Val Kilmer’s filmography is littered with great movies, and here are the best currently available on Paramount+. From his hilarious debut in 1984’s spoof comedy Top Secret! to his moving final appearance in Top Gun: Maverick, the late, great Val Kilmer could always be counted on to bring something dynamic or interesting to any project.
The best Val Kilmer movies tend to come from the 1990s, where he had an incredible run of back-to-back gems. Kilmer’s performance in Tombstone should have won him an Oscar, while Heat is considered one of the greatest crime dramas ever produced.
Of course, Kilmer’s CV had its share of duds, but he could always be counted on to do something unique. In the barely seen Polish Western Summer Love, for instance, Kilmer signed on just for the challenge of playing a dead body throughout the movie. For those looking to revisit Kilmer’s work, Paramount+ has three of his most famous films.
Top Gun (1986)
Top Gun’s “Iceman” was only Kilmer’s third movie role, but it became one of his signature characters. Of course, the film also made a movie star out of Tom Cruise, with the story following Cruise’s literal “Maverick” pilot as he trains for the titular Navy program.
From Tony Scott’s slick camerawork and editing to the incredible cast and quotable dialogue, there’s little about Top Gun that doesn’t work. It’s blockbuster entertainment at its finest, with Scott letting his cast cook as he makes them all look amazing.
Iceman may not be the deepest of characters, but Kilmer brings incredible amounts of charm and charisma to the role. Kilmer is a perfect sparring partner for Cruise, with the two characters being total opposites who still manage to win each other over. Their reunion in Top Gun: Maverick is also the perfect bookend to their former rivalry.
Heat (1995)
There’s little to say about Heat’s greatness that hasn’t already been written before. This Michael Mann movie is about as perfect as a thriller can be. It’s got a level of reality and research that felt incredibly fresh at the time, it has an unbelievable cast (Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Tom Sizemore, etc), and the action scenes are stunningly visceral.
Val Kilmer’s reloading technique during Heat’s bank heist is considered so perfect that the clip is used in military training as an example of how to do it right.
It says much about Kilmer’s talent that, as Heat’s third lead, he doesn’t get blown off the screen by Pacino and De Niro. Kilmer’s Chris is a man of contradictions; a loving husband and father who is also an irresponsible gambler and action junkie. Even though Chris survives, he gets one of the more tragic endings in the movie.
Batman Forever (1995)
Kilmer once compared donning Batman Forever’s Batsuit to experiencing sudden old age: he couldn’t move, hear or speak, and needed help going to the bathroom. Batsuit struggles didn’t stop Kilmer from delivering a great performance as both Bruce Wayne and Batman in Joel Schumacher’s delightfully maximalist comic blockbuster.
There are many issues with Batman Forever: Jim Carrey’s dialled to 11 performance can grate, and the film’s humor can be plain obnoxious. Still, there’s a nostalgic charm to this neon-infused action epic, which was about as big as blockbuster entertainment got back in 1995. It also remains one of Val Kilmer’s most famous roles.