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“The bank is worth the risk. I need it, brother.” These are the words uttered by Val Kilmer as he stoically stares into the eyes of Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley in one of Heat’s (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟) most memorable scenes. Heat is a masterpiece for a handful of reasons. One of those reasons is Val Kilmer. When we lost Val Kilmer this week, we lost more than actor- we lost an icon. One of the most self-assured, confident actors I’ve ever seen, Val Kilmer was a true one of one. An actor who followed his intuition, not the industry.
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again- the casting in Heat and the decision to put Val Kilmer in this film next to Robert De Niro was one of the best decisions Michael Mann has ever made in his career. There needed to be a believable right-hand-man to De Niro in this film, and that’s easier said than done considering this movie released in 1995, literally smack dab in the peak of De Niro’s storied career. Bear in mind, De Niro dropped Casino & Heat within a matter of weeks back in December of ‘95. That’s why the casting of Kilmer’s character mattered so much- yes, this film was a face-off between Pacino & De Niro. But that face-off wouldn’t pay off if we didn’t believe De Niro & his crew were the real deal. Thanks to Kilmer, along with the late great Tom Sizemore & @officialDannyT, the belief is there.
The stand-out moment for me in this film is watching Val Kilmer run down West 5th Street in downtown LA blasting rounds at the LAPD. Full disclosure, I walk by this street every single day on the way to my law firm. And every day, I visualize what West 5th and all of DTLA looked & sounded like when Mann shot this heist scene. I can hear Kilmer screaming “Go! Go! Go!” as he looks back and covers a running De Niro. The famous, incredibly-accurate reloads that Kilmer displayed in the middle of the shootouts is the sort of stuff that makes for iconic Hollywood lore. In other words, I want to be as clear as humanly possible: I’ve never seen a more realistic shootout in a film in my life. If you have, please share.
The brilliance of Val Kilmer throughout his career & in this film was his unwavering on-screen confidence. “Doubt” is not a word affiliated with Val Kilmer. This entire film is a perfect display of that world-renowned Kilmer confidence. Put whoever you want in front of me, says Kilmer- De Niro, Pacino, Jon Voight, who cares- I’m holding my own. And that’s exactly what Kilmer did in this film and that’s exactly what Kilmer did for thirty years in Hollywood. Val Kilmer was a trailblazer that didn’t wait for anyone. He didn’t listen to PR reps, lawyers, or agents- he listened to himself. And that’s how Kilmer gave us so many unbelievable performances. 65 years is way, way too young for an actor to go- it hurts so much thinking about the years & films Kilmer left on the shelf. He was too young.
Writing this review & this tribute to Kilmer hurts. As I did with Gene Hackman & David Lynch, I’m going to mourn the loss of Kilmer the only way I know how: by enjoying the art he left behind.