--- title: "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/kiss-kiss-bang-bang/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/kiss-kiss-bang-bang" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 13 reviews: 10 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, with praise concentrated on Shane Black’s sharp dialogue and the comic partnership of Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. Their banter and contrasting performances make the tangled noir plotting enjoyable for many reviewers, while Kilmer’s dry delivery draws particular notice. The film’s self-aware narration and play with detective-story conventions are widely treated as sources of fun, though the performances attract more consistent approval than the storytelling. The spread is fairly wide, and the main dividing line is how much cleverness the reviews will tolerate. Even several admirers find the plot convoluted or incoherent, and some want more emotional depth beneath the jokes. The Los Angeles Times finds the relentless patter and self-reference exhausting. The New York Times is more dismissive still, seeing little purpose beneath the surface ingenuity, despite acknowledging the cast’s inspired comic exchanges. ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2005. Festival review. The review praises it as a hugely entertaining mix of film noir, comic buddy movie and metacinematic romp, a triumph of savvy tone and ironic attitude that works best in comic mode, singling out Kilmer's fine comic turn. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/kiss-kiss-bang-bang/4023111.article) ## Radio Times Rating 4/5. It calls the film a hilarious game of nudge-nudge wink-wink with compelling performances from Downey Jr and Kilmer's battery of one-liners, describing it as a quirky noir that packs more heat than the average action thriller. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-wfyj18/kiss-kiss-bang-bang/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2005. The critic finds the film an audacious directorial debut from Shane Black that mixes meta genre play with strong characters and dialogue. It succeeds through its cast, especially Downey Jr. and Kilmer, despite occasional dips into plot mechanics. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/kiss-kiss-bang-bang-1798201133) ## Time Out Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2005. The review describes Black's directorial debut as an ultra-knowing contemporary take on the gumshoe procedural, highlighting Downey's rumpled performance and the enjoyable self-aware narration and formal trickery. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/kiss-kiss-bang-bang-1) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2005. The critic calls it a silly, self-reflexive lark with spitfire sarcasm that showcases Black's return as director. It excels in Downey Jr.'s performance and playful noir tropes but lacks deeper engagement with the genre's fatalism. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/kiss-kiss-bang-bang/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2005. The film is not a bust and comes out smiling thanks to the yakking performances of Kilmer, Monaghan, and Downey Jr., even if it sometimes feels like the Annual General Meeting of Hollywood Smart-asses Incorporated. It remains a slithery treat despite being smug. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/10/31/troublemakers) ## Evening Standard — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. Shane Black's witty, audacious directorial debut is an innovative buddy movie indebted to Tarantino and Wilder, with strong central performances from Downey Jr. and Kilmer. It is uneven and a bit too clever for its own good, though it delivers laughs a minute. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/gay-gumshoe-with-no-camp-7386140.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2005. The film contains comedy and invention but is slowed by its overly clever, self-referential style that often feels like it is spinning its wheels. Performances by Downey Jr. and Kilmer stand out amid the banter and genre nods. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kiss-kiss-bang-bang-2005) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2005. The exuberant directorial debut is too ostentatiously pleased with itself and in love with its own cleverness, wearing the audience out with nonstop glossy patter and a hyper-complex, self-referential plot. It is entertaining for a while but ultimately exhausting. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-oct-21-et-kisskiss21-story.html) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2005. The movie is a flashy, trifling throwaway whose surface cleverness masks self-infatuated credulity, though it offers the cast a chance for inspired riffing. It evokes noir conventions in a post-Pulp Fiction way without much reason for existing. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/21/movies/los-angeles-detective-and-new-york-thief-channel-pulp-fiction.html) ## Empire — William Thomas Black's directorial debut is a bold, breathless, meta-lunatic comedy-thriller that deconstructs pulp noir and action formulas with satirical cunning and barbed writing. It succeeds thanks to terrific lead performances despite an incomprehensible plot and chaotic posturing. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kiss-kiss-bang-bang-review/) ## Sight and Sound — John Wrathall The critic views it as a compendium of Black's familiar stylistic tics and witty repartee that drives the film more than its convoluted plot, praising the relaxed interplay among Downey, Kilmer and Monaghan but finding it lacking in personal depth or coherence. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/2629) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 11 November 2005. The critic finds the film a smart, writerly neo-noir thriller packed with hellzapoppin’ comedy and self-aware storytelling that playfully exposes movie tropes. Val Kilmer’s hilarious turn as the gay PI Gay Perry stands out as the performance singled out for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/nov/11/2) ## The Times — Wendy Ide 12 November 2005. The review calls the film a sarky, sniping film noir homage that assassinates LA archetypes with savage dialogue delivered by Downey Jr and Kilmer. The odd-couple chemistry is highlighted as a strength, though the dense and incoherent plot is noted as a drawback. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/north-america-travel/us-travel/california/kiss-kiss-bang-bang-0tf6g7vx77r) ## Total Film 11 November 2005. The film is one of the year's best: a smart, metafictional noir blending brutal violence, caustic humor, and self-referential wit with soulful performances. Downey Jr., Kilmer, and Monaghan anchor the chaos, turning genre conventions into something fresh and fun. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/kiss-kiss-bang-bang-review/) ## Eye for Film — Steve Harwood Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2005. The critic finds the film a fresh, quick-witted black comedy with razor-sharp dialogue and plenty of laughs that is highly enjoyable. They single out the charismatic performances of Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/kiss-kiss-bang-bang-film-review-by-steve-harwood) ## Digital Spy — Emma Dibdin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 April 2013. The critic praises Shane Black's directorial debut as a razor-sharp comedy noir that cleverly comments on its own genre and script while delivering flat-out fun and efficient storytelling. It singles out the strong performances, especially the tetchy banter between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, along with the film's unexpectedly sweet morality and heartfelt moments. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/re-viewed/a476708/re-viewed-shane-blacks-razor-sharp-comedy-noir-kiss-kiss-bang-bang/) ## The Skinny — Megan Garriock Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 March 2006. The review describes the film as an entertaining noir-black-comedy-thriller with strong buddy banter and situational comedy, crediting Shane Black's direction and the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. It singles out the witty dialogue, including memorable lines like 'the dog ate my fingerprints,' and recommends it highly for its fun and success. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/opinion/kiss-kiss-bang-bang) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/kiss-kiss-bang-bang.md