Shane Black
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

The neo-noir is a genre that contemporary cinema frequents with mixed success. Often it involves clumsy attempts to update the particular USA-made pessimism of the '40s, but the tensions and anxieties of our time no longer lend themselves to the expressive modes of classic noir.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) already in its title - a sarcastic reference to action films where all you need is a girl and a gun - is a semi-serious parody showcasing all the genre clichés, but reinterpreted in a hipster fashion:

• Chapters titled like Chandler's novels (so the more “cultured” audience understands that the screenwriter knows the excellent Raymond);
• A predominance of nighttime scenes (but generally well-lit);
• And, above all, the sarcastic voice over of Robert Downey Jr.

The plot follows the classic mystery scheme with two seemingly disconnected stories that end up converging. It's a pity that, in the meantime, one gets lost in overly dense and Tarantino-aping dialogues, in “fucks” scattered like confetti, and in editing that seems to be signed by someone who has shot caffeine into their veins.

The characters are self-aware caricatures:

• Instead of the tragic hero, there's Harry (Downey Jr.), a foolish thief catapulted to Hollywood;
• Instead of the macho detective, we find Perry, a gay detective who reminds of his inclination in every line (Val Kilmer, recently and prematurely passed away);
• And then there's Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), who has nothing of the femme fatale: she's a foul-mouthed actress without glamour, who “has slept with everyone except the protagonist”.

The film opens with a flashback: Harry and Harmony as children, he's already in love. Years later, they meet at a decadent party in the villa of producer Harlan Dexter and indulge in melancholic memories. From there starts the main plot, which intertwines with an investigation conducted by Perry. As in any respectable noir, there are twists, semi-incomprehensible developments, murders, and the cadaver of an unknown scantily-clad woman who appears and disappears.

If the frenetic editing and slightly intrusive voice over do not help, the Christmas setting seems an excess of cynicism, and the decadence of the Hollywood environments is screamed instead of suggested. Even the cast has an ironic flavor: Downey Jr. before his revival with Iron Man, more known then for his misadventures as an addict and ex-convict; Kilmer already on the decline, and Monaghan, a B-List actress doing what she can.

Directed and written by Shane Black, fresh off the disaster of The Long Kiss Goodnight and determined to redeem himself with this discount noir, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is partially inspired by the novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday, a pulp fiction author of decent fame in the USA.

Is it worth watching?
Downey Jr. is good in the role of the somewhat foolish loser with a tender heart, and Kilmer does an excellent job as a resourceful detective. Their conversations, albeit exaggerated, are often entertaining:

Perry: Look up “idiot” in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?
Harry: A picture of me?
Perry: No! The definition of the word "idiot", which you fucking are!

Available for purchase on various platforms. I always recommend viewing in the original language, but in this case - if you're not well-versed in English - I suggest the dubbed version: the dialogues are fast, full of slang, and not always easy to follow.