Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Cbabbitt’s been reviewing films for AICN on an occasional basis for a last year or so now, and we like him a lot. He feels just as strongly as Harry about Shane Black’s KISS KISS, BANG BANG, which is floundering in its current limited release, and felt like he should weigh in about it, and he also wanted to bring a little attention to THE PASSENGER, Antonioni’s 1975 film with Jack Nicholson that is getting a theatrical run after a restoration. Let’s see what he’s got to say about KKBB first:
Where do I begin? I’m currently enjoying the dizzy elation of having just experienced Shane Black’s ultimate ego-boasting wet-dream, viciously unleashed onto the screen with an intensity and malice not seen since Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is an aggressively evil mainstream action/comedy. If nothing else, it’s a mammoth success simply because Black was able to convince a studio into making an egotistical fever dream of raw cinematic nerve that results in the most blatant “fuck you” to the audience that I’ve ever seen. This movie is attitude, start to finish. It’s outrageous because Black knows he can get away with it. And above all else, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang works as a bitingly funny satire on the genre he energized in the late 80’s.
Judging from the audience's reaction today, this movie will evidently be misunderstood, overlooked, or just plain despised by many individuals. The specific response was extremely reminiscent to Paul Verhoeven’s woefully, painfully, criminally underrated sci-fi epic Starship Troopers. Like that film, people will either understand and adore Shane Black’s latest offering, or understand it and venomously detest it. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang simply doesn’t have the time or patience for any middle-ground. After about twenty minutes of this movie, Black pretty much dares you to indulge in the disobedient nature of its pulp roots, or to get the hell out of the theater. I bring up Starship Troopers only because the sly, satirical madness of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang feels very much like the giddy amusement of Verhoeven’s doing. People will scoff at Black’s frenzied narrative structure and rapid-fire dialogue as absurdly pretentious, which wouldn’t be necessarily wrong, but it’s a pivotal aspect to the success of Black’s in-joke. Every single frame, line, performance, and sound of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is built precisely for Black’s personal enjoyment of knowing the audience will either eat up what is honestly reprehensible, or be totally disarmed by it. Just like Tarantino, Black made this film for an audience of one: Himself. Quite frankly, I’m just glad I enjoyed the ride.
The most interesting thing about the entire venture is that without the narration, constant shots at the industry, and overall playfulness of the screenplay, this movie would have been a strong, Raymond Chandler like, old-fashioned action/comedy that had become synonymous with Black’s name after the release of Lethal Weapon. However, after almost a decade of silence, it’s perfectly clear that Black wanted to present an entirely new angle for his directorial debut, and he certainly accomplished an unequivocally effective romp of comedic value and brutal violence. Everything you’d expect from Shane Black can be found. Pervasive swearing, smartly written speeches, incredibly funny quips, beatings, gunplay, car crashes, torture, nudity, sexual innuendo, and an overall atmosphere of grandiose danger.
Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is an incompetent New York thief that accidently bursts into an audition for a major film while evading the police after attempting to steal a toy. Flustered by the situation, and the recent death of his partner, he shocks the producers with his heartfelt reading. Impressed with Lockhart’s intensity, they send him to Los Angeles to prepare for role, where he attends Hollywood parties and meets with a detective called Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) to learn the skills of being a private investigator. Downey is basically a dope. He’s a loser, not very smart or dangerous, but charming nonetheless. At a high class soiree early in the film, Downey notices a beautiful woman sleeping in a room. A man is gently feeling her up, and Downey decides to take immediate action. He gives the man a thunderous threat and unfortunately gets the shit kicked out of him. One thing leads to another, and he ends up following the woman to a club, pathetically hitting on her, and eventually realizing he grew up with her as a child, back when he wanted to be a magician. The woman, Harmony, is a figure of lust for Harry. Who can blame him? Harmony is stunning. After an evening of disaster, Harry continues to hang around Gay Perry until they get mixed up in a grisly murder case. At the same time, Harmony’s ill sister commits suicide, which he she believes was an elaborate set-up. Thinking that Harry is a detective, she hires him to find out the truth to her sister’s death. And yes, these two cases must obviously have a connection.
The plot is convoluted on purpose. It takes the structure, tone, and style of pulp novels and 40’s noir and turns them inside-out. Black basically pulverizes the genre with his nonsensical onslaught of horrific circumstances and horrible treatment of his characters. I’ve always loved the cruelty his characters have to face, and in this film, Downey experiences some truly horrific things. Now, his narration will most likely be heavily scrutinized since he constantly makes snarky comments about the film itself, and even talks to the audience. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is purposely aggravating. This is when Black’s satirical side begins to present itself. Just when you think he’s going for something straightforward, he pulls a fast one on you. He does this repeatedly throughout the entire film, right up until the very end. Black doesn’t care if you like or not, and continues to insert any insulting or ridiculous gesture just for the hell of it. At one point in Downey’s narration, he says something along the lines of “still following the story?” and “Have you figured it out yet?”. It’s absurd, completely unnecessary and even insulting, yet still manages to entertain. And Black knows that. He knows he’s a gifted writer, and gives the characters smart quips that are actually funny. A lot of the dialogue is structured to set-up an extravagant joke, and most of them are genuinely hilarious. And while a large portion of the dialogue is quipping, Black still develops the characters with layers of depth and nuance.
Robert Downey and Val Kilmer are, quite frankly, awesome. There’s really no other way to put it. The material is perfectly suited for them, and they’re a constant thrill to watch. The torture sequence involving these two is extremely funny even though it’s brutal and repulsive. But, that’s Shane Black for you. When you watch Robert Downey accidently urinate on a rotting corpse and laugh so hard it brings you to tears, you know exactly the kind of territory you’re in. This is the world of Shane Black. It’s aggravating, extreme, full of itself, and absolutely proud.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang isn’t a great film, nor is it profound or particularly significant. It is, however, one of the purest forms of intelligent entertainment released this year, an absolute blast for anyone looking for a great time on a Saturday night. I imagine this film will be quoted by the geek community in years to come, much like his Lethal Weapon or even Tarantino’s aforementioned Reservoir Dogs. I certainly had a great time. Oh, and the opening credits sequences is brilliant.
And THE PASSENGER?
If you’re in Los Angeles looking for a worthwhile cinematic experience, look no further than the Nuart theater. Thanks to the Nuart, you can see why a movie from 1975 is the most intriguing release this weekend.
Michelangelo Antonioni’s hardly seen thriller, The Passenger, has been re-released for the viewing pleasure of every ardent film-lover in the city. For fans of Antonioni, the opportunity to see this lost classic in theaters is obviously a no-brainer. This is the man that gave us L’Avventura, La Notte, L’ Eclisse, Blow-Up, and The Red Desert. For those not familiar with Antonioni’s films (not that you’re reading this), the Nuart theater is giving you an amazing chance to discover one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema. The Passenger is easily his most accessible film, yet contains everything synonymous with Antonioni’s name. Being the enormous fan of his work that I am, seeing this movie was my first priority of the weekend.
The Passenger is another extremely effective journey into loneliness, emptiness, solitude, and desertion, themes Antonioni examines in basically all of his films. What strikes me most about Antonioni’s craft is his ability to convey raw emotion, plot, and thematic content through his arresting imagery without a single word being spoken by his characters. He uses cinema’s full potential in order to tell his stories, and the results are simply mesmerizing. I know it’s become almost unoriginal to hail a film as visual mastery, but to experience Antonioni’s work is to be swallowed by overwhelming visual flourishes that are deeply affecting. His imagery is utterly entrancing. This is obviously the first noticeable aspect of The Passenger. As the opening credits introduce the movie, a series of African landscapes and vista’s grace the screen with a startling immediacy. You’re there, enveloped by the world Antonioni captures with his camera.
David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is a journalist reporting on guerilla warfare in Africa, alone and frustrated. At first, we have no idea who he is or what he’s searching for. We’re introduced to a conflicted man aimlessly looking for something tangible in his life. A freak accident gives him the opportunity to do something extreme. He comes across a dead body in the hotel room across from him. He only knew the man briefly, and for some inexplicable reason steals his identity to start a new life. I know many people might be initially confounded by his choice, but the film clearly explains the character’s psyche and existential crisis by the conclusion. Because of some burning, uncontrollable internal struggle, David decides to steal this man’s life and leave everything behind on a whim. As the story continues, we find out more and more about David’s previous life. He was successful, but had a worthless marriage. He was personable, but sadly unfulfilled. As he embarks on his journey, everything changes. The man he becomes, Robertson, has a scrap book with meetings all over the world. David uses the opportunity to travel to as many places as possible, only to realize that Robertson is an arms-dealer who sells weapons to the very guerrillas he was trying to document.
At first, he’s elated by the experience. He travels farther and farther away from who he was and meets a wonderful girl (Maria Schnieder) on the way. Unfortunately, his wife begins to wonder about his death, comes across information about Robertson, and attempts to seek him out. Additionally, agents are hunting him down without him even knowing about it. A lot happens in the two hours of this movie. As I previously stated, Antonioni’s imagery is what tells the story. I’m not trying to dismiss the undeniably intelligent screenplay, but the images in this movie do much of the talking. That being said, the dialogue itself is very well done. There’s hardly any exposition. What the characters say and do is motivated by their reaction to their environments and situations. Subtlety is what makes this movie work. It’s apparent in everything from pacing to the performances.
Jack Nicholson is tremendous. He’s in just about every sequence of the film, and his lost, aggravated sensibilities are fascinating to watch. His chemistry with the lovely Maria Schnieder is beautiful. I love it how he repeatedly asks her, “what the fuck are you doing with me?” He’s a character so insecure about himself that he genuinely doesn’t understand that she’s exactly the same. He has he a feeling she’s similar and loves her presence and feels free around her, but something is missing within himself. Now, some people are evidently confused by Nicholson’s purpose in this movie. After the film, I overheard a group of people criticizing the point of his character. I guess subtlety is a difficult concept to grasp these days, even though his character has a speech towards the end that perfectly sums up who he is. The Passenger is about a man looking for purpose and meaning, and realizing that life is more complex than receiving grand epiphanies about human existence. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t escape his past. No matter how many new places he visits, they’re only minor distractions. His character is detached and distant from normality.
The Passenger is excellent. The pace is deliberately slow in order to carefully develope the story and characters, but the imagery and performances keep you interested. Everything builds to an astonishing conclusion, beautifully captured in a single prolonged shot that is easily the most humbling piece of filmmaking I’ve seen all year. If you’re an Antonioni fan that’s never seen this film, this experience is essential. If you’re interested in taking a chance with something different, head out to the Nuart and savor the cinematic glory of Michelangelo Antonioni.
Thanks, man. Great work. Both films are playing in limited release right now, and if you’re lucky enough to live in an area where they’re onscreen, check them out while you can.
"Moriarty" out.
