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Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Play trailer Poster for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang R 2005 1h 42m Mystery & Thriller LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 185 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Two-bit crook Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) stumbles into an audition for a mystery film while on the run from the cops. Winning the part, he lands in Hollywood, where he's flung into a tangled, murderous conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan), and hard-boiled private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer). This deadpan, affectionate parody of film noir tropes is named for film critic Pauline Kael's influential 1968 collection of film reviews and essays.
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Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

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Critics Consensus

Tongue-in-cheek satire blends well with entertaining action and spot-on performances in this dark, eclectic neo-noir homage.

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Critics Reviews

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Christopher Orr The Atlantic Dec 14, 2014
The plot of the film is almost willfully convoluted. But it's also largely beside the point, an excuse for quite a few good scenes, most of them equal parts homage and subversion. Go to Full Review
Wendy Ide The Times (UK) Dec 14, 2014
A sarky, sniping film noir homage that assassinates the character of every LA archetype you could imagine. Go to Full Review
Philippa Hawker The Age (Australia) Dec 14, 2014
4/5
A self-referential noir-screwball-action movie that never wears out its welcome -- although it delights in taking that risk, over and over again. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Mar 19, 2026
4/5
‘…a clever, funny, original take on the noir genre…’ Go to Full Review
James D. Williams InSession Film Nov 14, 2025
A
This movie is one of the few noir black comedies with action that we have from the early aughts that had its own voice. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Apr 9, 2025
3/4
From its opening moments, it’s clear Black isn’t making a buddy/action movie as much as a send-up of a buddy/action movie. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Robert T @Robertodeeto 5 days ago Robert Downey Jr. is absolutely fucking magnificent as Harry Lockhart, a thief-turned-actor who has no business being anywhere near a Hollywood movie set, let alone an actual murder investigation. Then there’s Val Kilmer as Gay Perry—the world's most sarcastic private detective, who spends the entire movie looking like he desperately regrets meeting this idiot. And the dialogue? Jesus Christ. Every conversation feels like somebody handed the script a flamethrower and said, "Now make it witty." It’s fast, filthy, self-aware, ridiculously clever, and completely allergic to shutting the fuck up. The narration alone feels like the movie is actively mocking you for trying to keep up. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang doesn't just break the fourth wall. It kicks the fucking wall down, steals your car, and then spends the rest of the movie explaining why it was your fault. Funny as hell. Violent as hell. Horny as hell. Exactly what the title promised. See more Juris O @Juris100 Sep 9, 2026 I still don’t understand why and for whom this was filmed. See more Robert P @Superbad Sep 7, 2026 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang = a *4 and 1/2* star movie See more Todd F @Tiddlows Aug 29, 2026 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a buddy movie where nobody knows what the hell they’re doing, yet everyone has a gun. Robert Downey Jr. talks like his brain has five tabs open. Val Kilmer plays the world’s most sarcastic detective and treats every conversation like a chance to destroy someone’s ego. Murders, mistakes, bad choices, and enough banter to choke a Christmas goose. It’s funny. It’s filthy. It’s sharp. Hollywood needed a detective story. It got two idiots, a corpse, and one hell of a movie. See more Shawna R @Shawnarrr Aug 14, 2026 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a magnificent collision of bullets, bad decisions, sarcastic assholes, and Robert Downey Jr. talking like his brain is being chased by the police. The banter is razor-sharp, the plot is gloriously tangled, and Val Kilmer plays a gay private detective with the patience of a man who has been assigned the world’s dumbest client, which, naturally, is Robert Downey Jr. Every character is either lying, dying, flirting, or spectacularly screwing things up. Five stars. A beautiful mess of murder, comedy, and smart-ass dialogue. Hollywood has never looked this dangerously stupid. See more Antony B @RT29664284 Jul 26, 2026 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a glorious mess in all the right ways, a detective story that zigzags between laughs, danger, and genuine heartbreak without ever losing its footing. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are electric together, trading sharp banter with the kind of chemistry you can't fake. Every twist feels playful instead of forced, and beneath the wisecracks is a surprisingly tender story about broken people fumbling toward redemption. It's the rare noir that reminds you life can be absurd, violent, hilarious, and strangely beautiful, all before the next punchline lands. See more Read all reviews
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

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Movie Info

Synopsis Two-bit crook Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) stumbles into an audition for a mystery film while on the run from the cops. Winning the part, he lands in Hollywood, where he's flung into a tangled, murderous conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan), and hard-boiled private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer). This deadpan, affectionate parody of film noir tropes is named for film critic Pauline Kael's influential 1968 collection of film reviews and essays.
Director
Shane Black
Producer
Shane Black, Joel Silver
Screenwriter
Shane Black
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Silver Pictures, Warner Brothers
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 11, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.2M
Runtime
1h 42m
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