Shane Black has directed two films in his career, one of which is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a riotously entertaining and clever crime-comedy starring Robert Downey Jr (in one of his first mid-2000's comeback roles) and Val Kilmer. It somehow made very little money. The other film? Iron Man 3, which is one of the highest grossing films of all time. Of course, Black is mostly known for his screen-writing, with a string of hit script's in the 80's and 90's showcasing his gift for razor-sharp dialogue: Lethal Weapon 1 and 2, The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is, in many ways, the perfect outlet for the particular talents of Black and Downey Jr, with the future Iron Man proving tailor made to spout Black's sarcastic and hilarious words. Val Kilmer is also superb in the film as Gay Perry, a private eye always on hand with his keen wit and withering put-downs for Downey Jr's Harry Lockhart. The movie plays as a tongue-in-cheek version of classic hard-boiled detective stories, updated for the modern day, and makes brilliant use of Downey Jr 'breaking the fourth wall': he narrates the whole movie, occasionally forgetting things and scolding himself for telling his own story wrong. He also routinely talks to the camera and to us, the audience, meaning we feel like we are in on the joke.
