of last year. Both perform excellently, and bring a sense of realism to their roles. Their charisma and class allows Black's script to truly shine. Monaghan, while obviously trying harder than the other two, has nowhere near the same amount of luck as they do in their performances. She comes off a tad bit weak in comparison, but still fares well in her role. The supporting cast, including the likes of Corbin Bernsen, Larry Miller and Shannon Sossamon are all great in their tiny roles as well.While being in the "buddy cop" genre, the film does have a lot of film noir and pulp fiction added in, both for comedic and dramatic effect. The colour palette for the film is stunning, as are the costumes. If it was not for all of the hilarious moments in the film, this could have made for a fine hard-boiled detective thriller. It has the gritty makings for one, and has plenty of well choreographed sequences to boot. Much of Harry's satiric narration even feels as if it was taken right out of a pulp novel. The film takes from the old school noir elements, adding in elements of old detective stories and films, and adds its own twist to them in order to make them feel more contemporary. While the film is nowhere near as stylishly versed as Rodriguez, Tarantino and Miller's Sin City, it still breathes the same air. The seamless blend makes the film stronger, and much more memorable than others in the genre.The film is obviously not perfect though. The shortcomings in Monaghan's character are coupled in by a few questionably unrealistic and silly moments in the screenplay. Some may even leave the audience slightly baffled for a few moments. While the lack of realism may work for the most part in the film's favour, the silly moments really take away from it. There are a few subplots that could have been done without, yet they work well in the final product.My one question that still baffles me about the film is why Warner did not bother releasing it to a wider audience. It's a great little mainstream feeling indie film, oozing with style and fantastic performances from Downey Jr. and Kilmer. A definite candidate for most underrated film of 2005.9/10.

• Quirky Quirky Movie Movie posted on 07 Jul 2009

  The old private eye mystery genre gets a fresh coat of paint in this snazzy, snarky and sometimes self-satisfied updating. Downey plays a ne'er do well thief who (literally!) stumbles into an audition for the lead role of a film and is heavily considered for the part. In order to prep him for his audition, he is assigned a tutor of sorts in the form of Kilmer, a hotshot, openly gay private investigator. Meanwhile, Downey's childhood friend Monaghan reappears and has in tow a wealth of problems and concerns, not the least of which is her troubled and troublesome little sister. When Kilmer and Downey come upon a murder, which also involves Monaghan, the trio works together to unravel the convoluted mystery while never being too far from danger and/or calamity themselves. Downey does an excellent job here. He is right at home with the sarcastic commentary and narration and is very adept at being the brunt of everyone's joke or the target of other characters' sadism. (His own, highly-troubled, life gets a wink and a nod when one character suffering a breakdown winds up entering a strange house as if it's his own!) Kilmer is slick and assured and has great camaraderie with Downey, though he is never quite as at home in his role as Downey is. Monaghan comes close to stealing the picture with her fresh and lively personage. All three of the leads (and others) do a fine job of handling the zippy, at times oddball dialogue and making it sound like it's coming from real people rather than the page of a creative screenwriter. There are a lot of zany touches, moments that break the fourth wall, outré characters and scenes and plenty of foul language. Sometimes, it seems as if it's bound to cross the line into smug obnoxiousness, but somehow the performers keep it in check (with the end beginning to smack of unnecessary social comment and preaching.) The cinematography, editing, opening credits and music all go a long way in putting this across effectively. It has the same sort of irreverent tone as "Pulp Fiction", but with fewer characters and ones who are a bit more identifiable. Writer-director Black has come up with a plot line that is every bit as twisty as the detective novels that inspired it. Appearing in supporting roles are Miller as a Hollywood big shot and Bernsen as a wealthy businessman who throws some serious parties. The magic of CGI is evident when, in the gag reel included in the DVD extras, Kilmer is shown to have a massive, highly-noticeable boil or growth on his neck which is almost wholly absent from the finished film.

• Superbly funny movie, Kilmer is excellent and Downey a close second. Very well written. posted on 01 Jul 2009

  While I was watching this movie I recognised a scene and a still photo that I had actually found on the Internet months and months ago, in fact it's so long I might even consider that it was close to a year. That's a long time I've known about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and a long time that I've been looking forward to both Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer being on screen together.Both are excellent actors, one has had many poorly chosen roles, and the other has had some poorly chosen habits. With this movie I was hoping to see both had dropped their poor choices of the past and moved on to something which promised much, much more.The first thing you're going to notice about this movie is confusion. The first half is fast paced with characters talking over each other and a style all of its own that just adds to the uncertainty of what the hell is going on, add these together and this confusion is one of the most attractive and fantastic qualities about the movie.It adds something new, not only to separate it from all the other movies out there, but also to separate it from your previous viewing. I can actually imagine watching this movie again and enjoying it just as much, if not more, than I did the other night as I caught it in the superb location of Edinburgh's threatened Cameo Cinema, Screen One.Lockhart's (Downey's) voice-over is quite unusual, it's not often you hear a narration of a movie nowadays, and it's much less that you hear one like this. In fact if I'm not mistaken the only other place where I've heard a narration play with the audience is in some more slapstick and in your face comedies...I may be wrong, and someone can correct me, but I've never seen this anywhere else.His voice over not only narrates the movie, but also pulls you around it. It'll stop the movie, leap about in time, and treat you as though you're sitting next to the narrator while you're watching. This is absorbing. It's not only funny at times, but it adds to that confusion of not knowing what's going to happen next or where you're going to be taken. You realise very soon that the movie doesn't have to follow the standard format, and that whenever the narrator speaks you could be in for another whip cut to somewhere, or somewhen, else.When you think about that idea of narration you might be forgiven for thinking that it could really turn you off the movie, and you'd be right. I really do hate being taken out of a movie, that is to say, when I'm watching it I am hopefully absorbed in the world presented to me. Having to query something I'm seeing on screen, for example, will quickly snap me out of a movie and it'll have to work hard again to get me back in.What's interesting about this narration is that it's effectively doing that all the time. You'll be in the flow of the story and a scene, and you're whipped out of it by the narrator and thrown back in somewhere else. However I found I didn't get pulled right out of the movie, just out of the level of the story and back to the narrator. I realised afterwards I was absorbed by the narrators story, and it was like I was viewing a movie within a movie! There's some excellent casting in here. Downey is superb, there's no question of that. Michelle Monaghan is lovely and is equally as good, and the casting of Corbin Bernsen is just inspired - I want a comeback from him right now! Yet there's one actor that outshines them all, helped along by his character and the superb writing, but for me this vindicates everything I've said about Kilmer to date, he's an amazing actor.Kilmer not only gets some of the best lines in the movie, but he gets the best character and some of the best scenes. The torture scene is hilarious, and the scene interrogating the orderly is fantastically written and performed.That's a point I've touched on a few times now, but it really needs proper credit. The writing is fantastic. The dialogue is real, quick and often over other dialogue. That makes it hard to catch sometimes, but gives the whole movie a very believable quality, and that just helps to pull you straight in.It also has a great way with moving from comedy to seriousness very easily, and you're not left with a movie fixed firmly in one genre and visiting another for a light moment. This manages to mix the two perfectly. One minute we're amazed at the feelings being portrayed (under the bed and being discovered) and the next we're having a good old laugh at the screen (the hungry dog scene). They are blended together superbly well.I found it very difficult to second guess the plot, and although some of the parts were quite obvious, others were totally out of the blue and surprised me. Something the movie does very well is let you discover things with the character (something I noticed of another movie I saw recently Where the Truth Lies.Here too, the surprises were not the point of the movie, the characters interactions and the situations they were getting into where what mattered. This made the movie for me, it's all about the characters.With excellent casting, especially with Kilmer, and a superbly written script, this movie is excellent and well worth going to see in the cinema. With a unique plot device of the "interactive" voice over and a written style we've just not seen in a long time, I can't help but say this movie is superb and recommend it without question.

• One of best movies I've seen in years posted on 01 Jul 2009

  So witty and clever that halfway through the movie I'd already decided to annotate it to my top 10 favorite movies list. The way that it was written was so cleverly exectued that every line has a small hint of humor. If you think that you have a pretty good deadpan or sarcastic since of humor then this movie would be fore you. I laughed so hard in the first 45 minutes that I wasn't sure what genre of film this even was. It seemed like kind of a hip mystery comedy but I couldn't even begin to limit it to one category. Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr's on screen chemistry is amazing and the little arguments and banter make this movie simply amazing.

• Brilliance of Shane Black is boundless posted on 29 Jun 2009

  Yes, Shane Black's brilliance is boundless. That is an odd comment to make considering he seems to deal his stories in a genre that has so many trappings and cliché. What he does with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is acknowledge that fact that he is working in a detective/sub-action genre. He has done this before, and hopefully again.The narration of Downey's Lockard is beautiful. Its raunchy, sad, and honest. It doesn't reiterate anything on screen- but wait it does. And that is the joke. Black jabs and ribs at the constraints of film noir. Yet, he takes it to the limits by finding a way delve you into a story in manner that only film noir can.You have the faulty character, who in turn is a faulty narrator. There is the careening twists of this tale that make it a good watch but also comment on the double backs and overlaps of those classic films of yesteryear. Its supposed to be confusing.Black gets that feel of Los Angeles right. It was done pretty well in Lethal Weapon, but here it is perfect. Like LA Confidential or Memento, there is a pulse of a place where normal people are involved in bad things among the good places.The comedy is biting and bold. The narrative takes you places you'd not expect. With all that said, it is a film that is to be watched. You will meet someone who has talked about it, but like this review it would give the film justice. It is said to say that it has become an unnoticed gem. It has become some new cult midnight movie. But if you are ever up late and its on, or you don't know what to check out at the video store take a spin on this.

• classic Shane black. awesome posted on 21 Jun 2009

  This film was brilliant, I cant remember the last time a cinema audience was in constant hysterics. Lethal Weapon is my all time favourite film and the Shane Black/ Joel Silver combo is a very welcome return to cinemas screens. If only other action comedies were this good! Val Kilmer and Rober Downey Jr are really good together on screen, much better than i thought they would be. There was not as much action i thought they might be but after you see the film you realise that everything is perfectly balanced and an 'all out' action finale may have spoiled the tone of the film, which is perfect throughout. If only Joel Silver would concentrate on making movies like this rather than ones which 'star' rappers (Cradle 2 The Grave, Exit Wounds), the world of action movies would be saved from the evil clutches of Michael Bay (except The Rock, of course).It just goes to show how talented Shane Black really is: after 10 years out of the business he's back with a bang (bang).

• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-Hollywood a it's finest posted on 19 Jun 2009

  I saw a preview of this movie on The Show-Biz Show with David Spade a few months back and always planned to see it. BUt it seemed to disappear from my local cinema's. Thankfully I found the DVD just recently came out. I went to my local blockbuster and rented a copy. 10 minutes into the film I stopped it, brought it back to Blockbuster, and purchased the DVD, because I could tell immediately I would like to own the film for more than 2 days. The movie starts out with recently sober Robert Downey Jr. narrating the story of how he got to a swanky Hollywood party. He was a crook running from the cops when he stumbled into an open casting movie audition. The talent agents were so impressed by his "acting" that they sent him right out to Los Angeles to prepare for his role as a P.I., where he meets Gay Perry, played by Val Kilmer. Perry is a real L.A. Dick sent t teach RDJ the workings of a cop. They meet a girl, Harmony, and the trio get involved in a murder case. This film is the perfect dark comedy film spoof. Perfect. Robert Downey Jr. is amazing, plays his role so well you wouldn't believe. He is supported brilliantly by Val Kilmer. The banter between the two of them is extraordinary. That is acting at it's finest. Hilarious scenes, including a Russian roulette gone bad and an incidental peeing on a dead body make Kiss Kiss Bang Bang the best movie of 2005. And 2006. And hell, why not 2007 for that matter. One last note: Stick around for the end credits. The song Broken, sung by Robert Downey Jr. is beautifully is played while they are rolling. He has an amazing voice to compliment his amazing tongue-in-cheek acting. 5 out of 5 stars. SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!

• An instant classic. posted on 07 Jun 2009

  Sadly a missed the chance to see this gem in the cinema, i could never find time to go to the cinema around November, however a film based around murder, sex and Val Kilmer expressing how homosexual his character is for the whole film. Robert Downey Jr. Hillariously mucks up a robbery and sees his partner die, then stumbles into an audition, in which the character's partner has just been killed in front of him, and surprise surprise, he acts like it's real and gets the part. From here on in Harry (Downey Jr.) and his childhood friend, who is interlocking by destiney withhis story, go through murder, deception, fraud and other times with hilarious consequences, like when a body turns up in their hotel room as a sting, in order to get rid of the corpse they chuck it off the top of the roof, causing it to nearly miss a dumpster, obviously breaking bones. Hilarious!!!!!!

• Fun fun fun posted on 05 Jun 2009

  While this movie ain't gonna win any Oscars, the last time I had this much FUN at a movie was...well...a while ago. It's a movie that is unabashedly about the kiss kiss bang bang of movies and nothing else, but it manages to give you a rip roarin' time without being dumb, which I feel is somewhat rare these days. Downey Jr. is charming and the accident-prone greenhorn thief pretending to the an actor pretending to be a detective and Kilmer is always sarcastic and smart-ass (and the narration abuses itself and everything else). This duo keeps you laughing/amused, the dialogue is sharp, and the pace so fast that you don't even have time to stop and figure out the plot. While the ending tricks you with some unbelievable things (which it makes fun of itself for), I think the true ending of the film is a lot more pessimistic than you end up feeling (which, for me, was a bouncing high!) because if you really think about it, it's a movie about people who have not attained their childhood dreams and for one second, they actually think that they might have gotten to that magical something, that greater destiny, that we're all looking for. Still, it's tongue-in-cheek nudges and winks make it an exciting and fun adventure that is just the thing to pull you out of your doldrums.

• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang posted on 03 Jun 2009

  Harry Lockhart is a not too successful burglar who stumbles upon a movie audition and finds himself whisked to Hollywood to star in a blockbuster movie. As research for the part, he is teamed up with gay private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) who takes him on a case with more twists than a giant corkscrew.As a plot summary the above doesn't sound too promising, so it's to writer/director Shane Black's credit that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a funny, lightning-paced homage to the noir genre as well as a clever parody of both Hollywood and its product. Black is the late 80s/early 90s wonder kid who temporarily retired from the scene when he grew disillusioned with the mainstream blockbusters produced by Hollywood (and himself). This, his comeback movie, shows that his disillusion, up to now, has been our loss.This must be Downey Jr's first mainstream lead role in ages and he does a good job of portraying the hapless loser type the script calls for. With his prematurely battered looks (can't imagine why) he's so convincing that he may well carve himself a niche market for this kind of role. Kilmer, meanwhile, proves himself as versatile as he is (allegedly) difficult.on set. It would have been easy for a less accomplished actor to blow the part by camping it up (just the tiniest bit too much would have been enough to destroy the concept), but Kilmer strikes just the right chord as an immaculately groomed private detective and a nice line in cutting barbs, aimed usually at the hapless Harry. Michelle Monaghan plays the female love interest, but she stands little chance of competing with the back-and-forth jibes of the two male protagonists. Although she is given some unusually physical action for a female lead she is, by the end, still reduced to the all-too familiar damsel in distress. This is a minor quibble, though, in a film packed with so many good things.

• I haven't had this much fun at the movies in a long time posted on 26 May 2009

  I wasn't sure what to make of the movie at first. The opening sequences are almost a bit too much, with the story stopping and starting and reversing and Robert Downey's narration seeming a bit arch. But then it settles into a groove and becomes one of the funniest and most entertaining films I've seen in quite awhile. I've never been a huge fan of Downey, but here his sarcastic persona really fits the role, that of a low level thief turned actor turned apprentice detective. His snarky comments fit the movie and its allusions to pulp detective fiction perfectly. Val Kilmer is another actor that I haven't always liked, yet he, too, is great in the role of a gay private detective, underplaying and very funny at the same time. At times, the movie reminded me of The Last Boy Scout, one of Black's earlier screenplays and a dark movie that I absolutely hated, unrelieved by even a hint of comic relief. But every time this movie threatened to go in that direction, it would pull back and lighten up. Ultimately, it was a great ride and I would love to see these characters back in action again. Sequel, anyone?