BLU-RAY REVIEW

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Featured In Issue 113, October 2006

Picture4.5
Sound3
WSR Score3
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number):
82948
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
For language, violence, and sexuality/nudity
(Retail Price):
$34.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
103
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
1
(Theatrical Year):
2005
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
08/01/06
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Shane Black
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Harry Lockhart (Downey) is a detective...oh, wait...back up. Harry is a crook turned actor who thinks he just landed the part of a detective in a movie. He makes the acquantance of private eye, Gay Perry (Kilmer), while studying for the role...and finds himself falling head-over-heels in love with his high school crush (now aspiring-actress), Harmony (Monaghan). Harmony thinks Harry's a detective, and needs him to be one when her sister is murdered...but that only makes things more complicated and humorous in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Based on the book "Bodies Are Where You Find Them" by Brett Halliday. (Suzanne Hodges)

Like the other Warner Home Video titles reviewed in this issue, the movie starts playing right away after putting the DVD into the Blu-ray Disc player, rather than defaulting to the main menu. There are special features, however, and they are the same ones as those on the HD DVD: commentary by Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr., and Shane Black; a four-minute gag reel; and the theatrical trailer.

The 2.38:1 MPEG-2-encoded Blu-ray Disc picture can look very good. Sharpness, detail, and definition are very nicely rendered throughout, with good shadow delineation and contrast. While the detail is impressive most of the time, there are moments when fine details are soft. The Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD images are very similar, although details in the shadows are slightly more impressive with the HD DVD release. This is a very good picture. (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack is generally quiescent in nature, with surrounds often ignored in scenes where their use could be effective. Compared to the HD DVD's soundtrack, this encoding sounds slightly edgy, but it does sound better than the DVD. (Danny Richelieu)