What an enjoyable film this is! And for so many reasons - it outdoes Tarantino in post-modernist touches, and matches him in violence; it's hilariously funny most of the time, with lightening fast dialogue; and it plays variations on several familiar genres, including the classic 40s film noir, the Hollywood exposé, and the buddy-buddy movie.
On paper, much of the screenplay is formulaic - the duo who don't get on, but have to; shoot-outs where our heroes are miraculously invulnerable; bodies which mysteriously disappear and re-appear; and a labyrinthine, opaque storyline. But this hardly matters, when every aspect is handled by the director and his team so cleverly and originally. Even the plot makes sense by the closing credits - well, sort of!
What makes the film work, above all, is the casting and pairing of Robert Downey Jr as Harry Lockhart, a small-time crook on the run in LA, with Val Kilmer as tough and cynical, private eye, Gay Perry, whose first name, for once, is more literal than ironic. Downey, in particular, is brilliant, investing his character with a depth and subtlety, you just would not think possible in such a fast-moving, action- and gag-packed movie. That Lockhart has scenes which allow Downey to display his tender and vulnerable side is due to an ingenious plot, which brings in genuine love, not just sex, interest, with Michelle Monaghan as Lockhart's childhood sweetheart and failed starlet. (Take it from me, the film isn't nearly as slushy and hackneyed as my last sentence makes it sound!)
Continuing in sentimental mode, it would be nice to think that Downey Jr has or can overcome his personal problems, and can now forge ahead with his big screen career. In the meantime, he and director/writer Shane Black deserve every credit for this hugely entertaining movie.
On paper, much of the screenplay is formulaic - the duo who don't get on, but have to; shoot-outs where our heroes are miraculously invulnerable; bodies which mysteriously disappear and re-appear; and a labyrinthine, opaque storyline. But this hardly matters, when every aspect is handled by the director and his team so cleverly and originally. Even the plot makes sense by the closing credits - well, sort of!
What makes the film work, above all, is the casting and pairing of Robert Downey Jr as Harry Lockhart, a small-time crook on the run in LA, with Val Kilmer as tough and cynical, private eye, Gay Perry, whose first name, for once, is more literal than ironic. Downey, in particular, is brilliant, investing his character with a depth and subtlety, you just would not think possible in such a fast-moving, action- and gag-packed movie. That Lockhart has scenes which allow Downey to display his tender and vulnerable side is due to an ingenious plot, which brings in genuine love, not just sex, interest, with Michelle Monaghan as Lockhart's childhood sweetheart and failed starlet. (Take it from me, the film isn't nearly as slushy and hackneyed as my last sentence makes it sound!)
Continuing in sentimental mode, it would be nice to think that Downey Jr has or can overcome his personal problems, and can now forge ahead with his big screen career. In the meantime, he and director/writer Shane Black deserve every credit for this hugely entertaining movie.