After springing onto the scene in the 1980s, Val Kilmer was one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood. Then, after being subjected to media objectification and all that other fun stuff, the next generation replaced him. Now, Amazon Studios’ documentary, Val, includes forty years’ worth of footage shot by Kilmer himself throughout his childhood and career—which will provide a look at the talented and often misunderstood actor’s highs making films like Top Gun and Tombstone and his eventual battle with throat cancer. Check out the trailer below?
Amazon describes Val as a “raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary [that] reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.” Val was directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo, produced by Kilmer, whose son narrates the film. It arrives on Prime Video on August 6. Kilmer has a diverse and extensive filmography so narrowing down his best roles is perhaps a daunting task. Ahead of his found-footage documentary and his upcoming reprisal of “Ice Man” in Top Gun: Maverick, we attempt to do just that.
Cover Photo: C Flanigan / Contributor (Getty Images)