When Jon Favreau decided to step down as director after the first two Iron Man films (he still reprises his role as Tony Stark’s friend and one-time bodyguard, Happy Hogan), there was much hand-wringing amongst fans about what it meant for the future of the franchise. And when writer-director Shane Black signed on for Iron Man 3, some expressed skepticism.

Black’s only other directorial experience, after all, was 2005’s Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, a snappy, noir-ish crime comedy starring Val Kilmer, a fresh Michelle Monaghan and… Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr. That experience no doubt helped him seal the Iron Man 3 gig, but the $15-million-budgeted Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang — at the time barely more than a belated professional thank you from producer Joel Silver and distributor Warner Bros. for Black’s screenwriting work on the hugely profitable Lethal Weapon series — is more than just a quaint little curio. I write more words about the film and its charms over at Yahoo Movies, so click here for the fun little read.