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It was such a tragedy to learn of Val Kilmer’s death. The world lost such a talent on April 1, 2025. It is hard to believe that such a constant presence in pop culture for over 40 years is gone. At least, we have solace in the plethora of films that can continue to be enjoyed.
While processing his death over the last couple weeks, it made me think of my top five favorite movies with Val Kilmer.
Here are my Top 5:
5: True Romance (1993). Most would probably miss that Val Kilmer is in this film, but he plays a significant part in influencing the main character, Clarence. In the film, he can only be seen in the shadows but he embodies “The King.” As a manifestation of Elvis to Clarence he gives him the motivation to do whatever it takes for his love, Alabama.
4. Tombstone (1993). Val Kilmer brought to life Doc Holiday in one of my all time favorite Westerns. He delivered some iconic lines in this film. The best known, “I’m your Huckleberry.”
3: Top Secret! (1984). Playing Nick Rivers in this movie allowed him to dabble in comedy. This film’s comedy style is along the lines of Airplane (1980) and Naked Gun (1988). This demonstrates Val’s range as an actor.
2: The Doors (1991). Val Kilmer submerged into the life of Jim Morrison to prepare for this performance. This included working on singing to be able to emulate the sound of this iconic musician. Val Kilmer is performing the vocals during musical scenes of the movie and showed his dedication to his art.
1: Willow (1988). This is an all time favorite childhood movie of mine. This high fantasy adventure film had me mesmerized. I was fascinated and adored the character, Madmartigan, played by Val Kilmer.
Honorable Mention:
Val (2021). Val Kilmer kept excellent video record of his life and career that is shared in this documentary. It gives his view of films he starred in and thoughts on colleagues. It really captures the story he wanted to tell about his life.
Take the time to revisit some of Val Kilmer’s films and let us know your favorites!
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