Since this year started, I’ve become accustomed with waking up to bad news; whether it’s political (a daily occurrence here in the US), or some other terrible yet inevitable thing. This morning was no exception. The very first thing I learned when I grabbed my phone and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast was that actor Val Kilmer had died. Kilmer had been battling debilitating throat cancer for the past decade, which robbed him of his famously smooth voice, though his cause of death was reported as pneumonia.
Having been married for eight years to actress Joanne Whalley (1984’s “A Christmas Carol”), the divorced actor had two children, his son Jack, and his daughter Mercedes. Kilmer also famously had romantic liaisons with Cher and Angelina Jolie. He also considered running for political office in his adopted state of New Mexico, before he wisely nixed the idea. The loss of the actor’s voice was a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. In 2022, he returned to play Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in “Top Gun: Maverick,” the unexpectedly superior sequel to “Top Gun” (1986). Kilmer’s soundalike son Jack would also record the actor’s thoughts into narration for the 2021 documentary, “Val,” which is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. To any fan of the actor, this documentary is a must-see.
In 2019, my wife and I went to a convention in called NostalgiaCon80s in Anaheim, and among the celebrity attendees, Val Kilmer was there as well; though the crowds surrounding his table at the otherwise modestly populated gathering were formidable. Lacking the tenacity to wait in the long line, I didn’t get Kilmer’s autograph. Looking back on the actor’s long career, and the many memorable roles he’s played in his career, I kick myself for not trying harder to get that autograph. You always think there’s going to be more time … until there isn’t.
The Movies of Val Kilmer
1984’s “Top Secret” was produced by the David & Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrams; the team who wrote, produced and directed “Airplane!” (1980), one of the funniest damn movies ever made. While few movies could live up to the spooftacular “Airplane!,” “Top Secret” gives it one hell of a try. Val Kilmer plays pop idol-spy Nick Rivers (“Neek! Neek!”), an Elvis Presley-like crooner who finds himself in East Germany joining a resistance group to fight Nazis. Perhaps the movie’s biggest flaw was that it tried to spoof so many genres (war movies, spy capers, beach movies…even 1980’s “Blue Lagoon” is thrown into the mix) that it lacked the sharper focus of “Airplane!” Nevertheless, Kilmer fits the role to a tee; in fact, he would later play a ghostly Elvis Presley in 1993’s “True Romance,” written by Quentin Tarantino. I still remember watching my DVD of this movie with my wife during the early days of the COVID pandemic five years ago, and it really cheered us up when we needed it most.
Val Kilmer played laidback, eccentric tech student Chris Knight in the brainy comedy “Real Genius” (1985). In the film, Knight and his friends are recruited to build a laser for a shadowy project later revealed to be a deadly weapon for the US government. Naturally, they rebel, and the results include a houseful of exploded popcorn in the movie’s climax (that popcorn avalanche must’ve felt like a 4D experience for moviegoing audiences). I would belatedly see “Real Genius” on cable, years after its theatrical release, but I enjoyed it. Kilmer’s character reminded very much of a brainy, yet equally anarchic high school classmate of mine named Mike. The 1980s saw other popular ‘nerd’ comedies, including “Revenge of the Nerds” (1987) and “Weird Science” (1984). While less popular than its competitors, “Real Genius” is by far the best of the bunch, as it celebrates its gifted subjects instead of ridiculing them. At this point, Kilmer seemed poised to be a comedic star, but the actor refused to be pigeonholed or typecast.
I confess, I am not exactly a big fan of the late Tony Scott’s US Navy recruitment poster/movie, “Top Gun” (1986). However, the movie marked another subtle turning point in actor Val Kilmer’s career, even if the movie was a Tom Cruise vehicle (literally and figuratively). In the film, Kilmer plays the arrogant yet highly competent fighter jock known at Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who finds himself at odds with Tom Cruise’s reckless rogue pilot, Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, as both pilots go for advanced aerial combat training at the Naval Air Station at Miramar, California. Heavily-stylized and emotionally shallow, “Top Gun” is the kind of hit that definitely boosts an actor’s career, but which some actors would prefer not to do for the rest of their careers. Though its unexpectedly superior sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), is another story…
“Willow” was a 1988 fairy tale directed by Ron Howard with a story by George Lucas, and it used some story ideas from Lucas’ earlier drafts of “Star Wars,” including a heroic little person in the lead, who’s played by “Return of the Jedi” costar Warwick Davis. In this film, Kilmer played Madmartigan, a disgraced former knight and mercenary who is the de facto Han Solo of the movie. While “Willow” and its Netflix sequel series aren’t really my bag (I’m more a sci-fi guy than fantasy fan), the film was certainly significant for Kilmer, for it’s where the actor met his wife of eight years, Joanne Whalley, who is the mother of his two children. So, whatever one’s feelings about the admittedly entertaining film (which broke new visual effects ground with ILM’s CGI morphing shots), it was certainly fortuitous for the actor.
Directed by Oscar-winner Oliver Stone, 1991’s “The Doors” is my favorite movie of Val Kilmer’s diverse and colorful career. It’s the best example of the actor’s tremendous range, given that he did his own singing for this Jim Morrison biopic. I remember seeing this movie twice during its theatrical run, as I was (and am) a huge fan of The Doors. Stone’s film captures the gestalt of the late 1960s, with Hollywood’s famous Whiskey A Go Go dance club on Sunset Boulevard vividly recreated in its late 1960s heyday. Kilmer utterly disappears into the role of Morrison, and is given great support by Kyle MacLachlan (“Dune”) as keyboardist Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as guitarist Bobby Krieger and Kevin Dillon as drummer John Densmore (who also cameos). The movie’s only false note for me was an overly-perky Meg Ryan as Morrison’s drug-addled paramour Pam Courson. But Kilmer brings Morrison back from the grave, and “The Doors” remains my pick as Val Kilmer’s career best performance.
1992’s “Thunderheart” is a smaller-scale action-thriller that capitalized on a short-lived wave of Native American themed films in the early 1990s, which starred Kilmer as FBI agent Ray Levoi, who’s investigating a series of murders on a reservation. Levoi is one-quarter Lakota, and his bosses hope it’ll help him win over the locals. His costar is “Dances with Wolves” breakout actor Graham Greene, a tribal liaison who believes Levoi is the reincarnation of the titular Native American hero. I have vague memories of seeing this movie on a date 30-odd years ago, but I still recall Greene’s line when he refuses to return his new partner’s traded sunglasses, “Are you kidding? These are RayBans.” This Native American-themed “Twin Peaks” is modestly entertaining, and Kilmer does solid work; he also has a nice ‘buddy cop’ rapport with costar Greene. “Thunderheart” benefits greatly from Kilmer’s presence.
My ‘huckleberry’ friend…
While I’m not the biggest fan of the western genre, there are a trio of westerns I’m particularly fond of; 1956’s “The Searchers,” 1992’s “Unforgiven” and 1993’s “Tombstone,” which is my favorite of the three. “Tombstone” is a retelling of the oft-told story of Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and his clashes with the Clanton gang, led by infamous infamous Ike (Stephen Lang), with the historic ‘gunfight at the O.K. Corrall’ being only one set piece of the film, occurring roughly midway into its 129 minute runtime. It’s no exaggeration to say that Val Kilmer absolutely steals the shit out of “Tombstone,” as Wyatt’s “huckleberry” (olde timey slang for go-to guy), Doc Holliday; who suffers from acute tuberculosis and knocks on heaven’s door for much of the film.
Kilmer would later step into Michael Keaton’s bat-boots for the second sequel to 1989’s “Batman,” 1995’s misfired sequel “Batman Forever.” Other than a kickass soundtrack song from Seal (“Kiss from a Rose”), there isn’t a whole lot to love about this gaudy, ridiculous, Joel Schumacher-directed bat guano, which costars Nicole Kidman as criminal psychiatrist Chase Meridian, Chris O’Donnell as Robin, Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, and Jim Carrey in full “The Mask” mode as an audaciously over-the-top Riddler. I saw this one theatrically, and seeing it more recently a few years ago, it’s about as 1990s as an episode of “Friends” with a Zima chaser. To his credit, Kilmer struggles mightily to give more dimension to Bruce Wayne and his night-flying alter-ego. However, as is the case with most Batman movies, the garish villains dominate. “Batman Forever” is a lot more cartoonish than its predecessors, but its downright restrained compared to its even worse sequel, “Batman & Robin” (1997), for which Kilmer wisely did not return.
Kilmer takes the “Heat” as armed robber Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 crime drama opus. One of the most memorable crime dramas in a very memorable decade of film. I was somewhat late to the “Heat” party, only watching the movie on DVD sometime in the mid-2000s, though I believe it’s Michael Mann’s best film, and yes, that includes 1986’s “Manhunter” (based on Thomas Harris’ “Red Dragon”). Once again, Kilmer is part of a healthy ensemble, led by dual powerhouses Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, working on opposite sides of legality in their first onscreen movie pairing together, despite costarring as father and son in “The Godfather Part 2” (the actors never appeared together in that film). Once again, Kilmer held his own in another star-studded ensemble.
Like the dual comet collision movies of 1998 (“Armageddon” and “Deep Impact”), the year 2000 saw two competing Mars adventure movies; one from Disney called “Mission to Mars” (starring Gary Sinise and Don Cheadle) and another from Warner Bros called “Red Planet” (starring Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss). Neither were terribly good, and both were duly eclipsed by 2015’s definitive Mars survival epic “The Martian.” I remember my wife and I chose to see “Mission to Mars” with two friends of ours, and all four of us ripped it a new one over dinner that night. I would see “Red Planet” on cable a year or so later, and while it wasn’t exactly an undiscovered gem, it works better within its pulpier ambitions than Disney’s overblown space travelogue. Kilmer stars as ship’s mechanic Robby Gallagher, who rises to hero status, as he does battle with a deadly robot in the movie’s climax.
A New Voice
Four years ago, directors Ting Poo and Leo Scott released their documentary “Val,” which gives an intimate look at the actor’s childhood of making movies with friends, his early career, his personal life, and even his struggle with throat cancer, and how it affects his family and friends. We also see him interacting with fans at various get-togethers and conventions, including a screening of “Tombstone.” Even without his voice, we are still able to hear Kilmer’s words spoken aloud with the help of his soundalike son, Jack (b. 1995). This doc is great medicine for those grieving the actor’s premature passing this week. For his fans, or even for those simply interested in viewing stardom at a more human scale, the documentary “Val” is not to be missed.
Going from comedic crooner and spy to fighter pilot to the lizard king himself, Val Kilmer was a uniquely chameleonic talent whose passing leaves a genuine void .
Val Kilmer, December 31st 1959-April 1st, 2025
Where to Watch
The 2021 documentary “Val” is available to stream with a subscription to an Amazon Prime Video account. Most of Val Kilmer’s movies are available to stream on various platforms or on physical media from various online vendors.
My personal favourite Val Kilmer performance is in ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (2005). He played a tough, sarcastic, openly gay detective and somehow managed to steal scenes from Robert Downey Junior!
My personal favorite with Val would be The Saint. The challenge of creating a role that was made so suavely popular by none other than Roger Moore can be no easy feat. And I felt that Val was able to make it work pretty well.
I’ve not seen that one, I’ll have to check it out.
I confess, I haven’t seen that one, but I’ve heard it’s better than expected.
As for as movie versions of TV classics have gone, it was one of the most encouraging in my experiences. Elisabeth Shue as Val’s leading lady was also very good.
Yep, this one got a ‘Oh No” and a sigh out of me ……. “Top Secret” was the movie that made me think Girls named Hillary could be hot, taught me a Little German, to watch out for bulls, a be on the lookout for people with large eyes in Libraries and most importantly, to expect anything at a wrecking yard when opening glove boxes! In many ways equal or even better than Airplane! And he WAS Jim Morrison….. and I do remember Thunderheart ! as I really like Graham Greene, it was a must see…. Now I will have to go and watch some of those I missed, like “The Saint” …. a nice send off …RIP Val
I remember being impressed by Thunderheart when I first saw it. It had a pretty good message and ending. Both Val and Graham were very well cast together.