From Lethal Weapon through to Iron Man 3, we salute the mighty Shane Black…
This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
Shane Black is one of the most underrated filmmakers working in Hollywood today.
Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, Black was Hollywoods golden boy.
With his genre savvy self-reflexivity, and memorable dialogue, he preceded similar filmmakers such as Tarantino and Whedon.
One reason may be Blacks association with the action genre.
The other reason for Blacks relative obscurity is his lack of productivity.
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The most obvious aspect of Shane Blacks style is the humor.
At their core, all of Blacks films, are about fallen heroes in a cynical world.
This basic set up reflects the most prominent influence on Blacks work is film noir and hardboiled detective fiction.
Blacks humour is of a darker shade.
His characters dont crack wise out of a genuine need to alleviate whatever situation they are in.
They echo the fall guy anti-heroes of classic noir in this respect.
Both heroes are victims in need of redemption.
The dark twin
Every Shane Black film includes a secondary villain who is a dark twin for the hero.
With similar backgrounds and skill sets, these bench men act like the heros Id.
They represent what the hero could become.
These evil twins are essential to the protagonists arc.
By destroying this evil double, it signifies the heros rebirth.
General McAllister or Mr. Joshua?
The world-weary child
The portrayal of children (Last Action Heroaside) in Blacks movies.
Darian inThe Last Boy Scoutis the first of Blacks child characters to be really developed.
An example of how this dynamic works is present in mangled form inLast Action Hero.
This allows Black to focus on the most interesting aspect of his movies the relationship between the protagonists.
Beyond being merely friends, Black re-imagines these partnerships as makeshift families.
Redemption is the key theme of Shane Blacks work.
Shane Blacks next film,The Nice Guys, is due out this summer.
