Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

A classic film noir through the lens of a comedy. Take out Downey Jr. and his cheeky narration, and it's not hard to imagine this film in black and white, with a bit more rain and a grittier conclusion. That novel spin is what makes Kiss Kiss Bang Bang stand out though, just not quite as much as it used to.

Harry is a petty thief who finds himself in Los Angeles after barging in on a casting call while fleeing from the police. There he bumps into Harmony, a wannabe actress who struggles to keep her head above water. Harry is completely smitten by the girl, but she spells trouble, and before he knows it his life is filled with corpses.

Downey is the heart of the film. His typical delivery makes the comedy and narration stick. With a little help from Black (some fun editing and nice visual touches), that's well enough to make this an entertaining film. It's just not quite as special and original anymore as it was the last time I watched it. I still like the film a lot, but the genius is gone.