Critic’s Appreciation: Val Kilmer, an Unclassifiable Heartthrob Who Always Had an Edge

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1980s movie-goers might have found Val Kilmer to be a bit unusual compared to other rising stars in Young Hollywood during that era, as their careers took off spectacularly.

Unlike some well-known actors like Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Emilio Estevez, Robert Downey Jr., John Cusack, and Tom Hanks who were action heroes, romantic leads, method actors, or comedic talents back then, Val Kilmer did not fit into any of those categories.

Kilmer embodied a unique blend of qualities simultaneously, making classification challenging. Primarily, he was an exceptional character actor, yet his appearance suggested a leading man. He possessed the ability to seamlessly merge into roles that often carried a distinctly sharp or edgy undertone.

As a gamer, I can’t help but remember some of Val Kilmer’s most iconic films – Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Heat – which he delivered with a unique blend of his own quirks and charisma. Despite the beach-ready looks with his blonde hair and strong jawline that made him seem like he stepped out of Malibu’s waves, Kilmer brought an undercurrent of discomfort and vulnerability to the big screen that perfectly contrasted his suave onscreen persona.

As a kid growing up like many from my era, I was initially introduced to him as Nick Rivers, the Elvis-esque singer turned global spy in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker satire, “Top Secret!“. This wasn’t the most refined introduction for an actor who had been schooled at Juilliard and yearned to portray Hamlet, but Kilmer wholeheartedly embraced a character that served as the target of numerous witty remarks and physical humor. His unwavering seriousness and dedication in countless absurd situations made the comedy even more effective.

The characteristic that seemingly persisted the most in an actor who reached his height, particularly in terms of box office popularity, about a decade later, was Kilmer’s dedication. He was always fully committed to any role, which led him to establish a reputation as a perfectionist who could sometimes be challenging to collaborate with.

However, unlike many other stars of his era, he wasn’t easily labeled or stereotyped. When he took on high-profile roles like stepping in for Michael Keaton to portray the Caped Crusader in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, he detested the process and declined further involvement. This decision was made despite the fact that Batman Forever, a Warner Bros. blockbuster, was the highest-grossing film of 1995, surpassing Toy Story.

In a performance that frequently blurred the lines between actor and character, Val Kilmer gained recognition for embodying Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic, “The Doors.” Similar to Timothée Chalamet’s immersion in his role for “A Complete Unknown” last year, Kilmer dedicated a significant amount of time to studying and mastering Morrison’s unique qualities. This included meticulously replicating Morrison’s voice by incorporating authentic band recordings with his own vocals, as well as portraying the singer’s erratic behavior both on and off stage. Regrettably, despite his dedicated effort, Kilmer did not receive an Oscar nomination for his performance, receiving instead a nomination for an MTV Movie Award.

Morrison’s character seemed to be the one that resonated most with Kilmer himself – a performer exuding immense charm and allure, yet harboring an unusual shadowy aspect. This complex persona was partially shaped by the tragic demise of Kilmer’s younger brother, Wesley, in 1977. When the singer sings “I am the lizard king, I can do anything” in the film, it is not hard to imagine him truly believing it, as if he embodied that character off-screen too.

It might have been his enigmatic, somewhat eccentric character that kept him from achieving the box-office success of Cruise or Hanks, yet it was this very quality that gave him a sense of authenticity that set him apart from many other actors.

He might have portrayed characters more conventionally, for instance, as Doc Holliday in “Tombstone,” or Chris Shiherlis, the emotionally complex bank robber from Michael Mann’s film “Heat.” Similarly, he could have played a variety of character types throughout Phillip Noyce’s action-packed and identity-changing thriller “The Saint,” where his characters often travel across continents.

Frequently, as his career progressed beyond its peak in the ’90s, Val Kilmer often took on roles that were notable for their unusual flair. These included:

1. The eccentric private eye Gay Perry in Shane Black’s film “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”.
2. Partnering with the equally unconventional Nicolas Cage in Werner Herzog’s movie “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”.
3. A stoner father in Gia Coppola’s production “Palo Alto”.
4. An overzealous writer struggling in Francis Ford Coppola’s bizarre horror film “Twixt”.

Kilmer imbued these roles with gravity, no matter how peculiar some of them might have been. Time and again, he gave it his all, and even when he faced fewer triumphs during the latter stages of his career, it was always a delight to catch him in a film, injecting his unique blend of charm and eccentricity. Just as Morrison beautifully expressed in his song, “People are strange,” Kilmer seemed to adopt this sentiment as a mantra for the later part of his on-screen journey.

In his most remarkable recent work, worth a watch, was in the documentary titled “Val“. This film was produced post-throat cancer surgery and treatment for the actor. The production primarily consists of videos Kilmer started shooting as a teenager, featuring backstage glimpses from films like “Top Gun” and the troubled set of “The Island of Dr. Moreau“, infamously known for its insanity. The movie captures Kilmer’s meteoric rise to fame, along with everything that transpired subsequently.

Additionally, it provides us with heart-wrenching glances into his life post-surgeries, which left him in a weakened physical condition and dependent on a breathing tube for speech. Unlike most actors who might shy away from public appearances in such a state, Kilmer made it a point to interact with fans as much as he could, attending conventions to sign autographs and presenting screenings of his finest films. Even when it seems like he’s struggling to stay upright, he still exudes that classic charm — the subtle, mischievous smile, the hint of the unusual.

In a field often characterized by insincerity, Kilmer might have faced struggles due to being excessively authentic, despite his efforts to blend seamlessly into certain characters. Though he may not have reached the iconic status of his ’80s peers, he achieved something unique: becoming an actor whose uniqueness made us look beyond his striking appearance.

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2025-04-02 21:25