With such a versatile and vibrant actor as Val Kilmer, you can ask anyone what they think his three best performances are and you'll likely get differing responses.
There's the cocky villainy of Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in "Top Gun", of course, and the saloon swagger of John Henry “Doc” Holliday in "Tombstone"—and that's not even getting into the "Batman Forever" of it all.
For four decades, Kilmer was an underrated, often difficult but always exciting addition to any production, with an extraordinary range that spanned Western dramas, music biopics, superhero movies, slapstick comedies and everything in between, and an all-in dedication to pull any of them off.
The film world lost Val Kilmer on Tuesday, April 1. He died in Los Angeles at 65 years old due to pneumonia, after dealing with complications from throat cancer for many years. In honor of the late, great actor, here are three of Kilmer's most potent and memorable performances that you can stream right now.
'Heat'
The bank heist shoot-out in Michael Mann's 1995 crime epic "Heat" is iconic — legend has it that Val Kilmer's rapid reload as pro thief Chris Shiherlis was so realistic, it was reportedly shown to United States Marine recruits as an example of proper firearm techniques.
But Kilmer's performance as the right-hand man of Robert De Niro's Neil McCauley is impressive even without those gun-blazing bonafides. Holding his own against a cast anchored by two titans of cinema — De Niro and Al Pacino — and populated by fellow acting heavyweights like Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore and Natalie Portman, Kilmer's Chris maintains both a chilling calmness and simmering intensity throughout the whole cat-and-mouse chase.
Yet his highly-skilled deadliness is humanized by the raw vulnerability and devotion he displays in scenes with his wife Charlene (Judd).
Watch "Heat" on Netflix
'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'
Given the dramatic intensity of so many of his best-known performances, Val Kilmer wasn't given enough credit for his comedic streak, a natural humor and sharp timing riotously on display in Shane Black's 2005 crime-comedy "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang."
Opposite Robert Downey Jr. as Harry Lockhart — a two-bit crook accidentally mistaken for an actor — Kilmer plays private eye Perry van Shrike, hired to give Harry on-the-job tutelage for a potential movie role.
Together, the actors create one of film's most unexpectedly excellent buddy duos, powered by great chemistry, relentless riffing, off-the-charts charisma and, especially in the case of Kilmer, perfectly sharp-tongued delivery of Black's deliciously deadpan dialogue.
Rent "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" on Apple TV
'The Doors'
Val Kilmer's bare-chested, long-haired transformation into the Doors' charismatic frontman Jim Morrison was so immersive and convincing that Morrison's own bandmates reportedly couldn't distinguish which vocal recordings were of the singer and which were of the actor simply mimicking him.
But Kilmer did more than just nail the distinctive dips and roars of Morrison's vocals in this 1991 Oliver Stone-directed docudrama — he dove headfirst into both the man and the myth Jim himself helped create, precisely capturing the moodiness, power and enigmatic nature of a star who could never truly be pinned down.
In doing so, Kilmer offered up a new biopic performance standard to which all other wannabe movie rock gods (Chalamet's Dylan, Malek's Mercury, et al) would be held.
Watch "The Doors" on Pluto TV
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
