Val Kilmer is among those who stand out from the crowd. But, the fact is that being outstanding is not achievable until you are willing to be different. Kilmer is the same. He falls in this category because of his charisma, wit, and commitment to his work. In addition, Val Kilmer has a hugely diverse resume, unlike most performers who settle into one category. He’s accomplished much throughout his journey, from comedy to adventure to drama.
It’s captivating how Val Kilmer became famous in the 1980s and had a streak of blockbusters in the 1990s. However, he was also out of stardom for quite some time. In any case, the actor is capable of playing completely different roles and has become one of the desirable men in the industry. He could be a Batman, but he’s equally skilled at portraying the lovable idiot or a goofy romantic lead.
Therefore, Choosing the top Val Kilmer movies could be difficult because so many exist. But there’s no denying that his Golden Period was in the 1980s and 1990s. So, let’s explore his best ones.
Image Courtesy: Irish Film Critic
The Birthday Cake (2021)
Runtime: 1hr. 33mins
Director: Jimmy Giannopoulos
Star Cast: Shiloh Fernandez, Val Kilmer, Ewan McGregor
IMDB rate: 4.3
The Birthday Cake is a crime thriller drama with an amazing star cast meant to stand out. The story starts with Giovanni bringing cake to his Uncle Angelo’s (Val) home for his father’s 10th death anniversary. It’s some kind of a tradition, and he unwillingly accepted it. However, Giovanni’s life is drastically altered after just two hours at his uncle’s place. First, he witnessed death, killing, and chaos, and now he is forced to live like this forever.
Image Courtesy: Metacritic
Top Secret (1984)
Runtime: 1hr. 30mins
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Star Cast: Val Kilmer, Omar Sharif, Jeremy Kemp
IMDB rate: 7.2
It’s a comedy film with a sprinkle of action and was considered an unsuccessful film, but it still earned $20 million. The story starts when famous American musician Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer) arrives in East Germany to participate in a music event. When he falls in love with stunning Hillary Flammond, a heroine, he finds himself involved in a covert rebel operation. Rivers teams up with Agent Cedric and Flammond to free her father. Dr. Paul (Flammond’s father) is captured in the hope of creating a new naval mine by the Germans.
Image Courtesy: Ars Technica
Real Genius (1985)
Runtime: 1hr. 48mins
Director: Martha Coolidge
Star Cast: Val Kilmer, Stacy Peralta, Daniel Ades
IMDB rate: 6.9
It is a comedy Sci-Fi film that grossed $2.5 million within the first week of its release. The story begins with Mitch Taylor coming to Pacific Tech as a freshman. He joins forces with one of his seniors Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), to collaborate on a laser project. Knight’s dismissive attitude first offends Mitch, but he ultimately wins him. Their friendship and great teamwork made them do wonders and make advancements in the project. But it didn’t take long enough when they found out that the government was planning to use it as a weapon. So, now it’s up to them to stop this.
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Top Gun (1986)
Runtime: 1hr. 50mins
Director: Tony Scott
Star Cast: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis
IMDB rate: 6.9
Top Gun is an action film with a long list of awards. The film was awarded an Oscar for best sound and music. Not only this but it got a people’s choice award for best films. It is a story of a fighter pilot. Only the best got into the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School to improve their extraordinary flying abilities. Maverick (Tom Cruise), a Hotshot fighter pilot, is sent to polish his skills at the school. Unfortunately, his wild attitude and arrogant personality put him at odds with every other pilot, especially the cool and calm Iceman (Val). However, he was not fighting to be the best pilot but also wanted to have his beautiful flight instructor’s attention. Although Val was a supporting actor in the film, he did his job very well.
Image Courtesy: MUBI
The Man Who Broke 1000 Chains (1987)
Runtime: 7.1
Director: Daniel Mann
Star Cast: Val Kilmer, Charles Durning, Sônia Braga
IMDB rate: 1hr. 55mins
The film is a CableAce award winner. All this was possible because of the outstanding cast and brilliant performances. It is a biography drama of World War I veteran Robert Eliot. He was blamed for the theft and imprisoned for working in a chain gang. Being captive for a while, Robert breaks out of jail to escape the cruel warden, Hardy. When free, he met a beautiful stranger, Emily Del Pino Pacheco. However, the connection soon fizzles out, leaving Burns without a place to run when Emily isn’t there to provide backup. He may end up returning to Hardy’s jail cell, much to his disgust.
Image Courtesy: Decider
Kill Me Again (1989)
Runtime: 1hr. 34mins
Director: John Dahl
Star Cast: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Pat Mulligan
IMDB rate: 6.3
It’s a thriller movie for which John Dahl won a Grand Prix award. The story starts when Faye, a gorgeous young woman, and her psycho Boyfriend, Vince, rob a mafia. Faye wants to escape her boyfriend, for which she hires a private investigator to fake her death. She decides to start fresh with her new identity and the money she has from the swindle. After faking Faye’s death, Jake joins her for some financial reason, but now Vince knows of Faye’s deception. He is eager to find her and take revenge on both of them.
Image Courtesy: IndieWire
Tombstone (1993)
Runtime: 2hrs. 10mins
Director: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre
Star Cast: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott
IMDB rate: 7.8
It’s an American Western film, and after this, Val Kilmer was nominated for the ‘Best Male Performance award. It is the story of a team of lawmen, Wyatt Earp, and his brothers. They want to put their Maverick ways behind them. After cleaning up Dodge City, they want to start fresh and launch a company. While their purpose was low profile, little did they know that it was impossible. When they arrive in Tombstone, the group of outlaws, Cowboy, is causing chaos and needs to be stopped. So Wyatt, with his best friend(Val) and brothers, decides to hold his guns again for good.
Image Courtesy: POPSUGAR
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Runtime: 1hr. 39mins
Director: Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells
Star Cast: Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer
IMDB rate: 7.1
The film won 12 awards, including the Oscar for Best Music and Original Song, and was nominated 27 times. The animated series is from the Book of Exodus. When the Egyptian Prince Moses(Val) finds his roots with Jewish enslaved people, he goes on a mission to save them. But his brother, Rameses, denied his plea, and they both parted ways. Moses refuses to obey the Egyptian rules after knowing his heritage as Hebrew, whereas Rameses rule over the Hebrews now. Moses needs his full strength and God’s help to free those people and change the world for good.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
The Saint (1997)
Runtime: 1hr. 56mins
Director: Phillip Noyce
Star Cast: Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, Rade Serbedzija
IMDB rate: 6.2
The film was successful in receiving BMI Film and TV awards, and Val Kilmer was nominated for a Razzie award. It is the story of a thief, Simon Templar, who has no family and place to go. Simon isn’t his real name even. He uses different identities and is known as one of the successful thieves. Now he is employed by the Russian mafia to steal a formula of cold fusion energy from scientist Emma Russel. But the mission doesn’t go as planned as he falls for the beautiful scientist. They must outplay the Russian mafia to get away and formulate the energy formula before the worst happens.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
The Salton Sea (2002)
Runtime: 1hr. 43mins
Director: D.J. Caruso
Star Cast: Val Kilmer, Vincent D’Onofrio, Adam Goldberg
IMDB rate: 7.0
The Salton Sea is a crime thriller in which Val Kilmer received the Prism award for performance. The story began when Danny Parker’s beloved wife’s murder devastated him. It drifted him into the world of Junkies where nothing was the same as it seemed. Along the way, he makes friends with Jimmy the Finn, a loose cannon. He gets entangled in his neighbour Colette’s battle against her inner demons. However, Pooh-Bear, one of the drug traffickers, and the undercover drug officers resent Danny.
