Grade: B+

Normally Kiss Kiss Bang Bang isn’t the kind of movie that I’d rush out and see – but in this case I had to! Why? Because Shane Black is the director – and he wrote the screenstory and screenplay. Most movie fans know Shane Black as the brilliant and highly paid young screenwriter who did the Lethal Weapon series. But I know Shane Black as my buddy from UCLA! We took a TV class together and worked on several projects together. Yes, he was funny and smart, and we all knew that he’s be a big success – and here he is – a huge success! Very cool. The movie starts out with a bang – and doesn’t let up. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as the thief turned actor who gets swept away to Hollywood and then gets caught up in an old-time caper. Val Kilmer is “Gay” Parry – the private eye who ends up taking on a case that is bigger than he anticipated. There’s plenty of action, hijinks, violence, (albeit mostly comedic violence it’s still pretty gross) – it’s quirky, fun, and definitely original. And that’s what I appreciate when I go to the movies these days. I don’t want formula, I don’t want predictible – I want to be surprised, and maybe shocked! This movie delivers.