This is my 3499th Review
Thanks to Simon of Moustache Movie News for this recommendation.
Here are his thoughts on the film.
“Don’t worry, I saw Lord of the Rings. I’m not going to end this 17 times.” – Harry
Number of Times Seen – 2 (17 Dec 2006 and 9 Nov 2017)
Brief Synopsis – A petty thief gets involved in a murder plot after arriving in LA where he is posing as an actor. He teams up with a PI in order to try and solve the crime.
My Take on it – This is such a fun film because it is done with the perfect tone that makes us see that it doesn’t always take itself seriously yet still keeps things interesting and thrilling the whole way through.
The balance between satire and mystery is perfect and the viewer constantly stays interested in seeing what will happen.
The twists and turns are great and it allows us to take in so much of what is happening while still making us constantly pay attention to everything going on.
The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer is great and helps keep the viewer on their toes because their banter is so entertaining to watch.
This film overdoes it a bit with the breaking of the 4th wall, but it still works most of the time in spite of that.
The narration by Downye Jr. helps keep things in perspective as the plot gets more and more complex.
Bottom Line – The tone of the film is done perfectly. It is able to get the balance just right between satire and mystery. The characters are enjoyable to watch and Downey Jr. and Kilmer have amazing chemistry together as partners. The story itself twists and turns as it moves along and is able to keep interest the entire time. The breaking of the 4th wall gets a bit too tiresome towards the end, but the narration definitely helps keep so much of this in clear perspective. Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Shane Black had been suffering from writer’s block. It ultimately took him over a year and a half to write the script for this film. He then had enormous trouble trying to sell it. His former cachet, as being the highest paid screenwriter, meant nothing when he was shopping his screenplay around. Eventually, he took it to Producer Joel Silver, who gave him his first break back in 1987 when he bought Lethal Weapon. (From IMDB)
Rating –
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MovieRob 
Great film to review for # 3499. It was a lot of fun. Shane used to write these in his sleep. I’ve actually read some of his screenplays – and they are almost as much fun to read as they are to watch. I’ll admit to cadging a few bits from him by way of breaking the 4th wall — for the reader. He writes great dialogue and yes – Downey (whose career was also in the tank at this point – before he made his comeback with Iron Man) and Kilmer work well together. I was working out there at the same time that Shane was king of the screenwriter hill – and we did have something in common. I had a huge spec screenplay sale one year – and the producer was Joel Silver (quite a character in his own right).
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