In July 2021, A24 and Amazon Prime released “Val,” a documentary about the life and career of actor Val Kilmer. Part behind-the-scenes look at Val Kilmer movies, part autobiography, the film delves into the controversies and tragedies that define Kilmer as an actor. It’s a warm and affecting documentary, made even more powerful for the presence of son Jack Kilmer as narrator — Kilmer recently lost his voice to throat cancer, and hearing the younger Kilmer provide voice over for the film is an uncanny way to turn back the clock.
But while “Val” shines a light on Kilmer’s celebrity and methodology as a classically trained actor, the film is surprisingly light when it comes to his body of work. The truth is that Val Kilmer, difficult reputation and all, has worked steadily for over three decades to craft some of the best performances of his era. So, who better than an unapologetic Kilmer fan to help identify the best movies for your next actor-themed marathon? If you take nothing else away from this list, take this: Nobody plays a historical addict quite as well as Val Edward Kilmer.
1. Top Gun
Considering how many doors “Top Gun” opened for Kilmer, it may be surprising to learn that Kilmer only accepted the role of “Iceman” Kazansky out of contractual obligations. But that was one of the big takeaways from “Val,” which contains behind-the-scenes footage from several of his productions. Perhaps, then, it is better to be lucky than good. Iceman is nowhere near Kilmer’s best role, but it is the one that oozes potential and future star power. He is a perfectly calibrated foible for Tom Cruise — back when Tom Cruise was human enough to share the screen with anyone but his own stunts.
You know the scenes — volleyball on the beach, snapping teeth in the locker room — but the cultural impact of “Top Gun” may have overshadowed its quality as an action movie. Tony Scott would go on to establish himself as the maximalist version of his brother Ridley with films like “Days of Thunder” and “The Fan,” but “Top Gun” remains a standout even on his impressive filmography. And with a sequel on its way (and a rumored cameo on the docket for Kilmer), we may yet see Iceman ride one last time before all is said and done.
2. Tombstone
If you were raised on ’80s and ’90s action movies, then “Tombstone” is pretty much the platonic ideal of a movie cast. And part of the appeal is that it should not exist; by all accounts, Kurt Russell pushed this one across the finish line almost single-handedly, rewriting the script and even ghost-directing most of the film when replacement director George P. Cosmatos failed to mesh with the cast and crew. The fact that “Tombstone” manages to be good — if not a little old-fashioned by western standards — is a borderline miracle.
But this miracle pales in comparison to Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday, a role that eclipses everything and everyone in its orbit (and only relinquishes the spotlight in the moments when Kilmer is offscreen). Kilmer has spoken often about how everything flowed from the accent, a long-dead Southern dialect that informed his physicality as well, and it is the unusual performance in which every decision seems to further elevate the character on the screen. Holliday also seems to be the rare instance in which an actor’s fandom is centered on some of his favorite work; one needs only to visit Kilmer’s website to see how thoroughly the actor has embraced “Tombstone” as part of his legacy.
3. Top Secret!
In “Val,” Kilmer described “Top Secret!” as a painful transition from acting in the theater to acting in movies, noting that he spent months learning to play the guitar only to be asked not to play seriously because it made for a better gag. Then again, what does he know? He’s just the actor. For the rest of us, “Top Secret!” is an absolute banger of a comedy, on par with “Airplane!” and the films in “The Naked Gun” franchise. The bookcase gag alone — an entire sequence filmed in reverse and played straight in every sense of the word — justifies its spot on the list.
No small part of that success is due to Kilmer’s wide-eyed rock star Nick Rivers. Kilmer performed each of the songs on the soundtrack, much like he would a few years later as Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” and serves as a perfectly sincere (and charmingly generic) hero for each of the movie’s hundreds of gags. When taken together with the following year’s “Real Genius,” “Top Secret!” shows that Kilmer is adept at being both the straight man and the class clown. And I dare you not hum “How Silly Can You Get?” after the credits roll.