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‘ROBERT DOWNEY JR IS A MUCH BETTER KISSER THAN COLIN FARRELL'
ging detective
The man who could have been Brad Pitt is back and he has no regrets, so VAL KILMER tells Miles Fielder.
al Kilmer’s reputation precedes him. The former
pretty boy of the eighties. long since turned
handsome leading man. is widely reported to he stoic and intense. a difficult actor on set and an awkward interviewee during film promotion tours.
In that light. his entrance today. to talk to me about his new film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. doesn‘t bode at all well: the six-foot plus Kilmer stalks into the hotel room in London wearing a rotten scowl. I know he‘s just finished a successful but no doubt exhausting run in a West End production of the James M (‘ain hardboiled crime drama The Postman Always Rings Twice.
‘Shane [Black. Kiss Kiss Bang Bung‘s writer- directorl is not comfortable with me telling the truth.‘ Kilmer says slowly and sombrely without any of the usual formalities like introducing himself. ‘The story was a turgid melodrama about a detective. with a wife. in Anaheim [Los Angeles‘ suburbial.‘ A pause. then Kilmer continues. ‘I said. “Let’s lighten it up. Let‘s make the detective gay. And I should kiss Robert [Downey Jr. Kilmer‘s co-starl.‘ And that's how Kiss Kiss Bang Bang turned into a comedy.‘
Kilmer finishes and sits staring at me with a poker face. Then. a few uncomfortable moments later. he cracks up. giggling like a kid.
It turns out Kilmer's is. in fact. in a very good mood. And a very playful one. He‘s very pleased with I’osiman‘s reception and he’s even more pleased. it seems. with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. ‘lt was a lot of fun to be irreverent.‘ he says. ‘I don’t get to do that much on screen.
42 THE LIST 3—1 7 Nov 2005
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is indeed an irreverent film. It‘s a clever and very playful spin on (‘handler LA noirs. Kilmer‘s character is a tough private eye named Perry van Shrike. who spends the entire film giving Downey Jr's thief-cum-actor a hard time. and who also happens to be homosexual - thus his nickname: (iay Perry. ‘Robert's a much better kisser than (‘olin Farrell] Kilmer quips.
Finally getting serious. Kilmer says he‘s wanted to make a comedy for a long time. ‘l’or a decade.‘ he says. ‘It became absurd. I even said. “I'll do one for free." They still said no. There are.‘ Kilmer explains. ‘these very odd l-lollywood rules about which actors can do what kinds of films. Some actors are blessed: Depp. (‘looney l‘m not one of them.‘ Kilmer says with a laugh.
And yet. Kilmer started out doing comedy. He made his big screen debut in the 1984 Jim Abrahams/l)avid Zucker (Airplane!) spy spoof Top Secretl. and followed that with another daft eighties comedy Ri’u/ Genius.
(iay Perry gives Kilmer a character part and a leading man role in a top quality film (by any measure the film is an unusually smart Hollywood studio venture) it has also put Kilmer in a gay mood in more ways than one. "l‘he first thing I think about when people ask me about playing a gay character for the first time is.‘ he says. giggling in spite of himself. "lop (inn -—- that film had one too many shower scenes.‘
General release from Fri 1 1 Nov. See review, page 44.
Hit >l<
THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
=l= The Beat that My Heart Skipped Jacques Read My Lips Audiard’s remake of James Toback’s 1978 visceral thriller Fingers. See review, page 44. GET, Glasgow and Fi/mhouse. Edinburgh (from Fri 4 Nov).
* The Constant Gardener Fernando City of God Mereilles' beautiful and haunting Le Carre adaptation. See profile and review. page 43. General release (from Fri 77 Nov).
* The Brothers Grimm Gilliam is back after a six-year hiatus with this hysterical. inspired and positively Pythonesque romp. See interview. page 43 and review. page 44. General release (from Fri 4 Nov).
* Murderball Unsentimental and thrilling documentary about Quadriplegic rugby. See review, page 44. Cinewor/d Renirew Street, Glasgow and Cinewor/d. Edinburgh (from Fri 4 Nov).
3% Broken Flowers Jarmusch. Murray and a load of beautiful ladies. What more do you want? Selected release
* Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Clever it very silly modern comedy film noir. See preview. left and review, page 44. General release (from Fri 7 7 Nov).
* The Mack The Psychotronic Cinema season of weird-ass cult movies kicks off with this excellent overlooked 1973 blaxploitation movie starring Richard Pryor. See Rough Cuts. page 43. Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh (Thu 70 Nov only).
* Pressure/Baldwin’s Nigger Two very welcome DVD re-releases on one disc from the daddy of black British cinema: Horace Ove. See interview, page 45. Out now (BFI)
* The Fallen Idol Scintillating and subtle pre The Third Man thriller by Carol Reed and Graham Greene released on DVD for first time. See review page 45. Out Mon 7 Nov (Optimum Home Entertainment).