Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Shane Black

Writers (WGA):

Brett Halliday (novel) (in part)
Shane Black (screen story)

Release Date:

14 September 2005 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

SeX. MurdEr. MyStery. Welcome to the party.

Plot:

A murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief masquerading as an actor.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Party | Murder | Audition | Friend

Awards:

4 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Robert Downey Jr.	...	Harry Lockhart
Val Kilmer	...	Gay Perry
Michelle Monaghan	...	Harmony Faith Lane
Corbin Bernsen	...	Harlan Dexter
Dash Mihok	...	Mr. Frying Pan
Larry Miller	...	Dabney Shaw
Rockmond Dunbar	...	Mr. Fire
Shannyn Sossamon	...	Pink Hair Girl
Angela Lindvall	...	Flicka
Indio Falconer Downey	...	Harry Lockhart - Age 9
Ariel Winter	...	Harmony Faith Lane - Age 7
Duane Carnahan	...	Chainsaw Kid
Josh Richman	...	Richie
Martha Hackett	...	Pistol Woman
Nancy Fish	...	N.Y. Casting Woman

Also Known As:

L.A.P.I. (USA) (working title)
You'll Never Die in This Town Again (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

103 min | USA:102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Ireland:15A | Belgium:KT | Netherlands:16 | Canada:14A | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Greece:K-17 | Philippines:R-13 | Canada:18+ (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #41234) | Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18SG (DVD) | New Zealand:R16 | UK:15 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The chapter titles referring to Raymond Chandler's works are: 1. "Trouble is My Business", 2. "The Lady in the Lake", 3. "The Little Sister", 4. "The Simple Art of Murder", and Epilogue: "Farewell, My Lovely".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the wide opening shot of the scene with Harry and Harmony in the bar, the camera and crew are reflected in the mirrors behind.

Quotes:

Harry: Don't worry, I saw Lord of the Rings. I'm not going to end this 17 times.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kingdom of the Vampire (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

PARTY ON 4th ST. (PART 1)

Extremely funny film noir spoof

I saw this movie at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and expected it to be the typical film noir genre. This seemed to be the case for the first couple of minutes of narrative monologue before the jokes started coming fast and furious. This turned out to be a highly entertaining comedy/buddy film couched in a tongue in cheek film noir setting. The dialogue was witty and the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmour was great. Some of the jokes went by so fast that I'll have to see this movie again to see what I missed as I was still laughing at the previous one. The director spoke before the movie and commented on how the producers were nervous about the risky choice of actors. This was a reference to Robert Downey Jr.'s past addiction problems, but this film proved that he was worth the risk. I saw 10 films at this year's film festival and this one was my favorite.