Val Kilmer as Lieutenant Jim Ducharme in The Missing.
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Padraig Cotter
Published 57 minutes ago
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
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Val Kilmer appeared in more Westerns than people might think, but how do they rank alongside each other? There was a miracle run of Val Kilmer movies during the 1990s, where he appeared in back-to-back hits like The Doors, Heat and Batman Forever. For many, his best performance came with 1993's Tombstone.
Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday should have earned him an Oscar, and he is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. Despite Dances with Wolves launching a brief Western revival during the 1990s, Kilmer didn't get much of a chance to mount up for more "Oaters." That's despite his professed love for the genre.
Still, a look at Val Kilmer's CV reveals he appeared in way more Westerns than even his fans may know about. These extended from cameo appearances to offering his takes on other iconic Old West figures - including a turn as Wyatt Earp himself. The question is, do any of these other Westerns live up to Tombstone itself?
Summer Love (2006)
Val Kilmer as The Wanted Man in Summer Love/Deadman's Bounty.
Supposedly the first Polish Western, Summer Love is also known by the more fitting title of Dead Man's Bounty. A look at the movie's DVD cover might have tricked unsuspecting customers into thinking they were buying a Western starring Val Kilmer, and while he's in the entire film, he plays a dead body throughout.
That's right. There's no intro showing his demise or a flashback featuring Kilmer as The Wanted Man, as the director intended the star's appearance to be a glib joke gag on foreign movies needing to have an American star.
The story focuses on Karel Roden's Stranger riding into town with The Wanted Man's corpse, and making an enemy of the sheriff. Summer Love is highly conceptual and experimental, but it's also quite cheap and boring. Having a great actor like Kilmer consigned to playing a corpse for the entire runtime is indicative of the film's pretentious tone.
A Soldier's Revenge (2020)
Val Kilmer pointing a rifle as CJ in A Soldiers Revenge.
While not much better than Summer Love, A Soldier's Revenge at least gets points for trying to act like a traditional Western. This highly generic outing follows a bitter Civil War vet turned bounty hunter tasked with saving a mother and confronting a foe from his past.
A Soldier's Revenge was one of Kilmer's final roles, and while he does just fine with a small supporting role, the project around him is distinctly underwhelming. It lacks the budget or technical finesse to pull off its Western setting, the dialogue and plot are pure stock and the gunfire is nearly all chintzy-looking CGI. One for Western completionists only.
Wyatt Earp's Revenge (2012)
Val Kilmer as Wyatt Earp reading a piece of paper in Wyatt Earp's Revenge.
Wyatt Earp's Revenge sold itself on casting Kilmer as the titular lawman, which was obviously a smart move. Sadly, for this 2012 STV Western, comparing itself to Tombstone also means it pales in comparison at every turn. The film sees the older Earp (Kilmer) reflecting on his (highly fictionalized) quest to avenge a murdered lover.
Shawn Roberts (Resident Evil: Afterlife) plays the younger Earp, and the lack of resemblance between Roberts and Kilmer is the first of an endless parade of issues. Wyatt Earp's Revenge looks and feels like a cheap TV pilot; the story is uninvolving, and the action feels very stilted.
Kilmer can't help but be a compelling screen presence, but it's not a terribly dynamic turn either, since he spends most of it sitting down. It's not Kilmer's worst Western by any means, but it's a real skippable entry in his body of work.
Billy the Kid (1989)
Val Kilmer looking determined in the title role of Billy the Kid (1989).
Before playing Doc Holliday or Wyatt Earp, Kilmer got to embody another Old West icon with Billy the Kid. This TV movie offers a more grounded depiction of the Lincoln County War than depicted in 1988's Young Guns, and while Kilmer was waaaaaay prettier than the real-life William "Billy" Bonney, he still received great reviews for it.
Sadly, the film - also known as Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid - is visually drab and lacking in cinematic sheen. Even so, it's faithful recounting of events, combined with an excellent supporting cast, making it worth watching. Still, those seeking a few more thrills with their Billy the Kid movie should double bill the Young Guns duology instead.
The Missing (2003)
Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones in The Missing.
Ron Howard's The Missing is a stealth remake of The Searchers, fronted by Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. They play an estranged father and daughter who must return to save Blanchett's daughter from being sold into slavery in Mexico. For a Ron Howard movie, The Missing is a surprisingly dark, brutal ride.
The director rarely flinches from the violence or darkness of that era, and it goes to places The Searchers couldn't have depicted during the 1950s. The Western is peppered with guest appearances from names like Aaron Eckhart and Kilmer, with the latter playing a U.S. Cavalry lieutenant who initially suspects Jones of being a raider.
Kilmer's role in The Missing is a small one, but it's key to the story. At this point in the story, Blanchett's Maggie is holding onto the hope that soldiers will come to her aid, but while Kilmer's Ducharme is sympathetic, he makes it clear she's on her own. From there, Maggie commits to her quest.
Tombstone (1993)
Val Kilmer standing outside in Tombstone.
Tombstone suffered through a tough production, where the original director was fired and Kurt Russell (supposedly) helmed most of it himself. While the final product bears some scars from this process - like actors disappearing abruptly or plotlines going nowhere - it is still one of the best Westerns of the 1990s.
The cast list alone is wild, featuring Russell, Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton and many, many more. Pretty much every actor gets a moment to shine or a great line of dialogue, and Tombstone works both as a rousing adventure and a character study of famous pals Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
Before Val Kilmer joined Tombstone, Willem Dafoe was cast as Doc Holliday.
As mentioned previously, Kilmer delivers award-worthy work. He simply steals the film and is endlessly charming despite his frequently sweaty appearance. It helps that Tombstone gave Val some borderline musical dialogue to work with, which he delivers with the greatest of relish. The star is clearly having the time of his life playing the role too.
That's not to say Tombstone doesn't have other performers delivering great work too. The film isn't without its flaws, but it's easily Val Kilmer's best Western, and it's hard not to have a fun time with it.
Headshot of Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Birthdate
December 31, 1959
Birthplace
Los Angeles, California, USA
Notable Projects
Batman Forever, The Prince of Egypt
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