Val Kilmer had already made a name for himself in the ’80s. Following his debut in Top Secret! (1984), he appeared in the sci-fi rom-com Real Genius (1985) before playing one of his most iconic characters. Kilmer’s role as Iceman in Top Gun (1986) was so iconic and impactful, that Tom Cruise refused to do Top Gun: Maverick without him. Kilmer then went on to star in Willow (1988), and followed that up with a performance as Billy the Kid in Gore Vidal’s Billy the Kid (1989), the first of 12 real life people Val Kilmer played in movies.

So, by the time the ’90s arrived, Kilmer had already earned himself a reputation as a versatile actor. That reputation and his impressive roster of movies only grew to unimaginable heights in the 1990s. Barring Top Gun, Willow, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, all of Val Kilmer’s 10 best movies came out in the ’90s. That decade established him as the bona fide movie star that people know him as today. Even though his most famous movie came out in ’86, for Kilmer, the most formative decade in his career was the ’90s.

15

ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Girl (1996)

Directed By Adam Coleman Howard

Val Kilmer’s most minor role in a 1990s feature movie is in Adam Coleman Howard’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Girl. The bizarre film follows a failing actor, played by the director himself, who romances a woman he sees in his dreams and kills her after she refuses to kiss him on their first date. If any self-awareness was intended, that is lost in the self-serious tone adopted by the movie, which morbidly explores the man’s domestic life, including a Sєx life, with the woman’s corpse. The misogyny, the lack of humor, and Val Kilmer’s weird role, all further the incoherence in ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Girl.

14

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

Directed By Richard Stanley & John Frankenheimer

This lesser-known horror sci-fi film by famous thriller director John Frankenheimer, has a stacked duo leading it, between Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. While it has its moments, The Island of Dr. Moreau is too messy to work. It’s unintentionally funny with the costume designs and the props.

The climactic violent bit feels overdone, while interesting moments of character buildup and exposition feel poorly written. Kilmer and Brando play off each other well, but seem to be in a compeтιтion to see who can be more ridiculous of the two with their performance, especially Brando with his weird costume choices.

13

Batman Forever (1995)

Directed By Joel Schumacher

While it is one of the lowest rated live action Batman movies that was disliked by viewers and critics alike, Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever is a messy movie that is tonally inconsistent. The balance between campy comic book shenanigans and the dark and sinister criminal world of Gotham isn’t executed well.

However, for many avid comic book fans, Batman Forever‘s depiction of Batman and Bruce Wayne is highly accurate. Despite which side of the debate viewers may lie on, no one can deny that Kilmer was the perfect choice to play Bruce Wayne and Batman. He masterfully balances the two personas.

12

The Real McCoy (1993)

Directed By Russell Mulcahy

Kim Basinger plays an ex-con expert thief, and wants to leave her life of crime behind when she gets out of jail, but is forced to take on one last job. Somehow, this movie, where Kim is supported by Val Kilmer as her partner in the heist, and by Terrence Stamp as a crime lord, directed by Russel Mulcahy, is a bad movie. Devoid of style, a trademark of Mulcahy’s work, and with no heists until the very end of the runtime, The Real McCoy is a snoozefest. The emotional journey before the heist could be compelling, but it drags.

11

At First Sight (1999)

Directed By Irwin Winkler

Val Kilmer’s At First Sight is based on the short story in Oliver Sacks’ anthology, which was inspired by the real life story of Shirley Jennings, one of the few people to ever regain sight after lifelong blindness. Kilmer plays Virgil Adamson, who is based on Jennings. Kilmer spent time with Jennings to prepare for the role, which he plays opposite Mira Servino, whose character is also based on a real person, Jennings’ wife. The movie, also featuring Kelly McGillis, does a good job of exploring the negative impacts of toxic ableist positivity, but it gets too preachy at times.

10

The Saint (1997)

Directed By Phillip Noyce

Simon Templar, also known as The Saint, is a master of disguise and theft. He’s an investigator who works outside the bounds of the law. Based on the books by Leslie Charlten where he first appears, there have been multiple live action adaptations of the character.

There is a reboot of The Saint in the works starring Regé-Jean Page, although it doesn’t have a director yet.

The latest adaptation, following a movie series in the ’40s, and a TV show in the ’60s, was the ’97 film starring Val Kilmer as the main character. While Kilmer retains Templar’s goofiness while changing disguises all the time, the movie squanders his character’s story with conflicting versions of his backstory and uninspired filmmaking.

9

The Ghost And The Darkness (1996)

Directed By Stephen Hopkins

A survival adventure set in Africa, The Ghost and the Darkness tells the true story of two man-eating lions who terrorized the railroad workers for months. Val Kilmer stars as Colonel John Henry Patterson, an engineer tasked with keeping the workers on schedule and finishing the bridge’s construction as quickly as possible.

He’s in charge when the workers find the corpse of a coworker who has been mauled by a lion. Patterson calls for a famed hunter, Charles Remington, played by Michael Douglas, who helps them hunt down the two lions. The thriller is beautifully paced to heighten the tension.

8

Wings Of Courage (1995)

Directed By Jean-Jacques Annaud

While it isn’t comparable in length to the IMAX feature films made today, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Wings of Courage is the first narrative feature filmed in IMAX 3D. Kilmer has a tiny role of somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes, but he still makes his mark on the film and on movie history by being in this momentous film. The movie isn’t very exciting or compelling, but it looks breathtaking, and its historical significance still makes it relevant. A fully realized screenplay telling the survival story would have made for a better film, but that’d be impossible with such expensive technology.

7

Joe the King (1999)

Directed By Frank Whaley

Frank Whaley’s Joe the King, which tells the tragic story of Joe Henry, played by a 15-year-old Noah Fleiss, is loosely based on the director’s experiences growing up. It is a tale of crime that follows a misguided Joe through his journey from being a traumatized kid growing up in a broken home to being a resident of a juvenile detention center.

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Heavily inspired by French New Wave cinema, especially François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959), it stars Kilmer as Joe’s abusive father, played with terrifying commitment. Fleiss is, however, the standout performer with his naturalistic acting.

6

Thunderheart (1992)

Directed By Michael Apted

Val Kilmer plays Ray Levoi, a white FBI agent with Sioux lineage, who is deployed to solve a murder on a Native American reservation, in Thunderheart. It is a scathing exploration of the exploitative nature of American capitalism and colonialism.

​​​​​The ruthlessness with which agencies like the FBI, who are in charge of upholding law and order, prioritize the interests of the ruling class at the cost of Native American lives. Kilmer’s character’s success is a bit unbelievable, but as an inventive piece of revisionist history with an eventually hopeful outlook, Thunderheart is a compelling film.

5

The Doors (1991)

Directed By Oliver Stone

Musical biopics are always big hitters at the box office and with critics, and Val Kilmer’s movie where he played The Doors’ frontman Jim Morrison was no exception. However, despite its success and praise for Kilmer’s performance, the movie received criticism for its inaccurate depiction of Morrison’s persona and his life.

The influential band’s living members were unhappy with how the movie portrayed them. However, his portrayal of Jim Morrison remains one of Val Kilmer’s greatest achievements, as he underwent a stunning transformation to look like the controversial singer. Some of Val Kilmer’s best movie quotes are in The Doors.

4

True Romance (1993)

Directed By Tony Scott

True Romance surprisingly holds up over three decades later, because it’s exactly the kind of campy crime caper that will stand the test of time. The ridiculously overblown and stylishly violent movie is obviously the brainchild of Quentin Tarantino, presented in typical Tony Scott style.

As over-the-top as its set pieces are, nothing is more iconic about True Romance than the role Val Kilmer played in it. He appears in only a few scenes, but as an apparition of Elvis Presley who appears in the protagonist’s dreams to offer counsel. Kilmer’s commitment to the role leaves an unforgettable impression.

3

Tombstone (1993)

Directed By George P. Cosmatos & Kevin Jarre

The definitive Western that inspires filmmaking choices even decades after it came out, Tombstone is one of the grandest Western movies of the modern era. It tells the epic story of Wyatt Earp’s life, played by Kurt Russell. The show-stealer is clearly Val Kilmer as Earp’s accomplice, Doc Holliday.

After the original director of the movie quit, Kurt Russell changed the story to make his part smaller, allowing Val Kilmer to shine like he does, giving him the stage to deliver what’s arguably his greatest performance ever.

He portrays the drunken and dysfunctional man with stunning commitment. Kilmer’s performance earned him commercial and critical acclaim. Moreover, with its combination of traditional and neo-Western genre conventions, Tombstone is one of the best movies that Kilmer has starred in, which features Western movies legend Robert Mitchum as a narrator.

2

The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Directed By Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, & Simon Wells

One of the greatest animated movies ever made, DreamWorks’ Prince of Egypt is a biblical tale brought to gorgeous life by the studio that would later go on to become one of the best in the business. The stunning art style makes the film look like an illustrated history book come to life, with the expansive sH๏τs of the towns, and the Nile, and the oases. The characters are drawn with intricate attention to detail, and Val Kilmer’s voice acting as Moses complements the emotional score and writing of the film. It is one of the best non-Disney animated musicals.

1

Heat (1995)

Directed By Michael Mann

1995 was one of the best years for cinema, and of the best action movies turning 30 in 2025, Michael Mann’s Heat is the greatest. A meditative neo-noir exploring the nature of masculinity in an era where macho action men are lesser in demand, Heat is a carefully composed film. It never goes overboard with any of its elements, and with De Niro and Pacino leading, the movie provides the perfect portrait of the self-destructive LA populace. While he has a minor role and is overshadowed by the leads, Heat is the best ’90s movie that Val Kilmer starred in.