Shane Black went from one of the hottest Hollywood screenwriters to helming huge blockbusters like Iron Man 3 and The Predator. However, his best work as a director seems to be his smaller crime films that perfectly show his love of the drama.
The Nice Guys and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang are the two films that best show Black’s unique and exciting voice. The movies share a lot of similarities while also being totally original and fun hard-boiled black comedies. But which is the better film? Have a look at some things The Nice Guys does better than Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and vice versa.
The Nice Guys: Dark Humor
Black’s movies are often pretty violent and deal with bad people doing bad things. Yet somehow, he infuses these stories with a sense of absurdity that makes it hard not to laugh out loud even while terrible things are happening.
While both of these movies embrace the dark side of their comedy, The Nice Guys pulls it off a bit better. It really shows no fear in getting the audience to find humor in the most unusual places. Watching a man fall to his death and end up a bloody splat next to a pool shouldn’t be funny, but Black somehow pulls it off.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: The Duo
Both of these movies serve as buddy movies where two unlikely and somewhat reluctant heroes are forced to work together to solve a mystery. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe make for a great pair in The Nice Guys, but Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are pitch-perfect in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Before the MCU came calling, Downey Jr. started his comeback with his hilarious and sharp role as a down-and-out thief while Val Kilmer shows how hilarious he can be as a slick and sarcastic detective. Together, they are unforgettable, and their chemistry makes us wish there were many more adventures with these two.
The Nice Guys: The 70s Setting
Black’s love of hard-boiled detective stories feels like it comes from another era. While Kiss Kiss Bang Bang works well as a modern story, the 70s setting of The Nice Guys feels much more appropriate for this kind of story.
The movie is given an extra spark thanks to the period setting. The style of the characters and the vibe of the culture makes it all the more entertaining. Black also proves that his sense of humor can fit in other eras.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Christmas Setting
Anyone who has been a fan of Shane Black’s previous work will know that he has a fascination with Christmas. Several of the films he’s been involved in have been set during the holidays, including Iron Man 3.
The Nice Guys seems to nod to this trend by setting its prologue at Christmas, but Kiss Kiss Bang Bang takes full advantage of the unique setting. It’s hard to say what this adds to the story, but it is a little extra bit of magic that also gives fans an excuse to watch it every holiday season.
The Nice Guys: Female Sidekick
While each of these movies has two male leads, they also each have a female character who seems to be the brains of the operation. In Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Michelle Monaghan has a great role as an aspiring actor who sets the mystery in motion. But it is Angourie Rice in The Nice Guys who really steals the show.
Rice plays Ryan Gosling’s daughter who is wise beyond her years and tries to put her washed-up father on a path of redemption. Black does a great job of making her smart and capable while still acting like a kid. She makes for a great contrast to the two male heroes.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Unreliable Narrator
While there are most certainly cinematic influences for both of Black’s films, it also seems like he draws a lot from pulpy detective novels. This includes a great take on the classic hard-boiled voiceover in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang that has a clever Shane Black twist.
Downey Jr’s Harry narrates the movie but does a terrible job at it. He forgets important information, he backtracks, and he goes on senseless tangents. It gives a clever and hilarious structure to the story.
The Nice Guys: The Villains
Black clearly enjoys the heroes of his stories more than his villains. He is not interested in creating complex bad guys with interesting motivations. He just wants evil people who try to kill his heroes. However, though they may not be thought-provoking, the villains in The Nice Guys are memorable.
The main antagonist in the film is Matt Bomer as an assassin known simply as John Boy. He is a perfect combination of charming and creepy. He is joined by a pair of hitmen played by Beau Knapp and Keith David who are fun additions to the story.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: The Mystery
As fun as these movies are, Black doesn’t hold back on crafting fairly complicated mysteries at the center of each of these films. In fact, both films may require multiple viewings to really get a handle on what is going on.
The Nice Guys may have a few too many moving parts to make for an effective conclusion. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, on the other hand, does a better job of stitching things together gradually until it reaches a satisfying conclusion.
The Nice Guys: The Ending
There are a lot of similarities in how these two movies wrap up in the end. The final act sees the heroes solving the mystery and taking down the bad guys while getting some sort of redemption. But then the movies differ in an interesting way in the final minutes.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang goes for a happier ending which Black even comments on, while The Nice Guys lets Black embrace his cynical side. Though the heroes save the day, justice was not really served, and they are both back firmly as the underdogs which feels like the right fit for them.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Genre Subversion
Black is one of those people who has such a passion for the crime genre that he knows all of the clichés. His movies are filled with jokes and nods to the well-worn moments in these kinds of stories, and this is especially true of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Black finds those things fans have seen countless times in these movies and finds a hilarious way to play against the cliché. From a misjudged use of Russian roulette to a scene of contaminating a crime scene, the movie is filled with great genre fun.
