Cheap Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Widescreen Edition) (DVD) (Shane Black) Price

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Customer Reviews of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Widescreen Edition)

"I was wetter than Drew Barrymore at a grunge club."
I was hesitant to take on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) primarily because I was unsure if it would be any good based on some of the more prominent cast members, specifically Robert Downey Jr., who seems pretty flaky due to his continual problems with the drugs (he couldn't get enough!) and Val Kilmer, who's had more misses than hits, in my opinion (the last really good feature I saw him in was 1995's Heat). Based partly on Brett Halliday's novel "Bodies Are Where You Find Them", adapted and directed by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight), the film stars, as I've mentioned, Robert Downey Jr. (Chaplin, Natural Born Killers) and Val Kilmer (Real Genius, Top Gun, Willow), along with Michelle Monaghan (The Bourne Supremacy, Mission: Impossible III). Also appearing is Corbin Bernsen (The Dentist) and Larry Miller (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind). <
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>Robert Downey Jr. plays the character Harry Lockhart, a small time New York criminal who falls bassackward into an acting gig after bungling a burglary and soon finds himself in the land of superficiality aka L.A., up for a role in a film as a private eye...well, sort of, but for more on that you'll have to watch the film. Anyway, along the way the producer that `discovered' Harry hooks him up with a real private eye and flaming homersexual named Gay Perry (Kilmer), who, when not doing his normal gumshoe routine or chasing sausage provides technical expertise to actors with regards to his profession. Soon after arriving Harry runs into a woman named Harmony Faith Lane (Monaghan), someone he grew up with in the Midwest and has now come west like so many others to be a star. Here's the thing, Harry had it bad for Harmony since way back when and seeing her again he finds his desire hasn't diminished over the years. Anyway, soon after meeting up with Harmony, things get seriously complicated as Harmony, believing Harry's a private detective (I guess telling a woman you've got the hots for you're a private eye sounds a lot better than telling her you're a two bit crook), hires Harry to find her little sister, who's come west for reasons revealed in the film. What follows is Harry, Harmony, and Perry becoming entangled in a completely outlandish series of events involving a homicide, gunplay, torture (electrical shocks to the genitals no less), an attempted frame-up, a severed finger, more gunplay, more homicides, a suicide, a wealthy heiress, some henchmen, some romance, bubble headed blondes, an errant corpse or two, a car chase, a flying coffin, police, various weirdoes, and so on...seriously, so much stuff happens it'd be a ridiculously poor effort on my part to provide an more detailed summary. <
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>As I mentioned earlier I was hesitant to take on this film, but I'm really glad I did, as this is probably one of the best black comedy/action/mystery thrillers I've seen in awhile. Writer and first time director Shane Black manages wonderfully to take the essence of those pulpy fiction detective novels (which literally figure into the actual story) and fuse it with some modernly icky sensibilities in a kooky amalgam that never takes itself too seriously, the result being some kind of weird fusion that works and works well, for myself at least. Black does an outstanding job directing, especially given the amount of things thrown at the viewer in terms of twists and turns. Not only that, but the pacing seems to be stuck on warp speed, as viewers barely have time to catch their breathe. The only downside I could see where a couple of minor plot holes (how did Harry manage to shoot so well near the end of the film? It's not like he had extensive experience with firearms) and a few, menial continuity errors, but given the fact the feature kept me thoroughly engaged and entertained throughout, it was easy for me to overlook this aspects. I thought Downey, who supposedly cleaned up his personal issues, did a remarkable job in the main role, and I especially liked his narration, which, at times, became self aware as his character would make critical comments on the film itself. Could I have pictured someone else in his role? Yes, but I think few would have brought the controlled, manic energy he possessed. I also thought Kilmer did an excellent job as the gay, streetwise detective, and the pairing of him and Downey provided a weird and interesting chemistry that worked surprisingly well. I though the exchange below, which occurred after a stakeout that ended miserably and Perry's dropping Harry off at his apartment, adequately defines their sketchy hate/hate relationship... <
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>Perry: Go. Sleep badly. Any questions, hesitate to call. <
>Harry: Bad. <
>Perry: Excuse me? <
>Harry: Sleep bad. Otherwise it makes it seem like the mechanism that allows you to sleep... <
>Perry: What, f***head? Badly's an adverb. Who taught you grammar? Get out. Vanish. <
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>The rapid-fire dialog throughout the films snaps, crackles, and pops although if you're adverse to the excessive usage of profanity, you'll probably have a real problem with this film. I did find the final ending (there were a few) kind of sappy and unnecessary (it features the confrontation of a sickly, bed ridden man responsible, in a roundabout way, for a good deal of what happens in the story), but all in all I thought this a very sharp, entertaining, darkly humorous film that should have probably done better than it did when originally released, but will most certainly find it's audience now that it's been released to DVD. Given Black's obvious talent for direction, I hope he's planning on helming some more features in the future. <
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>The picture, presented in widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic, is sharp and clean, and the Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 audio, available in English, French, and Spanish, comes across strong and crisp. Special features include a gag reel, an entertaining commentary track with Downey, Kilmer, and writer/director Black, a theatrical trailer, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish. <
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>Cookieman108 <
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Hilarious and Confusing
This is a very unique movie. It swings spastically back and forth from absurd comedy to tense action and then back again. Right from the get-go, Robert Downey Jr's narrative had be laughing out loud. <
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>I have only two complaints. The plot is pretty confusing, and this is due to the fact that most of the exposition is hurriedly spat out by Downey and Kilmer at a frantic, crackhead pace. I had to skip back and re-listen to several scenes of dialogue just to keep up. <
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>Complaint #2 is, of course, the several gratuitous shots of topless women which are actually kind of gross. <
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>Overall, though, I had a real fun time watching this one. KKBB exhibits an irreverent sense of humor, even making fun of itself, and keeps the quality of both the comedy and the action high until the end.

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Smart and Stylish
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang bears more than one watching for its tangled plot (although nicely explicated in the end), its numerous throwaway funny lines, and its sheer entertainment. Robert Downey Jr. is a small-time NYC theft artist who stumbles into a movie audition while fleeing the police. The audition leads to Hollywood,a friendship with gay private detective Val Kilmer, and the chance to at last sleep with the old high school flame who went to bed with every boy in the school but him. It also leads him smack into a murder mystery and a body in his apartment. Downey and Kilmer have great fun with their roles and the supporting cast is fine as well. LA also stars, looking as glitzy and tawdry as it did in other LA noir classics LA Confidential and Chinatown. Round it all out with snacks and a nice bottle of wine and you've got a great night of at-home entertainment.