Written and directed by Shane Black of Lethal Weapon fame, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) is rather hard to define in terms of genre. K.K.B.B mixes some nicely put together action sequences, romance, a little gunplay and some Tarantino style black humour to create a surprisingly enjoyable, darkly funny murder mystery, which amongst all the sequels and remakes Hollywood has been joylessly churning out lately, feels oddly refreshing.

The film sees Robert Downey Jr. as a small time crook by the name of Harry Lockhart, Harry is mistaken for an actor after her evades the police by running straight into an audition. The story basically gets more sinister and confusing from here onwards. Harry is then brought to Hollywood where he meets "Gay" Perry, a private eye who is rather unsurprisingly, a homosexual. As well as Perry, Harry also bumps into old childhood friend Harmony, Harmony and Harry's love hate relationship serves well as fuel for the comedy fire and gives the film a feeling of innocence.

The film also features elements of Hollywood satire, most notably in party scenes but also subtly conveyed through characters and their attitudes. One particular thing I liked was the creation of fictitious brands such as Protocop and Genaros Beer (the beer Harmony appears in an advert for) as they mirror the tacky commercialism of Hollywood perfectly.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is similar to Sunset Boulevard in parts, but major elements like the story are poles apart. Still, there are some recognisable references and similarities between the two films. The opening shot not only references Sunset Boulevard but almost mirrors it, with the only major difference between the two shots being that one features a dead man and the other doesn't. From this shared shot both films work backwards with the purpose of answering how the protagonists got to where they are now.



Despite the film's awkward plot, it's undeniable enjoyable simply due to it's fresh style and humour which can easily be enjoyed without paying too much attention to the story. Although you don't need to pay too much attention the story to enjoy the film, I would recommend that you do, as it's clever and rather rewarding once you've worked it all out. Overall, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is pretty damn good and the fact that I've had such a hard job putting it into words is a testament to it's originality and style.