With a career spanning more than 30 years, it’s hard to slide a performer like Val Kilmer into a single spot. Over those three decades alone, Kilmer stepped into popular and interesting roles that are not only still remembered today but made him a special figure for generations of filmgoers. As an actor, Val Kilmer was equally comfortable in teen movies, popcorn action films and stately period pieces. This, frankly, doesn’t even give him enough credit. With his passing this week at age 65, it’s time to bask in some Val Kilmer love.
Val Kilmer in the ’80s
Val Kilmer burst on the scene with a vengeance in the 1980s, beginning with Top Secret!. The 1984 feature came from legendary comedy directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker in their film follow-up to the now iconic 1980 comedy Airplane!. This was, however, only the first in a formidable film three-peat. Kilmer followed up the comedy the next year with the well-remembered Martha Coolidge teen flick Real Genius. By 1986, it was hard to ignore the young actor as he entered … “The Danger Zone.”
Even those who’ve lived under a rock since 1986 should at least know Top Gun. The Tony Scott-directed popcorn picture is a quintessential Hollywood staple. It played a pivotal role in defining the course and look of the movie industry in a way that still hangs over Hollywood today. At the same time, its young cast, including Kilmer, Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan, were vaulted into a new stratosphere of stardom. Kilmer’s final role would come with a poignant cameo in the film’s 2022 legacy sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
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Iconic Portrayals
The years to follow for Kilmer are a smorgasbord of iconic portrayals in memorable movies. With roles in Willow, The Doors, Tombstone, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Saint and not to mention Batman Forever, ’90s kids each certainly have their own “Val Kilmer” movie.
As a millennial of a certain age, Val Kilmer was not this writer’s first Batman. He was, however, the first Batman I was truly old enough to appreciate. It might be a bit of a cinematic hot take to admit this, but Batman Forever is a movie that’s long been treated far too harshly. The Joel Schumacher-directed fluorescent feast features Kilmer in a role he was born to play, Bruce Wayne. Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne oozes easy millionaire panache and carries the film’s non-costumed quieter moments with Chris O’Donnell and Nicole Kidman.
In truth, Kilmer’s Batman fills a role we don’t often see. He’s the “straight man.” Batman Forever is a film packed with wackiness. Kilmer doesn’t struggle to stand back. In this, Kilmer doesn’t pull focus from Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones and all the “sanctioned buffoonery” going on there. Perhaps bringing such a subtle Batman to the screen after Michael “Let’s Get Nuts” Keaton was too drastic a shift, but Batman Forever deserves fresh eyes. Check it out, why don’t you?
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Fearless Versatility
At the same time, though, Kilmer just as easily tackles thick and often colorful characterizations. For every film like Batman Forever, where Kilmer steadies it with a grounded performance, there’s a Tombstone or The Doors.
These two period pieces couldn’t be any more different. As Jim Morrison and later as Doc Holliday, Kilmer falls deeply into these real-life portrayals. They’re intense and studied. Kilmer brings a confident swagger and is never afraid to chew some scenery. As Jim Morrison, Kilmer didn’t shy away from tackling the singing himself. An actor singing in musical biopics was, and still is, often a rarity. It is perhaps even rarer when an actor manages to sell a portrayal through the songs. It’s fearless.
Looking back at his career, Val Kilmer shines in one of the hardest roles an actor can fill in Hollywood. Kilmer was a chameleon who threw himself into his roles and made it look real easy. Hollywood doesn’t give awards to ease. They reward effort. Val Kilmer managed to hide the effort in every role he tackled. He easily stacked movie star charisma onto the fearless versatility of a character actor. This is what will define his legacy, and it is what so many loved and respected. It’s just a shame we couldn’t see what else he could do.
What is your favorite Val Kilmer role?
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