Val Kilmer’s best movies: From Top Gun to Heat, here are the acting icons most memorable film moments

A high profile star of the 1980s and 1990s, Val Kilmer’s legacy will forever be linked to his roles in some of the most iconic films of his era.

His death from pneumonia at the age of 65 will spark a wave of nostalgia among audiences who grew up watching him across many genres, a testament to his versatility and talent as an actor who was sometimes an uneasy fit in an industry that was challenged by his demanding nature.

But even in his more uneven years, Kilmer never lost that star quality. Here are his most memorable movies.

TOP GUN

Tom Cruise may have been the star of Tony Scott’s souped up action romance about elite pilots, but there is no Maverick without Iceman. It’s the spiky energy between the two that propels the film, pushing Maverick to best his rival.

As an antagonist, Iceman was the villain you couldn’t help but love. He was the bad guy, but there was something about his arrogance and swagger that made him too alluring. For only his third film, there was a real edge and flicker of danger that made Kilmer irresistible to watch.

REAL GENIUS

Still fresh-faced and dipping his toe into Hollywood, Real Genius was Kilmer’s second movie, with strong comedic caper vibes. It’s silly and fun, and without Real Genius, there would be no Van Wilder – wait, is that a good thing?

His charisma leaps off the screen as Chris, a whip-smart but slacker engineering student who discovers his laser project is secretly being co-opted by the CIA, but first, they have to survive the pressures of genius life with a lot of partying.

THE DOORS

Kilmer wasn’t the first actor considered to play The Doors’ Jim Morrison. The project had been in development for over 10 years with a raft of names attached at various points, including Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Richard Gere and Timothy Hutton.

But once Oliver Stone joined, Kilmer’s name was well in the mix.

The intensity of Kilmer’s performance as Morrison likely stemmed from his commitment to being super method off-screen. For those months, he basically was Morrison, and in the consciousness of many, Kilmer’s version was more memorable than the real thing.

KISS KISS BANG BANG

In casting Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. in his farcical take on a hard-boiled LA crime mystery, Shane Black weaponised the “has-been” perceptions of his two leads to create underdog characters who were messy but lovable.

Kilmer is a private detective who becomes entangled in a wild plot in this version of an unlikely buddy cop pairing when he is hired to guide an actor researching for a role.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is often credited with revitalising Downey Jr’s career to the point that sometimes people forget how effective Kilmer is here, and without whom, the alchemic chemistry between the characters would never have worked.

TRUE ROMANCE

Kilmer reunited with his Top Gun director Tony Scott in a film written by Quentin Tarantino, who had penned the screenplay for a paycheque to help fund Reservation Dogs. Between the violence and the over-the-top character beats, it has the hallmarks of Tarantino’s pre-occupations.

It stars Christian Slater as a movie geek and Elvis obsessive who steals cocaine from a pimp, prompting a crime spree as he and his new squeeze goes on the run to LA.

Kilmer appears as an imaginary Elvis Presley and his impression is still remembered for being one of the most striking impressions of The King.

HEAT

Still the favourite of many a movie fanboy, who have it in their Letterboxd top four lists, Heat is Michael Mann’s three-hour crime epic that pitted Al Pacino’s detective against Robert De Niro’s thief character. It’s renowned for its incredibly propulsive action sequences and high intensity, muscular confrontations.

Kilmer plays Chris, the right-hand-man to De Niro’s top criminal as they orchestrate and execute a series of deadly heists.

WILLOW

Between Willow, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, the 1980s was the peak era of family friendly fantasy movies with creepy and unsettling moments.

In this Ron Howard film with a story by George Lucas, Kilmer plays a young warrior who, with a would-be magician, must protect a baby princess from a sorceress queen.

When the 2022 streaming sequel came around, Kilmer was unable to reprise his character due to his health challenges, compounded with the added risk it was shot during pandemic conditions, so his son Jack voiced his character, Madmartigan.

BATMAN FOREVER

No one would ever have Batman Forever on a list of “best movies” but it was certainly iconic. Kilmer didn’t seem to have had a great time playing the character (he wasn’t a fan of the costuming and he and director Joel Schumacher clashed), but that was picked to replace Michael Keaton was testament to his star status at the time.

Now remembered for an understated (read: wooden) performance that was upstaged by Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones’ villains, Batman Forever still has one thing going for it: at least it wasn’t Batman and Robin.