magnoliafanboy

Yes, Shane Black's brilliance is boundless. That is an odd comment to make considering he seems to deal his stories in a genre that has so many trappings and cliché. What he does with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is acknowledge that fact that he is working in a detective/sub-action genre. He has done this before, and hopefully again.

The narration of Downey's Lockard is beautiful. Its raunchy, sad, and honest. It doesn't reiterate anything on screen- but wait it does. And that is the joke. Black jabs and ribs at the constraints of film noir. Yet, he takes it to the limits by finding a way delve you into a story in manner that only film noir can.

You have the faulty character, who in turn is a faulty narrator. There is the careening twists of this tale that make it a good watch but also comment on the double backs and overlaps of those classic films of yesteryear. Its supposed to be confusing.

Black gets that feel of Los Angeles right. It was done pretty well in Lethal Weapon, but here it is perfect. Like LA Confidential or Memento, there is a pulse of a place where normal people are involved in bad things among the good places.

The comedy is biting and bold. The narrative takes you places you'd not expect. With all that said, it is a film that is to be watched. You will meet someone who has talked about it, but like this review it would give the film justice. It is said to say that it has become an unnoticed gem. It has become some new cult midnight movie. But if you are ever up late and its on, or you don't know what to check out at the video store take a spin on this.

This goes down as my second favorite film of 2004 (next to Kill Bill vol.2). But how can a basic premise of a film from a pulp style script be so invigorating and intense. This is achieved by it being raised up with the tork of Michael Mann. It seems to be you can't underestimate the guy who pretty much reinvented the crime narrative even when he went away for two semi-political/social conscious films like ALI and THE INSIDER. All that is achieved here is done by the method taken to tell the story.

The plot is a cab driver Max,Jamie Fox, is forced at gunpoint to be the escort for a professional killer Vincint, Tom Cruise. It is such a simple tag line that you spin your head around from that tag with the suspicion that it sounds so simple it could be easily screwed up. It isn't. It is elevated to a height that we rarely see in a genre film. A thriller where the would be innocent man is forced against his will to do bad things. But it's given quite a spark. Just like the kind of spark that Christopher Nolan gave to the revenge film when he made MEMENTO.

The presence of existentialism is what drives this home. We have Max, a man lulled by the rhythms of everyday routine, and Vincent, who somewhere lost his heart or was never given one. In this particular evening that the story covers they gain consciousness that the world around them demands something of them. They even start to understand that all along the world has been expecting things and tonight is the time to pay up. Freedom of choice is now more important than every when it comes to taking a life and saving a life. Consequence is promised around every L.A. concrete street corner.

Mann makes this film continuing his ongoing theme which is that his men are always searching to find their identities through their professions. In just about every case the men have to go beyond the guidelines of their jobs to make their life altering decisions.

I could be looking too hard into this. You could say that this is a film with conversation between good vs. evil, but Mann doesn't make it that easy. It is evident in Vincents look and attire. It is no coincidence that he is dressed in Grey and wears both a Grey beard and Grey head of hair. He is the Grey area, with both good and evil bleeding in. Just like Russell Crowe in THE INSIDER, or De Niro in HEAT, and William Petersen in MANHUNTER. We both agree and disagree with all of these characters. This constant bickering makes me want to watch again and again.

Some have complained about the cat and mouse type chase of the third act of this film. There should be no argument with this. It is, again, consistent with Mann's theme of Cat and Mouse. Just like Graham the FBI agent vs. the Red Dragon in Manhunter, or the cop Pacino vs. the thief De Niro in Heat, Crowe's scientist vs. the Tabacco Industry in THE INSIDER. All Mann has done is keep Max and Vincent bottled up in the taxi cab for nearly 2/3 of the film and then let them go, which is the only natural progression of the story.

The last great character in the film is Los Angeles. I don't think anyone else can film it like Michael Mann. It breathes, it pulsates-one could argue it is the driving force that makes Max and Vincent collide.

Michael Mann has added to his collage of strong character study, with demanding visuals and unending arguments. Bravo.