Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
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A desperate burglar posing as an actor in Los Angeles finds himself entangled in a deadly mystery involving a private detective and a woman from his past.
The story
While fleeing from a burglary gone south, Harry Lockhart stumbles into an ongoing audition in New York City. As he pretends to be an actor in order to evade the police, he has an emotional breakdown over his remorse. Casting director Dabney Shaw mistakes this for method acting and sends him to Los Angeles for screen testing. At a party in L.A., Harry meets his childhood crush Harmony Lane and "Gay" Perry van Shrike, a private detective hired to give him on-the-job tutelage for his screen test. The film follows their escalating involvement in a mystery involving a local inheritance feud and a series of suspicious deaths.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
While fleeing from a burglary gone south, Harry Lockhart stumbles into an audition in New York City and is sent to Los Angeles for screen testing after a misunderstanding. There, he meets his childhood crush, Harmony Lane, and a private detective, "Gay" Perry van Shrike. During a stakeout, they discover a body in a car. Harmony believes her sister's suicide was actually murder and asks Harry to investigate. The plot thickens as they realize the victim is related to a local man, Harlan Dexter, who is involved in a bitter inheritance feud. After a series of dangerous encounters and a high-speed chase through Los Angeles, Harry and Perry discover that the mystery involves a tragic misunderstanding regarding a woman named Jenna. It is revealed that Jenna took her own life after a tragic realization about Harlan's actions. In the end, Harry leaves his life as a burglar behind to become Perry's assistant.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Shane Black
- Writers
- Shane Black · screenplay; Shane Black · story
- Cast and characters
- Robert Downey Jr. · Harold "Harry" Lockhart; Val Kilmer · "Gay" Perry van Shrike; Michelle Monaghan · Harmony Faith Lane; Corbin Bernsen · Harlan Dexter
- Genres
- neo-noir; black comedy; crime; comedy mystery
- Themes
- identity; fate
- Tone and mood
- tongue-in-cheek; dark; eclectic
- Setting
- New York City and Los Angeles, 2005.
- Premise and plot tags
- neo-noir; buddy comedy; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- Bodies Are Where You Find Them (1941)
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was praised for its performances and blend of genres.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 180; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- Overlooked Film of the Year · Phoenix Film Critics Society · 2005 · Win; Best Thriller · Empire magazine · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled You'll Never Die in This Town Again.; The script was inspired by the works of Raymond Chandler.; The opening party was filmed in the director's own Los Angeles mansion.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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