If you are old enough to remember when Eddie Murphy was a living, fertile, reigning deity of comedy in the 80’s, then you probably feel much the same as I. We go about doing the important things in our insignificant everyday lives while that microscopic drunkard/elf that lives in our heads reminds us how Murphy is close to terminally-pathetic these days, joined of course, by Steve Martin destroying his funny bone and comedy-cred by badly aping off the great Peter Sellers. Wesley Snipes is now Direct-to-DVD (and imprisoned right?). Meanwhile, the biggest non-nostalgia-fueled action star in Hollywood’s diminished arsenal seems to be the Encino Man. The headlining names of yesteryear are almost completely faded into the abyss (Odd choice of words…since Ed Harris still gets work.) Never did I realize this more then when I saw the DVD for the film Felon on new release lists across the net.
A few months back I was catching At The Movies where Richard Roeper gave a pretty negative review of the new Direct-to-DVD flick Conpsiracy, starring Val Kilmer. Slight twinges of awkward questioning arose in me. Val Kilmer is doing Direct-to-DVD now? I brushed it off as merely some MAJOR MOTION PICTURE that got buried by the studio like so many do. That had to be the only explanation for such a huge star being found in such an unworthy media release. Having no desire to see Conspiracy, I moved on. Cut to a week ago when I see another DVD release for a Kilmer movie, Felon, on an upcoming DVD release website. I had never even heard of this film, and found out it was relegated to video release as well. I have at this point seen neither Felon nor Conspiracy. However, the realization of Val Kilmer doing B-movies fell atop my cranium like a bag of severed bear balls. Val isn’t A-list anymore? Was he not just in the amazing triumph that is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? Isn’t Mr. Kilmer still on top?
Much to my dismay it turns out that he isn’t on top, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, no matter how awesome it may have been, was a financial failure at the box office. Also it seems as though the year is 2008, miniature things called iPods can hold a zillion times more music then a Juke Box, and Ronald Reagan is no longer the commander and chief. Not to sound like a broken record, or more appropriately – a corrupted mp3, but I’m not the type of guy that likes to accept change very much, sometimes not even noticing it happening before me. Somewhere along the underside of a decade, Val Kilmer has slowly lost his way. I have no clue as to why. Perhaps it was bad choices or the endless rumors about him being an eccentric, hard-to-work-with jerk.
In Mike Nelson’s extremely inspiring and brutally hilarious book Movie Megacheese, he touches on Kilmer being “difficult,†and how undeserving he is of such an attitude. Well, while I fully love Mr. Nelson and his genius commentary, I have to disagree. Val Kilmer was, once, one of our great mainstream method actors. The recently released Tropic Thunder does a terrific job of spoofing eccentric method acting via Robert Downey Jr’s character of Kirk Lazarus who, much like Kilmer, is actually a very committed and gifted thespian with a big enough ego to think he can actually become someone else. Sure, an eccentric man of method acting might have an attitude, but is it not worth it if they deliver? On more then one occasion, Val Kilmer has put out well-crafted, polar-opposite performances in close proximity, some of them more-than-Oscar-worthy. He was admittedly a “pretty boy†to some degree, and an awful Batman to no real fault of his own, but that never stopped him from always delivering on a deep and wide range of talent throughout several iconic films. Yet, I’m not condoning his “jerkhood†or blaming it for his Direct-to-DVD downfall.
Looking back on his rather impressive (well the first half anyway) resume of films, I would venture to guess that his career started to jump the shark, nuke the fridge, rape the camel et cetera somewhere around Red Planet, which seems to be the last big project before everything turns into independent, small-release work. I am surprised at how surprised I am…I honestly didn’t realize he was on the B-list. I was recently reminded by a good friend about his cameo in the monument-to-unfunny that was The Love Guru, something I actually had blocked out of my mind. Was that Val Kilmer’s attempt to come back in the spotlight? Perhaps it was just a passing gig for his friend Mike Meyers, who ironically also reminded me in one fell swoop (swoop = The Love Guru) how much the mighty have fallen. So, as a part of my mourning for Mr. Kilmer’s once-rich career I
want to look back, in user-friendly list form, at my top-five Kilmer movies chronologically.
- Top Secret! (1984)
Spoof films are dead. Period. I refuse to even discuss their modern state. It is just too painful…especially when looking back on a genius piece of comedy filmmaking like Top Secret!. This, of course, is Val Kilmer’s major motion picture debut, Weird Al Yankovic’s favorite movie, and in my humble opinion. the only spoof film to ever rival Airplane! or Blazing Saddles for the number one spot. Not only does this movie showcase the ZAZ team (Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker) at their absolute peak, but it is one of the most inventive and cleverly-made comedy films ever. From the underwater fight scene, to an entire choreographed scene shot in reverse, to the genius opening Beach Boys parody song, Skeet Surfin’, there are scant few comedies, or even films, that can tout such inventiveness and effort. A parody of WW2 spy films and Elvis movies, Top Secret! starred Mr. Kilmer as Nick Rivers, an American pop singer who ventures to Germany and gets mixed up in an anti-Nazi rebellion scheme. Much unlike today’s spoofs, it has it’s own plot, characters, and works completely alone without any outside knowledge of pop culture, recent product placement, and a working knowledge of People Magazine (Damn! I said I wouldn’t talk about it! MEET THE SPARTANS WAS ABYSMAL!) It’s a great movie—shot, directed, and acted with the utmost care for the story and most importantly, the jokes. Top Secret! was made with just as much skill, talent, and effort as any “serious†film, which is sadly how it USED to be.
Much like Tom Hanks, I think most “young’uns†today don’t realize that Val Kilmer started off his career as a comedic talent. All truly great actors can do comedy, making people think you are serious is nothing compared to making them laugh. Kilmer, as Nick Rivers, is extremely charismatic and completely sharp with his line delivery. So sharp in fact, it is rather surprising that it’s his first film. I’ll admit I don’t know the back story to how Kilmer came about getting this gig, but I would assume that it was his ability to sing and dance like Elvis Presley. Kilmer lends his vocals to almost every song in the movie and very well at that. However, if they hired him for his moves and his voice, what ZAZ might not have realized was Val’s gifted comedic timing. This is best showcased in the romantic scenes versus Hillary his love interest, where almost every line spoken between them is enough to crack up even the coldest fish in the room. Also, not to accuse, but rather to ponder, I’ve always wondered if Kevin Smith paid homage to Top Secret! in his wonderful, almost semi-spoof film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. To jog your memory, there’re two scenes in JASBSB where the characters break the fourth wall and look at the audience, the first in which Will Ferrell says that the plot sounds like that of some bad movie then looks at the camera. This is completely similar to a Top Secret! scene in which Val Kilmer, speaking to Hilary, completely rehashes the plot of the movie verbally and she responds with “It all sounds like some bad movie,†and they look at the camera. I will just assume that great minds think alike.
- Real Genius (1985)
This film is 1/3 of what I call the William Atherton 80’s Asshole Trilogy (Ghostbusters, Die Hard, Real Genius. He was Peck from Ghostbusters…he has no dick.) If it was the 80’s, and William Atherton was an asshole in your movie, then it was probably a great film. Directed by Martha Coolidge, written by film comedy greats Neal Israel and Pat Proft, and shot by genius cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (Deliverance, The Deer Hunter, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) Real Genius is a landmark of 80’s style coupled with timeless humor.
It’s easily Kilmer’s best comedic performance, only edging out Top Secret! and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by a small margin. Almost every line spoken in this film is endlessly quotable, especially those that derive from Kilmer’s witty yet oddly dry demeanor. Kilmer plays Chris Knight, a college student and one of the top ten minds in the country, yet a completely laid-back, weird kind of guy. Chris Knight as a character is one of the great comedy icons of my generation, underappreciated very much so, but he is smart, zany, but not zany enough to be overblown, thus dating his relevance and wearing thin. Kilmer’s role is a completely spirited portrayal of a real-life sarcastic, wisecracking, pal that any of us could actually know. He’s never “crazy†for crazy’s sake. He doesn’t walk into a room and knock stuff over or yell loud, profane things at will. He is a muted wit, hilarious and weird in almost all that he says, and he tries just little enough to make it all the more funny. When he does have an outburst, it’s earned in the scene or by the character he is addressing. Great writing and a very skilled actor all make this so. There is never a doubt that he isn’t an actual genius; all his actions, even his jokes are spoken for a reason. I might seem a bit deep, or rather pretentious regarding the character, but this film is such a pitch perfect blend of humor, writing, and delivery that it saddens me that I can’t say much the same for anything new in recent memory. It’s a truly unsung comedic performance.
- Willow (1988)
Hands-down, Madmartigan is the greatest character that Val Kilmer’s ever played. Note how I didn’t say it was the best performance. I’ve never understood why Madmartigan isn’t held right up there in the cult hall-of-fame alongside other great geek favorites like Bruce Campbell’s Ash, Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken, or even say…Robert Englund as Freddy. Sure, Madmartigan isn’t the main character of his movie, but he is so damn cool, funny, in over his head, and classically simple with just a hint of morbid asshole charm. As much as I do enjoy the Lord of the Rings to a moderate degree, Ron Howard’s 1988 George Lucas-conceived “flop†Willow is a hundred times better. And yes, I even prefer the special effects and the use of real little people. It’s an all-time favorite, and criminally underrated. I compare LOTR and Willow not because they both dwell in the epic fantasy genre, but rather because, unsurprisingly, Lucas seemed to be stealing from Tolkien (apparently he couldn’t obtain the rights to The Hobbit,) just instead of a ring it was the “fellowship of the baby,†not to mention, Madmartigan could kick Aragorn’s ass no contest. Perhaps Madmartigan would have been more upheld if Willow made serious money and they made a full length spin-off for his character. I would be all for it, but not in 2008; they would just destroy it now. Only within 5 years of Willow’s release would it have worked. One day maybe enough fans will rediscover Val Kilmer’s great cult character and give Madmartigan the Ash/Evil Dead-esque love he deserves. He is after all…the greatest swordsman who ever lived.
- Tombstone (1993)
Probably one of the all-time greatest Oscar snubs is Val Kilmer not getting nominated for his portrayal of Doc Holiday in George P. Cosmatos’s Tombstone. I know I can’t be alone in thinking this. They will give Johnny Depp a nod for his effeminate, witty, sexy, cool, egotistical Jack Sparrow, but when Val Kilmer does the same thing, much better, a decade earlier as Doc Holiday…nothing. If anything, Kilmer’s performance is more “legit†in presumed Academy guidelines; it’s based on a historical figure and is a serious, tragic story. Jack Sparrow is based off an amusement park ride and runs around screaming in a borderline family-fantasy film. It’s possible that people just prefer pirates to cowboys…I guess. Tombstone is most certainly one of the best “modern†westerns, alongside Unforgiven. It’s a superb film, it has an excellent cast (Chuck Heston, Kurt Russell, Bill Paxton, Sam Elliot, Michael Biehn), great action, beautiful music, cinematography, and a stellar career-defining performance from Val Kilmer. Once again his sly, comedic delivery shines here, but it’s more the just that. Almost everything Doc says in this movie is delivered with a modicum of mortal fear; you can tell he is a dying man by looking at his demeanor and his eyes just as much as you can from the sickly perspiration dripping off his face. Kilmer plays holiday as an eccentric, speaking about his own death whilst staying cool and still having enough verve to fight and stand up in the face of anything. He is a messy ball of sweat, withering away from tuberculosis, the entire film. However, that never detracts from how much of a joy it is to watch every moment he’s on screen. I consider this to be the best performance of Val Kilmer’s career, beating out his portrayal of Jim Morrison just barely.
- The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Please don’t destroy me for this one, I can explain. The reason this made it to my Kilmer top five is simply because it’s my favorite Val Kilmer movies. True Romance, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Heat aren’t really specific vehicles for Kilmer. God help me, I like this movie much more then The Doors as well. It’s easier to watch if anything. In no way is Kilmer’s role as Col. Patterson one of his best, but I think it was most certainly a memorable one. The Ghost and the Darkness is a much forgotten gem, critically panned I believe, based on a true story about rare man-eating lions that “haunt†the building site of an African bridge and kill more then 100 workers. I’ve read that it’s a pretty accurate account, except of course, for the character of a world famous hunter named Remington (played with some nice grizzled “badassery†by Michael Douglas,) who was created solely for the script. Kilmer plays a gentle man, something we don’t normally see from him as he is usually exerting a morbid social oddity. Col. Patterson’s only aim is to build a bridge connecting “worlds†together. Kilmer plays him with little ego, and a believable absence of any heroism, hence making it all the more powerful when his hand is forced…yeah yeah, it’s slightly generic. It’s a starring role for Val Kilmer, yet I put it on the list more for the film as a whole.
This is a TBS Saturday afternoon movie all the way. The kind of flick you watch while you are eating or trying to fall asleep…except this one just happens to be really, surprisingly, good. Pretentious critics be dammed. It’s directed by the often underrated Stephen Hopkins, maker of many great TBS type movies (Predator 2, Judgment Night, Blown Away) and shot absolutely beautifully by Vilmos Zsimond (mentioned above for Real Genius.) The shear glory of Africa is caught in the lens for this flick. Whip me all you want, it’s a great looking movie. It is hard to classify it as either an epic or an action movie, but it most certainly takes its cues from Jaws. As much as I hate to say things like this, it’s Jaws with claws, even down to the method of hiding the lions from the audience until halfway through the film. In fact, some of the shots of the lions themselves are so haunting, and the attacks are so vicious, that it’s more of a horror film then anything. However, what shines most in the movie is the late Jerry Goldsmith’s score. Music so perfectly adapted to the film it was written for is rare, yet Goldsmith goes above and beyond here. The movie itself is extremely well shot and edited…but you add in the amazing score and it takes it up to another level. If you hated Val Kilmer, I would still urge you to watch The Ghost and the Darkness only for the amazing music; it’s that good. Why this film was ever panned so badly I will never know. My guess is that much like Waterworld for Costner, this was when people and critics just naturally started saying, “FUCK YOU VAL KILMER!†because they got sick of seeing an actor too many times annually. It was the year that we also had to endure Kilmer in the hilariously bad, yet entertaining, Island of Dr. Moreau remake. How could anyone truly hate that movie? It birthed such a wonderfully hilarious South Park character.
Honorable Mentions
Top Gun – Kilmer was Iceman. There was an extremely, and awesomely, homosexual volley ball scene. Kilmer did that random jaw-biting motion in Tom Cruises face. It’s frickin’ Top Gun. Enough said.
The Doors – Perhaps his second greatest performance. Even if you love or hate what Oliver Stone did with the movie, it is still a marvel of method acting.
True Romance – You never see his face, but he is the second greatest fake Elvis ever. The first being his Tombstone co-star Kurt Russell.
Heat – Great film, Val Kilmer is more on the sidelines with this one, but still manages to give a killer performance.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – Cool flick that showcased two previously lost talents and only gave the public back one. Perhaps Kilmer needs to be in a comic book movie to revive his career…oh wait…
Note: The following films are not mentioned only because I have yet to view them. However, I hear Kilmer gives pretty stellar performances in most or all of these:
– Pollock
– Wonderland
– Spartan
– The Salton Sea
Comments: 36 Comments
36 Responses to “Opinion In A Haystack: Does Val Kilmer Rue The Day?”Leave a Reply |
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Great piece!
Ya’ gotta’ see WONDERLAND, it’s intense!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I think I have to pretty much agree with the entire article. Especially, your Top 5 Kilmer movies.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Well, Mr. Rose you have hit a nerve. I am a big big Val Kilmer fan. I do agree with the other commenter that Wonderland is good, and intense. Pollack he is again held to a smaller role, but a good one indeed. That movie really belongs to Ed Harris.
Doc Holiday is simply one of the best characters to ever be on screen. You know you have seen Tombstone to many times when you start watching it in Spanish to change thinks up. (I think on vacation we kept it on loop for over 24 hours while drinking and partying.)
What Kilmer needs is a director to take an interest in him, and give him his John Travolta as Vincent Vega in “Pulp Fiction” role. He is still young and I have hope.
I happen to agree with you on “The Doors” where it is a brilliant performance, I have trouble with the movie as a whole.
That’s All. Another great column Bob.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:55 am
I Absolutely agree with you on the Ghost and the Darkness. Why does Douglas get top billing? That’s always annoyed me. The movie was Oscar Nominated for Best Cinematography and so deservedly. The score, is outrageously good and burns with an African passion and authenticity that other African story films lack. Kilmer is very good, though Ebert tears him up for having too modern of a haircut. In reality though, Kilmer just looks awesome…it is by the far the coolest he has ever looked in any movie. One thing you failed to mention is that it has become clear now and proves to be true for his whole career. He only acts in things that he thinks he will enjoy acting in. He did Ghost because he loves Africa, not because it was with Michael Douglas, or had a huge budget or whatever. He is in FELON because he said he had to be a part of that script. Whether or not THAT film is what the final result is, isn’t his fault. Though I will say, you don’t see Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise in garbage like Conspiracy and other just low budget forgetables. You must must must must must watch The Salton Sea.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
Nelson – Thank you. I put wonderland at the top of my netflix. thanks for reading!
Bryan – Thank you. It’s good to know I’m not the only Ghost and the Darkness fan out there. thanks for reading!
Chuck – glad to here you are a big fan of his, I feared alot of people, like yourself, might have looked down on me for defending and praising him (that didnt stop me of course). Tombstone on repeat…yeah I could do that a few times. I agree that Kilmer needs like a vincient vega type role, because god knows he is light years more talented then Travolta…tarantino or a director of the same ilk could do wonders with kilmer. Also, yeah, I like The Doors alot, but I always thought it’s only flaw, a huge one, was that it was called The Doors and not JIM MORRISON DOES DRUGS…if it was titled that it would be a perfect movie. Still amazingly brilliant performance. thanks for the compliment and thanks for reading.
Paul – once again, its good to know I’m not alone in my love for such a beautiful and awsome movie like Ghost and the Darkness. I assume Douglas gets top billing because he was bigger at the time, plain and simple. You are right, I didnt mention that, I actually didnt know that Kilmer worked on that principal…but does he anymore? I will disagree with you…Madmartigan is the coolest character he ever played in my book, hands down, no contest, but at that point we are just nitpicking our obvious mutual love of Val kilmer himself. I have put The Salton Sea at the top of my netflix next to Wonderland. Thank you and thanks for reading!
September 4th, 2008 at 12:39 am
I’m a fan of Kilmer and Wesley Snipes and as you noted they’ve both fallen on relative hard times vis-a-vis their respective careers. An A-lister can slide for a number of reasons but I think these two did because of combinations of hubris, poor box office, and bad career choices. From what I’ve read, Kilmer for most of the 90’s took himself way too seriously and had to be coaxed to give his performances. With movies being more a bottom-line business there’s only so much the money men will put up with.
Despite the consensus I actually enjoyed his turn as Batman/Bruce Wayne but he cut his throat with me when he turned down the role again to do The Saint and crapped on the mythology of the Bat but I guess that was a catch-22 with which movie to choose because one bombed and the other sucked. That’s when his slide started for me and maybe he’s bottoming out now and will give a noteworthy performance as a supporting character in a big-time movie a la Tombstone and remind Hollywood that he’s truly a rare talent.
I plan to check out the Salton Sea, Spartan, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang soon.
September 4th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I have several points:
#1: “Felon” was given a theatrical release by Sony and Stage 6, thus it was erroneously listed as direct-to-DVD. It was featured in three high profile theatres including (but not limited to): Mann’s Chinese Theater (Hollywood), The Krikorian (near Disneyland), The DGA, and the Landmark Sunshine Cinema (Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City).
#2: Micheal Mann’s brilliant Los Angeles crime drama “Heat” is not even mentioned. How is that possible?
#3: Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, overtly noted Kilmer was the best Batman and Bruce Wayne. Kane preferred Kilmer’s performance over that of George Clooney and even the magnificent Micheal Keaton. Kilmer took the role very seriously, heavily researched the role and made every effort to channel Keaton’s mannerisms in the Bat-suit for continuity purposes. Joel Schumacher even felt that Kilmer took the role too seriously. “Batman Forever” remains the only Bat-film to sustain 30+ minutes of cuts to make the film less dark and more family friendly. The original extended cut of “Batman Forever” was screened for critics and was a superior film. For a review of the original extended cut, see the following link:
http://boards.ign.com/Batman/b5062/67633194/?16
#4: “The Salton Sea” was a very good film. It is certainly Kilmer’s most under-appreciated effort.
#5: “Conspiracy” was a horrible film. With that stated, it was also released theatrically. It was given a token release on one screen in Southern California for one week.
#6: This is a good article, but it does not note Kilmer’s bizarre trend to turn down prominent A-list offers. Kilmer turned down a headlining role in “Bandits” with Bruce Willis, a cameo as Goldmember in “Austin Powers in Goldmember” (2002), a headlining role in “Collateral” alongside Tom Cruise (2004), a headlining role in “Dark Matter” (2007) alongside Meryl Streep, and an unspecified role in a Tom Cruise WWII film among other high profile productions. It is important to note that Kilmer, although not in the same level of demand as he once was, is still offered parts in A-list productions… but his choices have been lacking at times.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the above article. It was genuine and well stated. I simply note the above for your consideration.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I have to agree with your top five, but as an absolute Val Kilmer idiot, I have to include The Saint. I’m a huge Batman fan as well, so imagine the utopia I was in when he played the role. I was sorely disappointed that he did not continue to play Batman, and I think you’re right- that might have been the turning point. There has been very little since the Saint I have enjoyed. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is definitley a diamond in the rough, but not much else has caught my attention since then. I’m left drooling over Top Secret repeatedly.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
You are missing out if you haven’t seen Wonderland, The Salton Sea, Joe the King, Blind Horizon, Spartan was also very good. Felon did come out theatrically, the first time I saw it was in a theater, the second time at home on dvd, both times it was great. Val has the luxery of being able to pick and choose just about whatever he wants to do. He chose Felon because he felt the content was important and wanted to bring it to light. Have you ever seen 2 films where Val is the same? I haven’t and I think I have seen them all. He is an outstanding actor, very under appreciated. Last year he released a music CD with his good friend Mick Rossi, entitled “Val Kilmer in Sessions with Mick Rossi” which has some great tunes, check out “Pigtails” He has also published a book of poetry entitled “Jack’s Gandhi” Poems by Val Kilmer. Both of these can be purchased on Val’s website http://www.ValeKilmer.com and all of the money goes to charity. What about his stage appearences in Ten Commandments The Musical and The Postman Always Rings Twice? Both brilliant performances. Val is as busy as ever, and has by no means faded away. Let me finish by saying that Val is a real genius, with wonderful films that don’t get the recognition they should. I realize that in order for a film to be considered sucessful, it must make millions, but if those blockbusters are the only things people see, boy they sure are missing out on a lot. And by the way, Eddie Murphy was wonderful in DreamGirls. Thank you
September 5th, 2008 at 12:48 am
jimmy – I will try to answer all your points. I was unaware that Felon did have a theatrical release, thank you for the information. I mention Heat at the bottom of the article, it is a magnificent movie that I love, but I dont consider it a Kilmer movie, he is amazing in it though. I will agree he was a good batman, but I still loathe the movie that surrounded him, for details see my second column on this site entitled “the Neon mobile.” I have yet to see the Salton Sea and plan to. Once again I was not aware that Conspiracy was released theatrically…if it was it still was a small enough release that lends it self to the spirit of the article aka Val Kilmer isnt A-list anymore. Thanks for the info on Kilmer’s choices and turndowns when it comes to roles, while I have heard that before and do believe it the spirit of the article was to look back at my favorite highlights of his career…but I appreciate the information. Thank you very much for all your points, I can not stress how much I appreciate such long and well thought out comments. Thank you for reading.
amanda – Top Secret is worth the drool…Thanks for reading!
Shelli – Thanks for all the info, and I do plan to catch up on all the Val Kilmer have I missed in the past few years. Thanks for reading!
September 5th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I saw Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and didn’t really know any of the actors. It was a really really great movie and great acting. I was surprised later to find out that the guy it in was Robert Downey Jr (Ive only heard his name before), so I’m interested in both Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer because they both did amazing jobs. One of the rare movies where the acting really stood out to me.
September 5th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
As another long-time Val fan, I really enjoyed your article. Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed Red Planet. I still watch the dvd from time-to-time. I wouldn’t list it in a top performance category but for fun, I give it an A. I mean, it had a robotic “cat” (ok, not really a cat, but sure reminded me of one)!! ^-^
Personally, I believe his “disappearance” is a combination of 2 things; preferring deeper roles now (he often stated that he preferred Indy films to blockbusters), which may explain his seemingly illogical choices, and over-exposure. Much like Travolta and several others that come to mind, he was in too many releases within a certain time period and people just got tired – they are a fickle lot, after all.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:11 am
Personally, I don’t see how anyone can be a Val Kilmer fan and not have seen some of his performances in the following:
The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987)
Kill Me Again (1989)
Thunderheart (1992)
The Salton Sea (2002)
Spartan (2004)
These film are the main reasons I became a fan of this guy. Great article, though. I love what you’ve got to say.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Oh, I’ve also seen:
Top Gun (1986)
Willow (1988)
The Doors (1991)
True Romance (1993)
Tombstone (1993)
Heat (1995)
Batman Forever (1995)
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
Red Planet (2000)
The Missing (2003)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Deja Vu (2006)
Comanche Moon (2008) mini-series
Felon (2008)
And I’m in the process of seeking out all the other films I’ve yet to watch. As far as I’m concerned, Kilmer gave a good performance in all these films, even the terrible “Island of Dr. Moreau”.
The conspicuous outsider is “Comanche Moon”, in which his performance (and the rest of the cast) is nightmarishly bad. I mean baaaaaad, like he was going for it. A poor reflection on his previous role in “Tombstone”.
September 17th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Thunderheart is definitely in my top 5 Val Kilmer movies, right after Willow, and yes, I liked Ghost and the Darkness as well.
I liked his guest-starring role in the Numb3rs season 4 opening episode last season, “Trust Metric”… he brought a quiet malevolence to that character so quickly.
September 21st, 2008 at 2:22 am
Val Kilmer is my favorite actor so it’s great seeing an article about him. Thank you! You definitely need to watch those movies you haven’t seen asap. The Salton Sea and Wonderland are amazing. Kilmer’s role in Felon is genius… haha, and wow was Conspiracy bad! I just don’t know what he was thinking there. As others have mentioned… Kilmer has said several times how he’d rather pick roles in indy films that are meaningful than get caught up in lame blockbusters, or just blockbusters in general. And hey, you noticed he hasn’t been in the spotlight so hopeully others will to… and he can come back by greater demand.
Take it easy,
JB
September 24th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
wow good to know Kilmer has lot of other fans out there, I have always felt he was underrated even when he was doing big movies, kiss kiss bang bang was an unexpected jewel, hope we can expect more great movies from him in the future
one other thing, Kilmer was a great batman, it was everything else about that move that sucked
September 29th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Wonderland is great!!! And it is his second best performance after Tombstone, and well before The Doors. Top Secret is down right in the top 5 comedies of all time!!!!
September 29th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I don’t understand why everyone is complaining about “Conspiracy.” No, it wasn’t “Heat”, but what do you want? The plot was fairly original and Kilmer was great in the role of a handicapped, ex-military guy. I’ll take a movie like that over garbage like “Superbad” any day.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Nobody has mentioned “Mindhunters” either. Killer movie.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
OMG!!! What about Thunderheart? Easily top five, possibly top three. Thunderheart was a beautiful film. My top Kilmer flicks:
1. Tombstone (bloody briliant as Doc Holliday)
2. Thunderheart (so believable in this role)
3. Ghost and the Darkness (palpable fear facing man-eating lions)
4. Batman Forever (captured the essence if Bob Kane liked it how can it be less than great?)
5. Willow (comedy and adventure fun)
What about The Real McCoys?
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Thanks for the article on Val, Bob – rewatching Ghost and The Darkness tonight. Great cinematography and score. The way the tall grass moves in the breeze like lion’s mane has stayed as an image since I first saw this film in it’s original rlease. As usual, Val Kilmer is thoroughly enjoyable in his performance.
As upset as we get regarding the Oscar snub of his turn as Doc in Tombstone, imagine how Val must have felt. I get genuinely pissed when I think about it. His performance was haunting. No other word for it. Tommy Lee Jones won that year for The Fugitive, and I’m a big TLJ fan as well, but The Fugitive? Really?
I’ll chime in on Wonderland and Salton Sea – both great.
I haven’t seen Felon or Conspiracy, but will be checking them both out. Heck, Val Kilmer AND Jennifer Esposito? Where’s the popcorn?
November 5th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I liked this article. Val Kilmer is probably my favorite actor out there and it is a shame he hasn’t been in more recent quality films. Even if he is hard to work with, it would be worth it since he can actually act. A lot of actors don’t really have that ability sadly enough, and few of them can do such a range like him.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 am
I am waiting for mindhunters to show up at my door and then of course Ill have to get the other 8 movies of his coming out in the next two years.
I liked article and have been an avid Kilmer fan for 20 years. In my opinion his ONE real mistake was performing in The Ten Commandments The Musical… and even as bad as it is… its still Val and its not like anything else he has done.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I fell in love with Val and his talent and good looks in Tombstone – the way he talked in that movie was amazing and the twirling of the “cup scene” brilliant – read the history behind making that scene.
Sums it up – Every movie i see him in – he is BELIEVEABLE – whether he’s running from the cops, Doc Holiday or being a gay cop or hunting Lions – he’s just so believeable.
he sings, acts, writes – my gosh what talent – i wish him and his children only the very best!
December 4th, 2008 at 4:46 am
Thanks for this list. I just read the list of the “best movie characters of all time” from Empire, and it was a joke, Tyler Durden of Fight Club got #1.
Doc Holliday is Val’s best performance, hands down. I can quote that movie up and down thanks to him. And yes, it beats out Jack Sparrow. I am sad to see Kilmer making these movies too, but damn when he puts his mind to it, he can act.
“You hear that darlin? Thats Latin. Apparently Mr Ringo is an educated man. Now I really hate him.”
December 11th, 2008 at 3:57 am
Broheim – are you effing serious? You write a near *brilliant* column on Kilmer, and you couldn’t wait 120 minutes to watch Kilmer act a script & be directed by Mamet? I am in your row-boat-of-Kilmer, but PLEASE dont write a great column until you’ve covered the bases.
I’m as heartbroken as you are this year, but go watch Spartan. Good lord go watch Spartan (with your Mamet-hat on).
*Then* get us to the tall corn.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I agree Tombstone was Val’s peak, and arguably one of the best performances of all time. Every line is delivered perfectly and every second he’s on screen has tension of some sort.
Anyhow Val definately took a big dive… He got fat and lazy, and there were a string of performances that were absolutely horrible, him reading monotonely off of a scripter….. With his performance in Felon though, it seems that he’s actually putting in effort again, and appears to be climbing his way back up….
Good luck Val
January 19th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Also, It’s interesting to note that Keaton’s portrayal of batman was also his last box office success… he’s been crap ever since as well… perhaps it’s the curse of batman?
February 5th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Val’s done many wonderful films, and is an incredibly talented man. Unfortunately, contrary to popular opinion, most actors aren’t being bombarded by scripts of fantastic material from which to choose, and since most of us like to eat, sometimes you have to take a job that isn’t something you would choose to do, because you need money to live.
As far as him getting “fat and lazy”, well getting a little fluffy is a problem for many of us middle aged people. He can’t possibly stay as young and beautiful as when he was 20, no one can. I still find him to be an interesting character actor and an attractive and intelligent man. I just hope for his sake that he doesn’t run for Governor of New Mexico. It’s absolutely beyond me why anyone would want to be involved in the fetid mess that is politics in America.
April 8th, 2009 at 6:03 am
Val has not tried to be an ‘A-list’ actor. I applaud him for this.
About ‘Tombstone’, even Leonard Maltin calls this ‘possibly the screen’s best-ever Doc Holliday’. Not even an Oscar NOMINATION. I still watch this film–fast-forwarding thru scene’s he isn’t in.
Johnny Depp became a star, by his own route, unlike Tom Cruise.
I wish the same had occurred, for Kilmer.
I love Depp, but I think he lucked out. Look what happened to Kilmer, Alec Baldwin & Rutger Hauer.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Great article, Kilmer is one of my favorites as well.
Though I have to say one, my top 5 is a little different:
1. Ghost and the Darkness – great movie, underappreciated by most except true Kilmer fans.
2. The Saint – movie that has yet to be mentioned, but I found it very entertaining for mindless action. Its not for everyone, but for a movie to have on in the background, there is nothing better.
3. Batman – I think he was better than clooney and keaton, however Bale is probably the best of the bunch.
4. Tombstone – enough said
5. Salton Sea – Stellar movie, different from anything else out there. For those who havnt seen this, its worth a watch.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:49 am
real genius and willow, forgot about those thanks, I recently watched tombstone again after watching Wyatt Earp. I still prefer Wyatt Earp and Dennis Quaid though Kilmer was right for the movie he was in.
July 20th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
The Island of Dr.Moreau is his worst movie as of yet !
And Felon, you should watch it, it’s among his best performances in the past 20 years, awesome !!
September 20th, 2009 at 12:59 am
The Island of Dr. Moerau is his BEST movie of all. He totally gets the character of Montgomery, who has been isolated from civilization for up to ten years and has become more than a little insane because of it. His drug use, pot smoking and binge drinking add to the character (we see how he plays a role in the downfall of the island because he gives the beast men drugs and smokes with them). Especially after Brando dies, his character developes from on the edge of insanity to total loss of control. He knows its over. He may be dead tomorow, but he’s going to live it up tonight.
What a great movie, one of my top favorites. Though, the original script was MUCH better.
February 20th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
don’t hold your breath. His “talent” is not worth the risk to the people who put up the money. He’s like one of those ice skaters whose parents programmed him and bought his way onto a fast track while he completely missed developing interactioinal skills. He is spoiled, his talent wasn’t “discovered” in some smokey bar, but was done more in an achey-breaky way, kind of like a disney brat. it’s the behavior” that gets in they way of getting the job done. nobody wants to enable him anymore. He’s unhappy and doesn’t like himself and it manifests by blaming and lashing out at other people. he has trashed his brand through poor behavior and undependability. He burns bridges and has no continuity or team to back him up. The elephant in the room is that nobody wants to deal with him . the new mexico governor joke was a pathetic attempt to draw attention by this burned out light.