Val – Movie Review
109 Minutes, Not Rated
Directed by Ting Poo and Leo Scott
Synopsis:
Documentary centering on the daily life of actor Val Kilmer featuring never-before-seen footage spanning 40 years.
To call Val Kilmer a unique actor would be a bit of an understatement. If you’ve watched his work, you already know this.
This documentary, then, serves to expose the man behind the presence so many looked up to and expected so much from on film.
Or does it?
Kilmer’s own archival footage comprises most of the documentary. His penchant for carrying video recording equipment from the time it became available in clunky, shoulder-held units, allowed him to record his life–both personal and professional–on a scale that even today, with the ubiquitous nature of cell phone cameras, borders on the unthinkable.
From auditions, to early theater performances, to walking around his early homes, to on-set discussions/arguments with fellow actors and directors, Val Kilmer unabashedly filmed it all, for 40 years, which makes the fact this documentary run under 2 hours a miracle of footage selection and editing by the directors. From his days on Broadway to the inevitable looks at Top Gun and The Island of Doctor Moreau (with Marlon Brando and all that entailed), we see a great cross-section of his professional film career.
The documentary doesn’t shy away from the dark parts of Val’s life. Having been given carte blanche with access to the entirety of the volumes of footage made sure every blemish was available.
Perhaps the only area the documentary doesn’t focus on is Kilmer’s marriage to Joanne Whaley, which was notoriously acrimonious when it came time to end (as so many marriages do). I think this was a wise choice, as at this stage of his life, Val seems to have made peace with both that period and her.
Perhaps the most moving part of the documentary is that, while seemingly narrated by Val himself, his current health makes that impossible. Instead, we are listening to the voice of his son (from Joanne), Jack, who bears both an astounding physical and vocal similarity to his father at his age.
Val is a wonderful excursion into the life of an artist, for an artist Kilmer is; he acts, paints, and produced the wonderful Cinema Twain, the filmed version of his one man stage show about the great Mark Twain. I personally attending his screening of Cinema Twain in Salt Lake City when he toured with it, and enjoyed the enthusiasm he had in talking with the fans about it, despite the clear decline in his vocal and overall health.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I highly recommend checking out Val if you’re a fan, or simply want an insight into a consummate professional.
Val is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Val features Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Peter Kass, Nicole Kidman, Jack Kilmer, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kurt Russell, with archival footage from Kevin Bacon, Al Pacino, Kelly McGillis, Kyle MacLachlan, and Marlon Brando.
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