Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Movie Review

The critics loved it. I didn't.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 5, 2007

Welcome to L.A. Welcome to the party.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang strikes me as one of "those" movies that your average moviegoer probably hasn't seen and it's likely a lot of them haven't heard of it. But those that have seen the film seem to love it and it has an aura of "cult" status around it. Ghost World (which I liked) comes to mind as another recent example of such a film that failed to gain any traction at the box office but found success on the home video market and is subsequently praised almost universally. I've seen quite a bit of praise floating around for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (82% fresh on rotten tomatoes) but I won't be among those that liked the film. It's not necessarily a bad film. It just couldn't hold my interest, but that doesn't make it bad. I can recognize why people are drawn to it, and I made every effort to try and like it, but I couldn't, and I probably never will. In fact, I watched it twice on consecutive days for the purpose of this review. Neither viewing did anything for me. Sure, it's somewhat unique and told from a unique perspective. The story is original, the acting is fine, and the disc looks and sounds great, but it never drew me in. I never connected with the characters, and the film didn't touch me in any way.

Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer are on the case in 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.'

Robert Downey, Jr. plays Harry Lockhart, a small-time crook who, as the film opens, has broken into a toy store and is on the phone with his daughter searching for the toy she wants. Of course, she doesn't realize what he is up to, though she has her suspicions. As Harry and his partner leave the store, they are fired upon by a civilian. Harry is wounded and his accomplice is killed. Lockhart flees the scene and accidentally finds himself in the middle of an audition for a Hollywood movie. Harry's recent experience parallels the script, and he releases his frustration and anger at the robbery gone amok, impressing the producers (who believe he is acting out the script), including Dabney Shaw (Larry Miller, The Ant Bully). Lockhart finds himself in Hollywood for a screen test, and Shaw orders him to tag along with private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer, Deja Vu) to gain some real-world experience to aid him in his acting career.

Harmony (Michelle Monaghan, Mission: Impossible III) is a refugee from the dreary life of small-town Indiana. Inspired by the "Johnny Gossamer" series of novels she purchased as a child, Harmony heads to Hollywood and finds herself a nearly failed actress at age 34, having appeared in only one commercial. She and Harry were once childhood buddies, and they reunite by chance. Harry lies to her, claiming to be a private eye, and when Harmony's sister turns up dead, Harry takes her case despite being an "idiot" when it comes to such matters. This case and the case Perry is working on intertwine, just like those in the Gossamer novels, and Harry and Perry find themselves knee deep in murder, bodies, intrigue, and shootouts.

I generally enjoy the more unique and chance-taking movies that come out of Hollywood, but this one failed to hit home for me. There is a lot to like here, however. Downey, Jr. is great as Harry (and the narrator). He knows he is in a movie and narrates it with a "gosh darnit, I messed up, hold on" attitude. It's brilliant. His narrations point out Hollywood clichés, plot contrivances, and plot devices, such as when he notes that a scene we just witnessed will prove to be important later in the movie. Kilmer and Monaghan are very good as well. The film never takes itself seriously. It's as if it is a 100 minute inside joke, poking fun at the inner-workings of Hollywood and the buddy cop genre. In fact, director Shane Black knows this genre all too well. He has penned the scripts for Lethal Weapon and The Last Action Hero. The movie features a lot of humor, good acting and direction, very well-staged action, and an original story. So why didn't I like it? I really don't know. The movie never caught my interest despite it's generally positive qualities. It must just be one of those "intangibles;" something in the gut said "this movie just isn't your cup of tea."

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lately, all of Warner's titles have been encoded in VC-1, but this title from early in their Blu-ray release schedule is encoded with the MPEG-2 codec. Presented in 1080p and in its original 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a great looking title. Colors are a bit muted at the beginning, but as stated in the commentary track, this is intentional to give the film a vintage look so as to match the era the sequence takes place in. There is a high level of detail from the first frame to the last. Black levels are remarkably solid and consistent, never wavering from this norm. Color reproduction is astonishing. The entire palette is vibrant, consistent, and realistic. The print is very clean, free of scratches, splotches, and jumps. This image looks very natural from beginning to end. This is an excellent transfer and one of the best I have seen from Warner.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is presented with Warner's standard fare of the Dolby Digital 5.1 only soundtrack. I was very impressed with this mix. It features good, crisp music and authoritative bass. Dialogue comes through crystal clear. Gun shots are loud and powerful. Surrounds are pretty active in the more sonically-intense scenes, especially during action sequences and while in locations heavy in ambience such as a party and at a bar. This is a track that shows what a well-mixed Dolby Digital track can do. Would I prefer a lossless option? You bet, but this one sounds pretty good nevertheless.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplement to really speak of is the feature commentary track with Val Kilmer, Robert Downey, Jr., and Shane Black. This is a pretty laid back track. The trio has an awful lot of fun throughout, making fun of each other and the movie. There is not much in the way of the nitty-gritty of the behind-the-scenes and making-of the movie, but that's OK. We don't always need to know how every shot was constructed. This track is meant to be more like watching the movie with some friends, and it's good for what it is. Also included is a gag reel (480p, 4:19) and the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 2:16). And that's it. This is a film that grossed less than a third of its budget at the box office but it is gaining more and more notoriety on home video formats. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang released again down the road as a more complete special edition.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm still perplexed as to what happened to make me not like this movie. It happens, I guess. Movies are such a personal thing, and reviewing them, especially the content, is a purely subjective and oftentimes daunting undertaking. It's hard to go against the grain, but you've got to stand behind your instincts, and mine tell me that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a film I won't be revisiting in the future. As far as the Blu-ray goes, it's severely lacking in extras but it looks and sounds great. I'm going to go ahead and recommend you see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang one way or another. I am suggesting you either rent or purchase the film on Blu-ray, but not recommending one over the other. There is some very funny and unique things going on in this movie, and chances are you'll be among the vast majority of folks who see it and like it.