2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Warner Bros.After spending the late 1980's and early 1990's as one of the most prominent (and well-paid) screenwriters in Hollywood, Shane Black almost completely disappeared off the radar. When he returned, it was with one of the most confident and assured directorial debuts in recent memory that finished with the tantalizing possibility of a sequel that has never come to pass. Featuring all of the sharp dialogue, voiceover and Christmas iconography you'd expect from a Shane Black script, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a whip-smart and often hilarious Los Angeles-set noir that boasts a brilliant double-act in Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. As Harry Lockhart and Gay Perry respectively, the duo's chemistry elevates the material in amongst the twisting plot and self-referential asides. The final scene of the movie sees Harry now working for Perry, which left things wide open for a potential sequel. Despite the fact that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang only just earned back its $15m budget at the box office, Robert Downey Jr's status as one of the world's biggest movie stars and Shane Black's success with the $1.2bn-grossing Iron Man 3 hopefully leaves the possibility open that they could return for another round of murder-mystery shenanigans.