Nothing inspires creativity and audacity more than rejection and failure – and few artists knew this more than Shane Black, whose career as a relatively successful screenwriter was brought to a grinding halt when one of his films did not perform as expected, leading to him becoming one of the countless casualties of Hollywood’s notoriously fickle system of only allowing those who are profitable sample from their resources, and everyone else just has to make do with what they have until they either provide something worthwhile or fade into obscurity. Nearly a decade away from the spotlight seemed to have a positive impact on Black, who returned with a literal bang in the form of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is not only considered one of his finest films but served to be his introduction as a director, becoming one of the strongest debuts of the past few decades. Telling the story of a petty criminal who finds his way out of a precarious situation when he is mistaken for a working actor, only to be plunged into a more sinister plot that takes him into the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, the film is a rollicking, entertaining crime comedy that proves Black’s exceptional prowess as a storyteller, with the blend of violence and humour, coupled with some intriguing social commentary that adds necessary layers of depth, making for quite an entertaining film, albeit one that is never intended to be taken particularly seriously, nor viewed as anything other than one that wants to take common ideas and transform them into something quite different, while maintaining a very distinct vision of what it intends to be by the end of the most chaotic 100 minutes one could spend with this hilarious and irreverent characters.

Black has often spoken about the inspiration for this film coming through his efforts to make a version of a film noir that brings these iconic elements to the present day, both in terms of setting and sensibility – it is his version of Chinatown, right down to the charismatic but complex lead making his way through the perilous underworld of Los Angeles, which is filled with malicious criminals who would eliminate him without even a moment’s hesitation. He may not be all that ambitious for attempting to reconfigure film noir to a more modern setting, since this principle had existed for decades, and Black was doing nothing we had not seen before. However, much like his previous work, his efforts were less about innovation and more about subversion, with the entire conceit of this film being based around deconstructing classical noir and reforming it from a perspective that both pays tribute to the genre’s origin (since there has never been any need to dismiss the original works, since they remain incredibly influential and beloved), and shows how these principles can be adapted to new contexts, and in the process proves how the idea that they were remnants of the past isn’t only misguided, it’s factually incorrect. Choosing this as his debut was an ambitious choice on the part of the director, but he had enough experience to get it made without too much difficulty, and his stature in the industry, and the fact that he had a partially recognizable name lent the film some credibility, allowed Black to take some bold swings with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which benefits from his unhinged audacity, even if a more concise approach to some of these ideas may have been a way to further improve an already solid film.

A film noir without a good protagonist is rarely worth our time, since the appeal of these projects often lies within the viewer being willing to invest in the character’s journey, as they define the story. Once again, in hindsight casting Robert Downey, Jr. as the lead in this film does not seem like a major accomplishment or even all that interesting, since we have become so accustomed to him being a very prominent actor and member of the Hollywood elite, we don’t always remember that this film was made right at the peak of his status as persona non grata, the period where he was viewed as not only a reckless playboy who could not get insured, but someone whose erratic behaviour sometimes overtook his genuine talents, which was one of the many truly unfortunate aspects of this era, and something that we can all be relieved was only temporary since it would be far better for Downey to utilize his time for acting rather than his more foolish lifestyle at the time. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was not the film that welcomed him back into Hollywood, but it was the one that inspired Jon Favreau to take a gamble on him as the lead of Iron Man, which essentially kickstarted an entire portion of the contemporary film industry, for better or worse. However, his performance here is by far the better achievement, even if it served to only remind viewers and the industry that he was genuinely talented – charismatic in a way that evoked stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but with a modern sensibility that made him profoundly appealing, he was a perfect choice for this role, and he managed to turn in an unsurprisingly strong performance. Black has a knack for buddy films, and joining Downey in one of his final truly great performances before he received from the industry due to health issues is Val Kilmer, who is also a fantastic choice and brings so much compassion and nuance to a character that would have otherwise been a one-dimensional stereotype if it wasn’t for his wonderful commitment to the role. They’re the main attraction, and the supporting cast (which includes a solid Michelle Monaghan and a very effective villainous performance by Corbin Bernsen) adds to the overall experience.

Putting aside the ramblings about how intriguing it is to compare Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to previous entries into the genre, and how Black challenges conventions in intriguing ways, we can also find that this is a genuinely well-made film, which is not surprising but still important to note. Far too many works that aim to be homages or pastiches to entire genres tend to think that directly paying tribute (whether in terms of form, tone or content) is sufficient, when in reality it is important to assert one’s artistic vision, or else it just becomes an exercise in mimicry, which is something that should be avoided by anyone wanting to be taken seriously in the industry. Black’s approach is to acknowledge and celebrate the classics, but in a way that still allows his voice to come through more than any of his inspirations, who remain just mere influences, rather than guiding the production any more than was required. This is a film plucked directly from the mid-2000s, both visually and in terms of the references, and nothing quite dates a film to a specific period than having it constructed as a noir since a lot of the intrigue and mystery is intrinsically tied to the era, even if we can overlook these qualities when the film is made properly. This is the case with a film like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which draws on that feeling of debauchery and deceit that has always been present in the notorious City of Angels but adds contemporary elements that situate it to a specific time. Black’s screenplays are not timeless in terms of their references or overall development, but rather in how they offer a decent amount of entertainment from very simple concepts, and this film proves that he is a much stronger writer than he is given credit for and that there is so much more in him than just the Lethal Weapon franchise, even if this does tend to follow a similar trajectory and possesses the same kind of offbeat humour that made those original film so successful and gave Black his entry into the industry.

Watching Kiss Kiss Bang Bang at the time of its release nearly twenty years ago must have felt like a major moment in contemporary filmmaking since there are several elements that this film introduced to the modern cinematic lexicon, even if it is not as original or daring work in hindsight as it may have seemed at first. I am not someone who is sold on this film as being an unimpeachable masterpiece, and it has appropriately been labelled as more of a cult film, although it has infiltrated the mainstream enough to be considered mostly a populist work, a film that has maintained a solid foundation within the general public and inspired a new generation of filmmakers to follow in its footsteps, as seemingly conventional as they may seem in retrospect. Arguably, Black did not become a massively successful, iconic filmmaker in the aftermath, with an initial buzz that he may be taking Quentin Tarantino’s mantle as the reigning master of subversive, darkly comical crime thrillers being proven premature – he’s made strong films in the years since and has worked on blockbusters, but he is still quite an under-discussed artist, which almost seems appropriate given his occasional recession into the shadows, since his refusal to be a constant presence in the industry, instead choosing to use his time to make projects for which he has an earnest passion. It’s a great debut that proves he had the necessary skill set to direct his screenplays, and while he may have made a much better version of this kind of film a decade later in the brilliant The Nice Guys, Black’s efforts here were not wasted at all, and it never disappoints or leaves us wanting more than what we ultimately received, which is all part of the undeniable appeal of this wildly entertaining and very charming film.