Short description
Screenwriter Shane Black of LETHAL WEAPON fame makes his directorial debut with this film noir gem. Robert Downey, Jr, stars as Harry Lockhart, a petty thief who stumbles into acting and soon finds himself in Los Angeles, auditioning for a film role as a private detective. To help Harry prepare, his new agent arranges for him to shadow real-life P.I. Perry van Shrike, also known as 'Gay Perry', (Val Kilmer). But when Perry takes Harry along on a routine job for a mystery client, the two men witness the disposal of a dead body, and the game suddenly intensifies. Adding to the intrigue is Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), a beautiful and smart-as-a-whip wannabe starlet with whom Harry is so smitten that he pretends to be a real detective. Soon Harry, Perry, and Harmony are tangled in a life-threatening web of murder, deception, and treachery. Downey is a delight, exhibiting perfect comic timing while infusing Harry with just enough heart to show that, despite appearances, he really is a good guy. Kilmer is the ideal buddy for Downey, playing the no-nonsense private investigator Perry with the right mixture of machismo and stereotypical Tinseltown superficiality. As Harry's dream girl, Harmony, Monaghan embodies the good girl whose dreams are looking increasingly unattainable and who has clearly been around the block more than a couple of times. Top-notch performances combined with Black's wickedly amusing banter and a plot laden with twists and turns make this action-thriller a treat.
Long description
They say that love and money don't mix, but you can't blame Harry Lockhart for trying. He's been whisked from a life of petty crime to Hollywood, where he'll audition for the role of a movie detective and be tutored for the part by a private eye. Now all Harry has to do is convince the dream girl he meets that he's an actual detective. And try not to stumble over the corpses as reel life abruptly gives way to the real.
Lights, camera, plenty of action! Shane Black (Lethal Weapon) provides the screenplay and makes his directing debut in a clever fusion of buddy movie and hardboiled noir produced by Joel Silver. Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan play the thrust-together trio - a naive schemer, a tough-as-nails- gay detective, and a hopeful actress clinging to her dream. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Watch Watch.