A-List: Val Kilmer
By Jason Dean
June 17, 2005
With the release of Batman Begins, Warner Bros moves to Christian Bale as the fourth actor to don the cowl. So with this in mind, today's installment of the A-List covers my favorite and what I deem notable films from Val Kilmer’s career.
While Mr. Bale is worthy of his own A-List (well, at least I think so, certain other staff members would differ), the assignment, er, suggestion was to write about the previous actors in the Batman series with the focus on the first two Batmen: Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer. George Clooney was left off of this particular discussion as his career seems to be well in hand as well as being current. I further pared the list as while Michael Keaton has a solid career, outside of the two Batman films (which I really liked and probably liked Returns even more than the original) and of course, Beetlejuice, Keaton’s career just isn’t that memorable to me.
In contrast, I was a fan of Val Kilmer pretty much from the start of his career even if like most people, the first time I saw him up on the big screen was Top Gun.
Top Gun
I’d hazard a guess that if you were to ask any decent sized pool of average movie watchers and were to ask them what film(s) they remember Val Kilmer being in that Top Gun would lead the list. As Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazanski, Kilmer manages to be the perfect foil for our hero. What could have been a stock rival is given a life all unto itself due to Kilmer’s penchance for chewing scenery and doing things such as exercising his choppers for no apparent reason. “You're everyone's problem. That's because every time you go up in the air, you're unsafe. I don't like you because you're dangerous.”. At this point, there are signs that Kilmer’s charisma can be used for over-the-top evil as opposed to the leading man A-List charm of Tom Cruise.
Top Secret!
While Top Gun was the first time that I ever saw Val Kilmer on the big screen, thanks to the wonders of videotape and films being shown on TV, it turns out that I’m a fan of his from his very first starring role as the musical heartthrob: Nick Rivers in the spy/WW II movie spoof, Top Secret!. The ZAZ crew's (Airplane!) throw-every-joke-at-the-audience approach to this genre is greatly helped by Kilmer’s charismatic and talented performance. Kilmer is convincing as a he sings and dances his way through the over-the-top musical sequences, as well as being able to deliver the sometimes ludicrous and cringe-inducing dialogue with the proper sincerity required for such a spoof.
Real Genius
For as many times as I’ve seen Real Genius, it was only in the course of writing this column that I realized that this was Val Kilmer’s second starring role. The film covers some of the great geek ‘pranks’ of college (such as disassembling a car in order to rebuild it inside the dorm room of the target of the prank) as well as the comedic struggle between our protagonist Mitch as the young prodigy and his roommate Chris Knight against the ‘evil’ duo of Professors Hathway and Kent. There’s also the love interest for our young hero in the hyperactive - and yet still cute - Jordan. Ah yes, Michelle Meyerink as Jordan. I digress, and she’s part of a separate A-List. Although his role would probably officially classified as a supporting turn, Kilmer's Chris Knight as the rebellious, college laser genius is the fun and charismatic role. It is Chris Knight who gets nearly all the memorable lines. Still, as proof that Knight doesn’t get all the best lines, we do have the exchange between Susan, the beautiful daughter of an Air Force senior office, and Knight:
Chris Knight: So, if there's anything I can do for you, or, more to the point, to you, you just let me know.
Susan: Can you hammer a six-inch spike through a board with your penis?
Chris Knight: Not right now.
Susan: A girl's gotta have her standards.
Well, actually by starting with his opening line, there’s proof that the script gives Val Kilmer plenty to work with as well. Even at this early point in his career, it is starting to become apparent that Val Kilmer has the ability to completely dominate the screen.
The Doors
The next film that I truly remember as a Val Kilmer movie was his turn as the Lizard King, Jim Morrison. Due my age or lack thereof, I don’t have any firsthand memories of Jim Morrison, but from what I’ve read and the general stories of the Doors, Val Kilmer more than lived up to my media imposed perceptions of the singer. Kilmer’s ability to go to extremes works perfectly for the film. He’s completely absorbing as the intense, self-centered rock star as well as the completely wasted, mind altered character required for Oliver Stone’s dream sequences.
Tombstone
Tombstone demonstrates one of the things that I love but some hate about Val Kilmer. No matter how much the settings, costumes, etc. would set up the character and hide to some extent that it’s Val Kilmer, it’s still Val Kilmer. Tombstone is a modern retelling of the OK Corral showdown and yes, Kilmer’s Doc Holliday is given a sense of fatalism, but c’mon, it’s Val Kilmer under the hat and behind the mustache. The rest of the ensemble cast is terrific but in a typical Kilmer fashion, Val pretty much steals the show.
Heat
Simply one of the greatest heist films puts Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together. Val Kilmer is good in the movie, but it’s not his typical scene stealing type of performance. The two above the line stars are more than capable of commanding the screen and it makes the list more for the overall quality of the film rather than Kilmer's presence.
Red Planet
On the complete opposite side of things is Red Planet. One of two competing Mars pictures back in 2000, this was the project that had as production buzz the rumor that Val Kilmer and co-star Tom Sizemore had taken out corresponding restraining orders during the shoot. The movie ends up pretty much being a staring role for Val Kilmer and he absolutely adores the attention. This is the role and performance that most reminds of me of the completely self-confident genius from Real Genius. It's a fun movie if one is a fan of Val Kilmer or of B-level science fiction.
For a variety of reasons, there are a couple of films that didn't make my list but perhaps should have merited consideration. Wonderland, Salton Sea and The Saint are such examples. I do think that it’s rather fitting for the ego that I picture Val Kilmer to have that he voiced both Moses and God in Dreamworks’ The Prince Of Egypt.
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