Val Kilmer’s 5 Best Movies
For movie lovers of a certain age, the name Val Kilmer likely inspires very specific feelings. The actor was, after all, one of the biggest stars of the ’80s and ’90s, appearing in some of the biggest films of the era. Though his star power has faded a touch in the new millennium, during his heyday, Kilmer’s name on a marquee was enough to guarantee a certain level of quality.
The ups and downs of the beloved actor’s life in and out of the spotlight are currently being explored in a daring new documentary from A24 and Amazon Studios. It’s called Val, and it presents an intimate portrait of an artist the likes of which cinema has rarely seen. In celebration of the new film, here’s a look at the five best movies Val Kilmer has ever appeared in. Enjoy.
Tombstone (1993)
No Best of Val Kilmer list is complete without this classic 1993 western because, well, it features the greatest performance in the actor’s storied career. If you’ve seen Tombstone, you know better than to argue that fact, as his turn as bedraggled Old West icon Doc Holliday is the stuff of cinematic legend. And if you haven’t seen the film, you need to rectify that oversight with utmost haste as Tombstone isn’t just one of the best action flicks of the ’90s, it’s one of the best westerns ever produced.
For the record, Kurt Russell is actually Tombstone’s headliner, appearing as legendary law man Wyatt Earp. Supporting player status aside, Kilmer steals the entire film from his co-star with a show-stopping turn as charismatically grandstanding as it is beautifully nuanced.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
The early 2000s were a dicey period for Val Kilmer as he turned up in a handful of high-profile duds like Red Planet and Alexander. He did, however, manage to pepper a few low-budget marvels into the mix during that time, and Shane Black’s crackling crime comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is undoubtedly the best of the bunch.
Set largely in Los Angeles, the film stars Robert Downy Jr. as a petty New York criminal brought to Tinseltown after accidentally crashing a casting session and wowing producers with a raw-nerve reading. Once in town, he’s paired with a quippy P.I. (Kilmer) and the pair soon find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery. Stylishly rendered, immaculately scripted, and featuring stellar work from both RDJ and Kilmer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a classic of the crime genre… even if it somehow also remains a largely unheralded one.
The Salton Sea (2002)
Speaking of overlooked Val Kilmer crime flicks, say hello to the twisted neo-noir thriller The Salton Sea. I’m guessing some of you are a touch baffled at the inclusion of this flick, largely because not many people actually saw this movie when it was released almost two decades ago, and it’s essentially been forgotten altogether since.
That’s a shame as The Salton Sea features not just one of the best performances of Kilmer’s career, but a wildly original narrative. The actor portrays a drug-addled, trumpet-playing sleuth out to bring down a crazed meth kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the dirty cops who grievously wronged him years earlier. I’ll stop there as to say any more would be to take the piss right out of The Salton Sea for those who haven’t seen it. If you count yourself among them, know it should move straight to the top of your must-see list.
Heat (1995)
The 1990s were undoubtedly peak-time for Val Kilmer. But of the 15 films the actor appeared in between 1991 and 1999, only one of them qualifies as a legit cinematic masterpiece, and that film is Michael Mann’s epic crime drama Heat. Now, I’m assuming you’ve seen Heat, because if you call yourself a Val Kilmer fan, or even a movie fan in general, it’s an absolutely vital document of the crime genre.
Yes, Martin Scorsese himself anointed Heat as one of the decade’s best films. And yes, we all know about the film’s legendary mid-film shoot out as it remains the single most thrilling set piece ever filmed. But as thrilling as that shoot out is, Heat stands above most common crime sagas as it’s essentially a grounded character study dressed up like an action spectacular. That approach works mostly because Mann brought the talents of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Ashley Judd and Val Kilmer into the mix, all of whom have rarely been better in their lauded careers.
Top Secret! (1984)
There are arguably better picks I could’ve made here from Val Kilmer’s oeuvre (i.e. Wonderland, or Top Gun, or The Doors, or even the egregiously overlooked 2004 spy-thriller Spartan). But for my money, Top Secret! is, and ever will be among Kilmer’s best films if only because he’s just so damned funny in it… and (save for rare cinematic side steps like Real Genius) straight comedy hasn’t exactly been Kilmer’s calling card over the years.
Top Secret! also marked Kilmer’s very first screen appearance, with the actor taking a swing-for-the fences approach in this gonzo war movie/spy movie/Elvis movie mashup from the manic minds that brought us the classic 1980 spoof Airplane!. Top Secret! finds Kilmer playing an American rock star who inadvertently gets wrapped up in a French Resistance plot to topple the East German regime. That story gets as unforgettably cooky as you might expect, with Kilmer’s straight-faced yet deliriously over-the-top performance proving the glue holding this madcap farce together.
