Val Kilmer’s final film role was the perfect way for the actor to bow out

Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65, but his last performance was the perfect way for the movie star to close out his remarkable career.

The passing of Val Kilmer means Hollywood has lost a special talent; a genuine movie star who delivered consistently spellbinding performances across his long and varied career.

It prompted a discussion about his best film amongst the Dexerto staff, and everyone had a different favorite, with votes going to Heat, Tombstone, Top Secret, The Prince of Egypt, and underrated classic Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

The original Top Gun is also up there, being one of the first movies to truly put him on the map, and an emotionally-charged cameo in the sequel was also the right way for Kilmer to end his time onscreen.

Val Kilmer’s Top Gun: Maverick cameo perfectly bookends his career

Paramount Pictures

In Top Gun, Val Kilmer was cocky and brash fighter pilot Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who spends the movie competing with the equally cocky and brash Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise.

They set aside their differences at the end of the movie however, and become comrades in the air, and friends on the ground. That connection continued offscreen, with the two actors frequently competing for the same roles, but also exchanging gifts every Christmas.

So when Cruise was working on Top Gun 2, he reached out to his former co-star about reprising the role, though in a way that reflected Kilmer’s own struggles with throat cancer, which made it difficult for him to speak.

“We talked quite a bit about what was best for the story,” Kilmer told the Los Angeles Times not long after the film’s release, adding: “I think they got it right at the end.”

They did indeed nail the scene, which sees the pair sitting either side of a desk, as Maverick struggles with his shift from pilot to teacher. Typing words into a computer, Iceman writes: “It’s time to let go.”

Maverick responds with: “I don’t know how. I’m not a teacher, Ice. I’m a fighter pilot. A Naval aviator. It’s not what I am, it’s who I am. How do I teach that? Even if I could teach it, it’s not what Rooster wants. It’s not what the Navy wants. That’s why they canned me the last time. The only reason I’m here is you. If I send him on this mission, he might never come home. And if I don’t send him, he’ll never forgive me, Either way, I could lose him forever.”

A frailer, but older and wiser Iceman then stands and manages a few words, saying: “The Navy needs Maverick. The kid needs Maverick. That’s why I fought for you. That’s why you’re still here.”

It’s a touching moment, that perfectly bookends the actor’s career. Maverick’s response then works for the scene, but could also be representative of what movie audiences would like to say to Val Kilmer for all the many hours of entertainment he’s given us:

“Thank you Ice, for everything.”

But the sequence doesn’t end in sentimental fashion, as they are still two former rivals, so after the duo embrace, a bit of the old Iceman asks: “Who’s the better pilot, you or me?” To which a bit of the old Maverick responds: “This is a nice moment, don’t ruin it!” prompting laughter from them both.

“Both Tom and Val had tears in their eyes”

Paramount Pictures

Joseph Kosinski directed the scene in question, and told the LA Times in the same article that Kilmer “is completely present in the scene and able to convey so much emotion without saying a word… When working with an actor of that caliber, you try to create a space for them to do their best work, then get out of the way and let them create.”

Kosinski adds that as with the first movie, both actors were pushing each other: “You’ve got two masters at the top of their game playing the most iconic characters of their careers. I think there is a lot of Maverick in Tom, and Iceman in Val, so what you are seeing onscreen is an authentic friendship that has lasted over 36 years.

“After one of the takes – we only did a few – I noticed that both Tom and Val had tears in their eyes. It felt like a genuine moment between two old friends.”

Head here for details of how to watch the brilliant Kilmer documentary Val.