Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a clear subversion of the Noir genre with its twisted detective story, mysterious female characters, and an unconventionally heroic protagonist. The twists and turns of this movie however, not only subvert the noir genre, but as I will also argue, serve the greater purpose of subverting the generic Hollywood film. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang makes as much fun of the typical detective story as the institution that made and produced it.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang certainly has the basic qualities of a film noir. Stylistically, the film is filled with noir iconography—the sensuous blond haired woman with rouge lips, the smokiness of darkened bars, men in trench-coats, and most of all, the presence of chiascuro, or the high contrast between light and dark. Like Chinatown, Bang also departs from the semantics of noir in that it includes color. But while Chinatown for the most part keeps its colors muted, Bang actually exaggerates them, coloring interiors with vibrant limes and reds, indicating a subversion of the generic text.
Cawelti writes that the Noir film story “begins when the hard-boiled hero is given a mission by a client. (500)” This is also the case to a certain extent in Bang. Harry’s first assignment is given to him by “Gay Perry”, his so-called agent who forces Harry to stake out outside Allison Ames’s house in order to train him for his acting role as a private investigator. Cawelti continues to dissect the noir genre saying that, “It is typical that this initial mission is a deceptive one. Either the client is lying…or the client has himself been deceived and does not understand what is really at stake when he gives the detective his case.” In Bang, the initial mission is deceptive for both reasons. Perry, the client in this case, is deceiving Harry in that he says that the mission is a part of his training in order to get him in character for his role of a Private Investigator, but Perry himself is also being deceived in that he has no idea of the bigger picture of what he was hired for. The presence of this double crossing, and other confusing twists plotlines seems to mock the noir genre. Again, Bang exaggerates a trait of the Noir genre and in essence subverts it with satirical humor.
Cawelti also mentions as a trait of the noir film that the protagonist is always “the individual of integrity who exists on the margins of society can solve the crime and bring about a true justice.” Harry does indeed exist “on the margins of society” but unlike his generic counterparts, he is taken even a step further. Not only is he on the margins of society, but he is actually the antithesis of it. The film begins showing him robbing a toy store for Christmas—he is set up as a criminal—an anti-hero of sorts who openly rejects the society he is in.
The way he escapes capture is by jumping into an audition for a Hollywood film. Harry slams into the audition room to escape from the reality of his criminal activity and consequences—here, he is both figuratively and literally jumping into a movie. Similarly, this is the moment that we the audience is also at a genre crossroads—to decide whether or not we can suspend our disbelief and our reality, in order to engage with the genre experience. The presentation of Harry as a criminal escaping his reality through film also seems to be a self-reflexive commentary that watching a film on the part of the speculator may also be considered a criminal act (similar to the case in Peeping Tom). This moment is also the point in the film in which the movie begins to play with its own productive process. Throughout Bang, we can see the whole Hollywood production process unfold before our eyes.
The very first step in producing a Hollywood movie, is securing the written material. This is shown in the presence of the Johnny Gossamer novels which Harmony has been obsessed with since childhood. The story of the movie follows the plotlines of these novels. At one point, Harry, in his narration, comments about “planting”, the process of planting objects and things in the script that have significance later on in the movie. This also mocks the typical Hollywood script. The next step in the production process is packaging the right stars to play in the movie. We know both how Harry and Harmony “got to the party”, or how they were “discovered” as stars of the movie. The movie itself mocks this process through the wild ways that both characters got there—Harry through a criminal act, while Harmony appears on the nightly news by hitting a robot with a bat. Editing is addressed when Harry goes on a tangent, and he attempts to correct himself but screws up the movie screen instead. This occurs in the video HERE at 9:55. Lastly, Harry mocks the happy ending by bringing back Perry, and to hit the point home, all of the other characters and criminals back from the dead. Every aspect in the production process is made fun of.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang subverts the genre and through that in essence also makes fun of itself as a Hollywood product.
rich analysis and well-organized argument! I find your idea of exaggeration really productive. Taken all the way out to their logical conclusion -- contrasting color, flawed main character, etc. the conventions of genre become a vehicle for satirizing the genre itself. That allows us to see how formulaic genre conventions really are within a film that is which critique (of genre, of Hollywood) still serves the purpose of entertainment. Good thinking!
ReplyDeleteThis is really good. I love the analysis in here and also how you really demonstrate how the movie is almost an antithesis of film noir. It's really cool that you put it that way. I mean, I knew it was a spoof, but actually talking about how Downey jr. is a reversal of the archetypal role in film noir was a really cool thing that I blatantly had not thought of as detailed as you had. I knew that he was very different, but I couldn't pin it down. When you talk about the margin of society that is typical, your description of Downey Jr. is strikingly realistic. I really enjoyed this: kind of blew my mind.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne, I really enjoyed your analysis! I loved your interpretive breakdown of Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang as it gave me a complete new way of thinking about the film. “Harry slams into the audition room to escape from the reality of his criminal activity and consequences—here, he is both figuratively and literally jumping into a movie. Similarly, this is the moment that we the audience is also at a genre crossroads—to decide whether or not we can suspend our disbelief and our reality, in order to engage with the genre experience.” For example, this is something I did not even pick up on, but now that you mention it, this scene is so creative. Can the audience break its conventions of the typical genre? Unlike Man with a Movie Camera, this film seems to mock the art of creating a film. I agree with Jordan, your analysis blew my mind as well. Quite interesting!
ReplyDeleteLike all others commented, wonderful post. I knew to a certain extent, mainly just by instinct, that this film actually mocks the noir in a way. Still, I had not really broken down how and why. You support your argument with a wide variety of proof, but they all work towards your overall thesis flawlessly. For example, the idea of higher contrast/more color verses muted tones is something I noticed, but had not analyzed. Your last full paragraph, which describes ways in which the film reflects on its own production, is well organized and straightforward. Once again, I had noticed this aspect of the film(as it is indeed obvious, but had not processed it in full. I wonder if we can think of other films that do this? Could be fun to dicuss with Jim and the class.
ReplyDeleteAnne, great job! Like Danielle said, your comment on the turning point as when Harry stumbles into the movie audition really hits the nail on the head. I also did not realize this the first time, but looking back this is definitely accurate. Harry's role changes from criminal to actor, and the whole mood completely changes. We are introduced to all-new characters and all new sets (moving across the country). I think your analysis is great. I am curious to what you think the film's reflexivity brings to the table. Robert Downey Jr.'s narrating and editing is clearly in there for a reason. Is it just for entertainment or is there deeper meaning?
ReplyDeleteYour post was both well-written and comprehensive, taking into consideration the various elements of narrative and production that you believe support your argument.
ReplyDeleteI do have to ask, however, whether self-reflexivity and re-interpretation of key generic elements necessarily means subversion or outright mockery. I see where you are coming from as far as pointing out the parody or tongue-in-cheek elements of "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." Yes, there are definitely portions of the film that appear to be poking fun at film noir, and, as you aptly pointed out, Hollywood film in general. Yes, the "traditional" elements of noir are present, yet changed or "twisted" (though I don't particularly like the negative connotations of this word). Still, is it possible that all of this is simply an extension of noir to a new decade and a new set of cultural values? Our generation would like to think of ourselves, after all, as harder, tougher, more cynical, more independent, don't we? Could this be a part of what separates "neo noir" films from "classical noir? Self-reflexivity, a different way of interpreting the genre, is this destruction or synthesis? Perhaps this is a legitimate development or "evolution" of the genre? Just a thought. You made great points, though, perhaps I'm only playing Devil's Advocate :)
Really good blog post. I especially like how you portray Harry as "jumping into an audition" to escape from the police. This is yet another example of subverting genre, as most people go to movies to escape real life, and here Harry literally escapes real life by becoming part of a movie. Very interesting idea of "Kiss KIss Bang Bang" criticizing the idea of Hollywood as a product. In many ways (ones which you dissect) the making of a film is a haphazard and self-reflexive exercise in many ways that is very anti-intellectual, anti-art and more about profits and random decisions. Yet every now and then a movie like this comes along, that although is a product of that system is also able to make fun of it in a spectacularly entertaining way.
ReplyDeleteYou did an absurdly awesome job of hitting on how Kiss Kiss Bang Bang manages to poke some fun at Hollywood Conventions. Also, the point about Harry literally busting into the Hollywood film is very good, and a great way of showing how the film manages to begin it's satirical bent. I question, however, and upon re-reading, exactly like li did above, whether or not this is a deconstruction of a Hollywood film, although I feel a little differently. To me, it's not necessarily about reflexivity, but more about the serious aspects of the film. It's clear, and you do a great job of showing this, that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang mocks the genre. However, I must ask (and I wrote a pretty middling blog trying to elaborate on this point) if the film does not also use the genre as a mechanism. This is not "Airplane", where the whole point is mockery. Instead, I feel, the films asks you to invest in these characters. You are asked to feel Harry's sadness when Gay Perry is shot, feel his seething rage when he shoots the murderous henchmen. I felt like this made it transcend mere satire, and instead turn into a comedic slant on the genre. Nonetheless, awesome blog, fantastic points, and a great read.
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