【Detective Complex】
In 1986, Shane Black, a 23-year-old young man who had just stepped out of the University of California, Los Angeles, completed his first screenplay and was bought by Hollywood producer Joe Silver in less than a week. Although Joe Silvo was not a character who called the wind and the rain at the time, his later works once made him a gold medal producer of Hollywood action movies. His representative works include "Die Hard" in 1988 and "The Matrix" in 1991. Joe Silver, who fancyed Shane Black’s script, immediately brought in director Richard Downer, and the classic action film "Deadly Weapon", which was of epoch-making significance at the time, was released. This film co-starred by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover combines witty humor and violent action scenes. It not only succeeded at the box office, but also created a new type of action film - "Partner Action Movie". "Lethal Weapon" has been filmed in four successively, which has influenced a generation of filmmakers and has been imitated by countless similar films.
Silvo said: "Shane's script runs through a unique voice. Regardless of whether he respects or denies the genre tradition, his films always have novel characters, innovative actions and classic dialogue. His writing style It’s as entertaining as a movie on the big screen."
Shane Black’s continuous creative inspiration comes from his childhood obsession with detective novels. Since childhood, Shane has read no fewer than hundreds of detective novels. In order to save money on books, Shane sometimes even 3 days. Skip meals. With the accumulation of rich materials and thoughts, Shane finally got the unshakable position of avant-garde action film screenwriter with his dedication and dedication in his youth. A considerable amount of income followed. The script of "Ultimate Vanguard" became the highest record for a Hollywood movie script in 1990 with a salary of $1.75 million. A few years later, the script income of "Agent Flower" had reached $4 million.
At the end of the 1990s, Shane began to die and concentrated on creating the first film "Kiss and Crash" directed by him. When talking about his evaluation of the script, Shane said that there has never been a work that combines his decades of experience with detective novels and some things he has always wanted to try hard. This film condenses his childhood detectives. Great respect for the story.
The story of the film takes place in contemporary Los Angeles. Blake said: "So far, there are very few films depicting private detectives in Los Angeles, so I am trying to conceive a film that is both serious suspense and fresh and interesting." Blake will partner movies and classics. The film noir elements are cleverly integrated, and the final script is handed over to Silvo. In Black's view, although there are many producers who have worked with, Silvo likes this theme the most and understands its intention best.
When talking about Harry’s role, Black said: “He’s a bad guy, but he’s still a ridiculous optimist. He never really learns from failure. He never looks back when he hits the south wall. Despite this, he never lost his enthusiasm. Even in a dangerous place like Los Angeles, he still didn't realize it."
Silvo said: "We need an actor who can embody the character's recklessness, optimism, and so on. The boyish charm of Robert Downey Jr. is very suitable for Harry's role." Black believes that Downey Given the characters many weaknesses and sensitivities, between raising hands and feet, not only Zhang shows a unique charm, but also seizes the slight comedy opportunity.
"Harry is the guy who wakes up with the neon lights," Downey said. "I have the same nightlife experience as him. Like many of us, Harry doesn't know what to do, but he is committed to it. Good, I hope to do the right thing."
Val Kilmer played the private detective Guy Perry in the film. Producer Susan Levin said Kilmer’s performance was very good, although he hadn’t played such a role in a long time, but Fans who are familiar with Kilmer should know that his early performance in comedy is remarkable. It is no exaggeration to say that Kilmer has been looking forward to comedy roles for a long time, and he has been looking for suitable comedies for many years. But the rule of Hollywood is that if you want to star in a comedy, you must have starred in similar works recently, otherwise everything will be ignored.
Kilmer not only liked Black’s script very much, but he was also very happy to collaborate with producer Silvo for the first time. He said: “As a filmmaker who loves movies, Joe pays great attention to details. Many successful producers have their own expertise. , And Joe is an all-rounder, he has the taste and wisdom of Hollywood ancestors."
In order to make Los Angeles in the film reflect a sense of authenticity, director Blake invited the director of photography of "Crime Scene Investigation" Michael Barrett (Michael Barrett) and the production designer of "Lost Detective Group" Aaron O. Aaron Osborne co-created the film. Blake showed Barrett and Osborne many classic noir films from the 1960s, including Paul Newman's "Hell's Pioneer" and Lee Marvin's "Cry on Step". Osborne said: "Shane knows the style and style he wants. He doesn't want to romanticize Los Angeles, but hopes Los Angeles can be as real as the story and characters in the film."
Blake and Osborne were inspired by the covers drawn by the famous illustrator Robert McGuinness for many detective novels in the 1960s, and in accordance with the requirements of Blake and Osborne, McGuinness also personally contributed to the film. Johnny Gossamer's novel painted the cover.
McGuinness's work really played a key role in the visual style of the film. For example, in Harry's hotel room, the art department hung a huge Op art picture on the wall to emphasize the black theme of the film. In addition, the director of photography Barrett also got inspiration from McGuinness's work, using a lot of black framing, such as seeing someone smoking through the arms of someone. In order to further enhance the contemporary film noir style, Black and Barrett also strive to make color films show black and white characteristics. Although every scene in the film was shot on color film, in post-production, the technicians reduced the color saturation of the picture. As a result, the film picture was not bright even though it was all colored, which added a rough texture.
The film’s selected locations are all over downtown Los Angeles and surrounding areas, from the iconic Silver Lake District, MacArthur Park and Long Beach, to the dilapidated streets and alleys, to the extravagant Sunset Boulevard. It is not difficult to discover contemporary Los Angeles urban life. The epitome of.
