Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Warner Movie •••½ Picture/Sound •••½ Extras •••½

First-time director Shane Black, writer of the Lethal Weapon film series, tries for a hipster updating of the age-old detective movie. But Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is really about stars Val Kilmer and Robert Downey, Jr., bantering their way through two hours of Pulp Fiction-style mayhem. So it's good news that the DVD's producers were smart enough to get Kilmer, Downey, and Black to do it all again, spontaneously, in a hilarious commentary. Images on this DVD look sharp and clean, highlighting the stark, desaturated visuals that make Los Angeles seem more menacing than inviting. The 5.1-channel mix delivers the sonic punch required by the action scenes. A blooper reel with a few mild laughs is the only other extra. [R] English and French, Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish, Dolby Surround; letterboxed (2.35:1) and anamorphic widescreen; dual layer.

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