MovieChat Forums > The Salton Sea (2002) Discussion > Val Kilmer.....

Val Kilmer.....

posted 21 years ago by kornbizkit990
26 replies | jump to latest

I see that a number of people on here have given praise to Kilmer's performance but to me he was a terrible choice for the lead, I thought that he was terribly boring and uninvolving, I really couldn't get into the movie because I simply couldnt relate to the brick wall that he was in this movie. His scene on the beach w/ his former wife was especially terrible, I've rarely seen such stiff acting and it drew me out of the story because I simply couldn't believe he had loved her. Is anyone w/ me on this one?

[–] Flyo 21 years ago

Kilmer played a quiet man here, that's right. I thought his performance was impressive. I don't really know what you're talking about... maybe you don't like Val Kilmer as an actor?

[–] gill1213 21 years ago

Yeah, I think Kilmer is definitely an acquired taste as far as actors are concerned. Kilmer's movie career has its ups and downs (mostly downs as far as critics are concerned) but he is a great actor. He plays the quiet man role in most of his movies probably, and in this one especially, he does a teriffic job.
Plus, wasn't he one of the youngest actors to ever get into Juliard's acting school or something like that?

[–] themadride 11 years ago

I think people's impression of Val Kilmer is often colored by how they were introduced to him.

If you grew up seeing him in Tombstone, Top Gun, Heat, etc, then you tend to look at this as a pretty good Val Kilmer movie.

But, if you were introduced to the older Val in newer movies, I think it might make you look at some of his middle years' work more poorly.

It's not his best performance, that was in Tombstone. In fact, Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday is perhaps the best acting performance I've ever seen. Far better than anything turned out by Daniel Day Lewis for example. The praise that Lewis got for movies like There Will Be Blood should have been lavished on Kilmer in Tombstone. Perhaps had that been the case it would have opened up similar roles and things would be different now. Oh well.

[–] Howlin Wolf 21 years ago

He indulges in mind-altering substances - he's perhaps going to be a little 'impassive'...

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious - Oscar Wilde

[–] thebatsignal 20 years ago

Kilmer was brilliant in this film.

[–] avalgal 15 years ago

no doubt about it

A Val Gal
Words are an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.

[–] olioz 20 years ago

I dont usually like Val Kilmer that much. I mean he is okey but not one of my favourite actors. I think that the salton sea is a great movie and I think that Val did an excellent job in it.

[–] AnalHerpes 20 years ago

Kilmer is one of my favorite actors, but I don't think he makes too good of a lead actor, he's always the mellow sidekick (or at least that's how I always portrayed him after watching Heat), he's mellow yet he has passion on the inside. I think most of his best work is non-verbal (it might sound weird, but that's how I see it). I guess he's just an acquired taste like the other person said.

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] Mamakittie 16 years ago

He's my aquired taste,he's great...

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Mauve_UFO 15 years ago

You guys are all crazy. I agree with the OP.

Last Film Seen - Inglourious Basterds - 10/10

[–] bartvanbenthem 20 years ago

Best performance of Val Kilmer ever !!!, and also one of the best i have seen that year.

[–] MadameJavert 20 years ago

Val is an exillent actor! And I loved him in this movie!

"There's many a slip 'twix the cup and the lip." -Billy the Kid

[–] kb2481 17 years ago

I thought that Val did have a good performance in this movie but his best performance is in Tombstone--he should've gotten nominated for an Oscar for that.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] metaldave-1 16 years ago

I can't even imagine ANYONE else who could have done better than Val for 'Danny Parker / Tom Van Allen'. This movie TOTALLY rocks!! One of my all time favs!

[–] jcspeake-1 16 years ago

I thought Kilmer was adequate for the role. I dont think he "made" the movie by any means though. It was a great movie and almost anyone with decent acting skills could have played the role. The supporting cast was fantastic.

He didnt ruin the film, but i dont think it was his best performance.(Doc Holiday was Oscar worthy)

Great movie though. 7/10

[–] rex_ilusivii 15 years ago

i pretty much agree with what you said there, jcspeake-1. the role, not the actor, is what carried this movie. and concerning the beach scene, i think the original poster made a good point; there's no chemistry there, the acting is very forced. in that scene, both actors were bad, and it's possible that Val was responsible for that. but the director could've chosen another take. dunno what he was thinking there :(

[–] Merle_Dixon 15 years ago

Val Kilmer was great. One of my favorite movies of his. Should maybe watch it again someday.

If you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you.

[–] PhoenixPhuck 15 years ago

Kilmer was great...but Saarsgard and D'nofrio were better

Even the most primitive society has an innate respect for the insane.

[–] Pumpyjones 14 years ago

I think his performance in those scenes seems flat, because he was drugged up by that point, and we were seeing those scenes as memories, not as they actually happened. Seeing the past through the eyes of a numbed-out junkie will appear different than you should expect from a scene played straight.

Also, he was pretending to be somebody else for most of the movie, so I think he was trying tone it down and blend in, so he wouldn't slip and tip anybody off.

I thought he was great. Seriously. I wish he still did work like this.

Also, I think this was the last time he looked hot on film. That's the real crime here.