Quite recently, Val Kilmer unfortunately passed away, and people have been paying tribute to his storied career ever since.
A lot of people have been talking about some of his coolest gigs, like his role as Batman, or his performance as Doc Holliday in Tombstone. Hell, with so many great roles, you could literally pick any performance in his career (Willow!), and people will be like, “Yeah. He was awesome in that.”
However, even though I’ll always love those aforementioned performances, my favorite role of his actually wasn’t cool at all. In fact, it was in his film debut, where he was poking fun at the idea of being cool. That movie, in case you didn’t know, was the 1984 action comedy Top Secret!. And here’s why I’ll always remember him best for this 1980’s gem.
Val Kilmer Always Had A Cheeky Side As An Actor, And His Debut Was Evidence Of That
It’s actually interesting to look back at Kilmer’s career since his first two roles, prior to Top Gun, were actually comedies. His second movie, 1985’s Real Genius, is undoubtedly the more known of the two, but his debut, Top Secret! is my preferred film. That’s because Kilmer is just so damn cheeky in it.
Top Secret! is essentially a spoof of spy films, which makes sense, because it comes from the creators of Airplane! (Notice the fondness for exclamation points!). Kilmer plays a rock star (Skeet surfing!) named Nick Rivers who inadvertently gets wrapped up in a resistance movement against the Germans.
The thing is, as a rock star (which he played way before he landed the role as Jim Morrison in The Doors), he pretty much gets out of every situation by singing silly songs, often swaying his hips just like Elvis. Kilmer plays this all for laughs, and at no point does it look like he wasn’t having the time of his life playing a goofball.
That’s what was so great about him. Even though he could play cool characters in Heat or The Saint, he could also, at seemingly the snap of a finger, play a role that couldn’t possibly be taken seriously.
The fact that his acting debut was a parody film (and he knocked it out of the park), just goes to show that the man could do anything.
At The Same Time, You Could Tell He Had Movie Star Potential, Even Back Then
Kilmer’s character, Nick Rivers, is a complete joke, but you could tell even back in 1984 that the actor was destined for stardom. That’s because even though Top Secret! was a parody film, he didn’t play it like a comedian. He played it like a movie star.
This is very different from say, Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun, or Robert Hays in Airplane!. Because, while yes, Top Secret! is a screwball comedy just like those aforementioned films, Kilmer wasn’t acting as a comedian. Instead, he was acting like an action hero.
In a lot of ways, he is not the source of comedy here. Instead, his rock star character is simply reacting to the lunacy all around him. It’s a fine line, but Kilmer pulls it off.
Though, it’s not like he is playing the straight man, either, as you can tell that his character is very much in on the joke. There will be scenes where he stares directly at the camera as if he’s just realizing that he’s in a spoof.
It’s a tightrope walk, but Kilmer made it work because again, he could do anything. He just had that je ne sais quoi.
The Movie Is Utterly Hilarious
My favorite film with the late actor is probably the Michael Mann movie, Heat. That said, I consider it more of a Robert De Niro/Al Pacino movie that just so happens to have Kilmer in it (In a badass role, to be fair). It’s not only one of my favorite action flicks, but also one of my favorite movies of the ‘90s, period.
That said, I feel like I love several action movies, as there’s just so many to choose from. However, you know what’s not easy to choose from? Movies that consistently make me laugh all the way through. There are probably only three that I can think of off the top of my head, with those being Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, This Is Spinal Tap, and Top Secret!
That last one is the outlier, because I’m not really into parody films (not unless they’re from The Wayans’ family, anyway). I’m also not into spy movies. However, this is just so funny all the way through that it makes me laugh every time I see it.
It’s the gags, as they all somehow land. From Kilmer painting on a train (and the subsequent smeary results), to the ridiculous (though strangely thrilling) action scenes, to just the overall flow of the film, Top Secret! is utterly hilarious.
Again, a lot of this has to do with Kilmer’s willingness to be in on the jokes, but also his uncanny comic timing. So, while Heat is more of a movie that has him in it, Top Secret! is all Kilmer, all the time, and it’s freaking hilarious.
But The Action In It, While Silly, Is Still Really Exciting
Here’s another weird thing about this film. Even though I know it’s a madcap comedy, I still find the action really exciting. Now, it’s not like Hot Shots! (or the superior Hot Shots! Part Deux), which were purposely parodying action movies like Rambo III.
Instead, by parodying spy films, Top Secret! has to follow the tropes of spy films, with people punching each other out (to comical effect), getting trapped (again, to comical effect), and shooting at each other (to WAY comedic effect).
Even though I’m often laughing with tears in my eyes, I’m also kind of riveted, since they handle the action scenes well.
Every explosion is paired with some kind of gag, but the action itself is still somehow really enthralling. I think it’s the pacing, as the whole movie moves along snappily, making it feel more action-oriented than joke-oriented at times.
It’s strange to find the action “thrilling” in a film with a climax concerning people in a cow suit, I kind of think it is. Top Secret! is really exciting!
Looking At Kilmer's Entire Career, Top Secret! Really Proves He Was The Full Package
Kilmer was in a lot of movies, and you can tell by just looking at his filmography that he was a bona fide movie star. Yes, you have the films that everybody knows, but then you also have movies like Thunderheart, The Island of Dr. Moreau (which I really should write about one day just to talk about Marlon Brando wearing an ice bucket), and Deja Vu.
However, if you look at his first movie, Top Secret!, and his last, Top Gun: Maverick, I think you’ll see the full picture of what Kilmer had to offer in his body of work.
You also have proof that he could play dramatic roles in his sleep if he wanted to. But, in his heart of hearts, he always had that puckish, goofy side to him, and he first revealed it to the world here.
In every way, Val Kilmer was the complete package, and if you haven’t watched his debut role yet, then you are doing yourself a great injustice and should check it out immediately.
Have you watched Top Secret!? I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have. I often feel like I’m the only one who's seen it.
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