Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Play trailer Poster for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang R 2005 1h 42m Mystery & Thriller LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 185 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Two-bit crook Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) stumbles into an audition for a mystery film while on the run from the cops. Winning the part, he lands in Hollywood, where he's flung into a tangled, murderous conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan), and hard-boiled private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer). This deadpan, affectionate parody of film noir tropes is named for film critic Pauline Kael's influential 1968 collection of film reviews and essays.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Tongue-in-cheek satire blends well with entertaining action and spot-on performances in this dark, eclectic neo-noir homage.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Christopher Orr The Atlantic 12/14/2014
The plot of the film is almost willfully convoluted. But it's also largely beside the point, an excuse for quite a few good scenes, most of them equal parts homage and subversion. Go to Full Review
Wendy Ide The Times (UK) 12/14/2014
A sarky, sniping film noir homage that assassinates the character of every LA archetype you could imagine. Go to Full Review
Philippa Hawker The Age (Australia) 12/14/2014
4/5
A self-referential noir-screwball-action movie that never wears out its welcome -- although it delights in taking that risk, over and over again. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Mar 19
4/5
‘…a clever, funny, original take on the noir genre…’ Go to Full Review
James D. Williams InSession Film Nov 14
A
This movie is one of the few noir black comedies with action that we have from the early aughts that had its own voice. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 04/09/2025
3/4
From its opening moments, it’s clear Black isn’t making a buddy/action movie as much as a send-up of a buddy/action movie. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Todd F @Tiddlows 6d Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a buddy movie where nobody knows what the hell they’re doing, yet everyone has a gun. Robert Downey Jr. talks like his brain has five tabs open. Val Kilmer plays the world’s most sarcastic detective and treats every conversation like a chance to destroy someone’s ego. Murders, mistakes, bad choices, and enough banter to choke a Christmas goose. It’s funny. It’s filthy. It’s sharp. Hollywood needed a detective story. It got two idiots, a corpse, and one hell of a movie. See more Shawna R @Shawnarrr Aug 14 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a magnificent collision of bullets, bad decisions, sarcastic assholes, and Robert Downey Jr. talking like his brain is being chased by the police. The banter is razor-sharp, the plot is gloriously tangled, and Val Kilmer plays a gay private detective with the patience of a man who has been assigned the world’s dumbest client, which, naturally, is Robert Downey Jr. Every character is either lying, dying, flirting, or spectacularly screwing things up. Five stars. A beautiful mess of murder, comedy, and smart-ass dialogue. Hollywood has never looked this dangerously stupid. See more Antony B @RT29664284 Jul 26 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a glorious mess in all the right ways, a detective story that zigzags between laughs, danger, and genuine heartbreak without ever losing its footing. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are electric together, trading sharp banter with the kind of chemistry you can't fake. Every twist feels playful instead of forced, and beneath the wisecracks is a surprisingly tender story about broken people fumbling toward redemption. It's the rare noir that reminds you life can be absurd, violent, hilarious, and strangely beautiful, all before the next punchline lands. See more Jen N @Jennever Jul 9 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is what happens when a crime thriller gets struck by lightning, develops a wicked sense of humor, and decides it would rather make you laugh than behave itself. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are an absolutely fantastic odd couple, bouncing off each other with the kind of chemistry that makes every scene feel like it could spontaneously combust. The mystery keeps throwing bodies, secrets, and increasingly insane complications into the mix, while the characters stumble through it all with spectacularly questionable judgment. And the writing is Sharp as a switchblade. The dialogue is hilarious, self-aware, fast, and packed with enough verbal fireworks to keep the movie moving even when somebody isn't getting shot at. It’s noir with its tie loosened, its hair on fire, and a drink in its hand. See more Jay B @Jay2025 Jul 5 Ok acting but very good crime, Comedy, or Romance See more S. O @Col._Angus Jun 10 Mainly silly, but still entertaining. Kind of a fairy tale. See more Read all reviews
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
Diabolique 23% 39% Diabolique Watchlist Bound 88% 83% Bound Watchlist TRAILER for Bound The Night Listener 40% 35% The Night Listener Watchlist Conspiracy Theory 59% 64% Conspiracy Theory Watchlist Taking Lives 21% 54% Taking Lives Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Two-bit crook Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) stumbles into an audition for a mystery film while on the run from the cops. Winning the part, he lands in Hollywood, where he's flung into a tangled, murderous conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan), and hard-boiled private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer). This deadpan, affectionate parody of film noir tropes is named for film critic Pauline Kael's influential 1968 collection of film reviews and essays.
Director
Shane Black
Producer
Shane Black, Joel Silver
Screenwriter
Shane Black
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Silver Pictures, Warner Brothers
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 11, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.2M
Runtime
1h 42m
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings