KISS KISS, BANG BANG

The Austin Film Festival started off with a BANG BANG - Shane Black has been a visitor to the screenwriter's conference for years, and as he himself stated, "Finally I'm good for something besides drinking in the Driskill bar." After spending quite a while coasting (spiraling?) down from his LETHAL WEAPON notoriety, it appears he got the chance to put every joke, set piece, trick and genre twist he's ever wanted to include in a script into this one, then brought in the truly inspired combo of Downey Jr. and Kilmer to mumble it to life. There's probably more good jokes in the first five minutes of this (after the nifty credit sequence) than most entire comedies, much less "action" movies.

The plot eventually gives THE BIG SLEEP a run for its money in generating confusion, but if that gives us more time with this odd detective team, not a problem. A little like Altman's THE LONG GOODBYE, and clearly a mash note to Raymond Chandler, CHINATOWN, and 50's pulp novels in general - something about Los Angeles seems to inspire unshaven, shambling guys to investigate crimes - but with several notebooks of millennial movie in-jokes and genuine surprises thrown in. Go Go See See.