So far this is the hidden gem of the aughts. I'd never heard of it before trolling for Val Kilmer films to add to the netflix queue several months ago. Seeing it wasn't a high priority because of all the crap that Val has been in (and netflix rated it slightly under 3 stars of 5 based on my prior ratings), and though I was slightly intrigued by the pairing with Robert Downey, Jr., the reality is that in 2005 (i.e., prior to Iron Man) they were both basically "damaged goods" as far as the potential quality of the movie was concerned, but my word, can they act, and in this case, they were supported by great writing.
The script, partly based on a novel by Brett Halliday, gives us a comedy noir that constantly pokes fun at the noir genre, mocks itself, and breaks the fourth wall at will. It has a running gag about grammar. Actually, there are several independently running gags, and things mentioned offhandedly and irrelevantly in one scene (like how silly putty picks up stuff from comics) are used later on to the delight of those paying attention (as the visuals for a monologue about Michelle Monaghan's character's backstory, who, btw, is a very worthy member of the main trio).
The end result is a bit like an Elmore Leonard film adaptation dialed up to 11. No, we haven't learned anything by the end of the film (unless you didn't know how to use adverbs properly) but there are much less satisfactory ways to spend 2 hours of your life. Hm, if I were famous, do you think they'd use that as the quote on the poster? At any rate, go see this if you haven't, and feel free to laugh at me if you saw it in the theater during its first release.
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