Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
This was a really fun, silly movie—one I probably watched in high school and that very well might have become my entire personality. In a way, we're all better off that it didn't.
About halfway through, I found myself thinking how deeply it reminded me of The Nice Guys, and felt quietly pleased with myself for realizing that Shane Black wrote and directed both films. They share the same strengths and the same flaws: a weak third act, where the obvious avenues of pastiche run dry and the movie retreats into generic, gratuitous action-movie spectacle.
But at their best, these films are vividly alive. They pull off something that's genuinely difficult for pastiche: sustaining suspense about what's serious and what isn't. The jokes land, the timing holds up, and comedy—when it's done well—ages surprisingly gracefully. There are a few spots where this isn't quite true, and the occasional dip into melodrama cheapens the experience a bit. Still, that's a hard line for any film to walk, and this one does it better than most.
Robert Downey Jr., playing a caricature of his pre–Iron Man self, is entertaining if not especially novel. The real standout, though, is Val Kilmer, who threads the needle perfectly, delivering his performance with exactly the right amount of irony. The bit parts remain just that—bit parts—and Michelle Monaghan does solid work, never tipping into manic-pixie-dream-girl territory or pick-me energy.
Overall, it's just a really fun time—the kind of movie I'd happily rewatch in six months. My only substantive complaint is the same one I have with most of Black's filmography: the unnecessary thirty minutes of dull, overindulgent action scenes. They add nothing. Every moment not spent letting the three leads spar and riff off one another feels like a wasted opportunity.