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Summary
- Val Kilmer left a powerful legacy in film with iconic characters like Madmartigan and Iceman.
- Kilmer's versatility shines in genres like action and comedy, evident in roles like Madmartigan.
- Val Kilmer's life and career are documented in the intimate and underappreciated film "Val."
Born in California in 1959, Val Kilmer started acting professionally in the 1980s after a successful career in theater. His impressive filmography includes several renowned titles and his talents cover every genre, including action, comedy, fantasy, westerns, and historical pieces.
It was because of Val Kilmer that the world of entertainment had iconic characters like Madmartigan from Willow and Iceman from Top Gun, just to name a few. Even if the movie is bad, Kilmer always played a great role and will always be loved for it.
Updated April 3, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose: It wasn't such a surprise, since the public knew that he had been fighting ill health for some time, but it's still a tragedy that the great Val Kilmer has left us. Val Kilmer was an actor who appeared in several different mediums, and he could even carry a tune back in the early days. His impressive library of work lives on, along with the legacy that he leaves behind, one that had laughter, action, romance, adventure, and even a few explosions. Here's an expanded look at some of his best movies.
10 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A Unique Buddy Cop Movie
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- November 18, 2005
- Runtime
- 103 minutes
- Director
- Shane Black
Val Kilmer often appears in action movies and had an early history with comedy, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang combines both genres in an organic way. Kilmer teams up with Robert Downey Jr., creating one of the best buddy cop duos of the 21st century. Downey Jr. Plays a thief who's pretending to be an actor, and Val Kilmer portrays a private eye.
Despite the differences in their lifestyles, they're forced to work together, which leads to many hilarious and tension-filled moments, since the characters have a talent for getting in trouble. Director Shane Black offers a fast-paced movie that contains more than one surprising twist.
9 Willow
Everyone's Favorite Fantasy
Willow
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- May 20, 1988
WHERE TO WATCH
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
- Director
- Ron Howard
George Lucas' claim to fame is the Star Wars series, but he also waded into the dark fantasy pond when he wrote Willow. Ron Howard directed, however, which is part of why the timing and comedy in the movie work so well along with the action. Val Kilmer plays the raunchy Madmartigan, a womanizer and a swordmaster. Even if he's not the main character, he steals every scene.
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Madmartigan was doomed to die in a crow's cage before Willow Ufgood, who gives this movie his name, happens along with an abandoned baby. The prisoner offers to help Willow if he lets him out, which he does, and remains true to his word despite his rather chaotic and rude way of doing it. He actually has an interesting character arc in which he falls in love with a princess and becomes a hero.
8 Val
Not Fiction, But A Documentary
- Runtime
- 109 Minutes
- Director
- Ting Poo, Leo Scott
As its title suggests, Val focuses on Val Kilmer himself and chronicles his long career. It also includes footage that had never been publicly available before. The movie gives space to Val Kilmer's developing career and many of his roles. As such, it features interviews and comments from multiple people who worked with Kilmer.
The documentary doesn't center only on his career, but looks deep into his personal life as well, allowing viewers the unique chance to look behind Kilmer's roles and see what he might be like as a person. The movie is never boring, and it's one of the underappreciated pieces of Kilmer's filmography.
7 Real Genius
The Original Big Bang Theory
- Directed By: Martha Coolidge
- Starring: Val Kilmer, Gabe Jarret, Michelle Meyrink, William Atherton
- Distributor: Tri-Star Pictures
- Release Date: August 7, 1985
Some fans are surprised to find out that Val Kilmer starred in several comedies when his big-screen career was getting started, and Real Genius was one of the best. It got lost in the sea of other quirky college movies that were also released in this decade, which is why it gets less attention than others.
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Val Kilmer's character is the deuteragonist of this story, with Gabe Jarret playing the lead, Mitch Taylor. Both are child prodigies who've been recruited by a shady college professor for a secret government project, and they eventually succeed in the project only to discover that they've been tricked into building a weapon. Luckily, redemption can be found in a brilliant practical joke that involves "playing God" and a house full of popcorn.
6 Tombstone
I'm Your Huckleberry
Tombstone
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- December 25, 1993
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Director
- George P. Cosmatos
Western film was once one of the most prominent movie genres, but by the 1990s, its fame had faded a little, so Tombstone never got as much attention from the audience as the movie would have deserved. The story is set in the town of Tombstone, where Judge Wyatt Earp arrives with his brothers to start a new life. Even though he doesn't want to get involved in any trouble, he loses one of his brothers and decides to become the new sheriff and clean the town from criminals, no matter what it takes. The biggest challenge he faces is defeating Johnny Ringo.
It's easy to cheer the lead character on, considering he seems outnumbered and outgunned. Kurt Russell gives yet another excellent performance, alongside other stars such as Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, and Charlton Heston. Val Kilmer doesn't disappoint as Doc Holliday, Earp's good friend who's suffering from tuberculosis. Even though the movie works with a larger number of characters, each actor gets their chance to shine, Kilmer included. The setting of the movie is just as impressive and helps create a realistic atmosphere.
5 The Doors
Music And The Counterculture
The Doors
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- March 1, 1991
- Runtime
- 140 minutes
- Director
- Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone was making biopic musical films before it was a trend, and this story is as much about the culture and events of the 1960s as it is about Morrison and his rock band. It was a subversive time, and The Doors, a band with no bassline but heavy-duty lyrics written by tortured poet Jim Morrison himself, were equally weird and experimental.
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The plot chronicles the history of The Doors, including Morrison's drug use and personal drama. Given that this movie is a drama, not everything is accurate. It begins when Jim is a child, recounting that day he and his family drove past the infamous bus accident, and ends with his untimely death. Critics didn't like everything about the movie, but the opinion of Val Kilmer's spot-on depiction of Jim Morrison was unanimous.
4 True Romance
A Gritty Story Of Gangster Love
True Romance
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- September 10, 1993
- Runtime
- 119 minutes
- Director
- Tony Scott
Val Kilmer is no stranger to action movies, which this unusual gangster romance proves. The movie has a star-studded cast, including Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, and, of course, Val Kilmer, whose specific role will surprise many viewers. In order for Kilmer to become his character, he had to spend eight hours in the makeup room each day.
The effort paid off, though, as Kilmer draws attention to himself in every scene he appears in. True Romance is fast-paced and unpredictable, making it one of the best movies Tony Scott has ever directed. It has some similarities to Quentin Tarantino's directorial work, since Tarantino worked on the movie's script. True Romance shifts between various moods, which makes it a must-watch for those who enjoy romance, action as well as crime stories.
3 The Saint
A Sacred Safecracker
- Runtime
- 116minutes
- Director
- Phillip Noyce
It didn't exactly get rave reviews, but the premise is sound and Kilmer carries the lead role with compelling finesse, as usual. The Saint is based on a series of books written by Leslie Charteris in the late 1920s, and was also made into a TV series starring Vincent Price and Roger Moore as the title character.
Val Kilmer takes on the role of John Rossi, a resident of an orphanage, but he takes on the name Simon Templar. Simon is a high-tech thief who uses the names of Catholic saints as pseudonyms, and the real story begins in the midst of a job to steal a Russian microchip, which begins a whirlwind romance and a race to save the world. Val Kilmer actually won a Razzie for this role, which is a dubious honor, but it's still a cult classic.
2 Heat
An Unlikely Friendship
Heat
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- December 15, 1995
WHERE TO WATCH
- Runtime
- 170 minutes
- Director
- Michael Mann
Val Kilmer's best-rated movie on IMDb is this iconic crime thriller about a professional thief and the detective who relentlessly pursues him. Despite standing on the opposite sides of the law, the two have more in common than either of them would be willing to admit. Heat remains one of director Michael Mann's most celebrated movies. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are excellent in the leading roles, and it's difficult to decide whom the viewers will cheer on more.
Even though the main characters don't interact as often as the viewers might expect, it only makes the conversations between them more intense. It's impossible to miss Val Kilmer in the movie since he plays one of the most important parts, Chris Shiherlis, a member of Neil McCauley's (Robert De Niro) crew.
1 Top Secret!
Absurdity And Satire
Top Secret!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- June 22, 1984
- Runtime
- 90 Minutes
- Director
- Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Back in the day, three childhood buddies named Jim Abrahams and the two Zucker brothers were responsible for some of the most lewd, disgusting, and hilarious comedies of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their breakthrough hit was Airplane!, and they also made other iconic comedies like Ruthless People and The Naked Gun.
This was Val Kilmer's first movie role, and it's actually very similar to the kind of roles he was doing in musical theater, for those that doubt Val Kilmer could even be in a slapstick movie. He plays rock star Nick Rivers in the present day, and happens to be touring in 1980s Germany when he gets caught up in a clandestine military operation to unite the country under sinister East German rule. Look for other big names in this obscure but hilarious movie, which also includes Peter Cushing and Omar Sherif in the cast.