Riddle me this: how does an actor as seriously great as Val Kilmer go from playing Iceman in a huge hit like Top Gun with Tom Cruise to a nothing film like Hardwired with Cuba Gooding Jr.?And don't even get me started on Cuba Gooding Jr.'s career.
I was in Blockbuster today and saw this straight-to-DVD for Hardwired. It just made me sad.
I've always liked Kilmer no matter what kind of films he did. To me he's like a next generation Gene Hackman - even if the movie's awful, his performance is the one to watch time and time again.
Comedies like Real Genius and Top Secret. Noir like Kill Me Again and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He was even great in big popcorn movies like Batman Forever (the only good thing in it) and The Saint (ditto).
Tell me you didn't believe he had tuberculosis as Doc Holiday in Tombstone. Or that he was Jim Morrison in The Doors. Everyone talks about the scenes between DiNiro and Pacino in Heat, but Kilmer was the one who stole the movie with the shootout scene in downtown L.A.
The first time I saw Val Kilmer, actually saw him, was when I was in line at the Regent Theater in Westwood opening night to see Top Secret, the comedy he made with the Zucker Brothers who did Airplane. It was a Friday night, long line, and this stretch limo pulls up and out pops Val Kilmer and Ellen Barkin. Val had his cream colored sport coat sleeves rolled up (very Miami Vice), lowered his sunglasses, smiled at the line and then went into the theater. He wasn't a big star yet, but you could tell from his charisma he was going to be.
Word around town for years has been how difficult he is to work with. Wow, a talented movie star who's tempermental, demanding and opinionated. Gambling in Casablanca? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.
I recently saw him in a trailer for MacGruber coming out later this month. It's another SNL sketch stretched into a movie. And probably another chance for Kilmer to shine in a film not worthy of his talents.
I hope he finds his Pulp Fiction like Travolta did, and I hope he comes back just as strong.
He deserves it.
2 comments:
Tell me about it! When he played Doc Holiday...
Billy Clanton says, "Why, it's the drunk piano player. You're so drunk, you can't hit nothin'. In fact, you're probably seeing double.
[Billy Clanton draws a knife]
Doc Holliday replies and takes out a second gun, "I have two guns, one for each of ya."
So good.
And after killing Johnny Ringo, "It would appear that the strain was more than he could bear."
Brilliantly delivered.
Sincerely,
Your huckleberry
Loved him as Doc Holliday. He was also pretty good in Red Planet which I think was a pretty decent sci fi movie.
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