WhileTombstonemight be the late, great Val Kilmer’s most beloved Western, 1992’s underratedThunderheartmight be an even better addition to the genre. AlthoughVal Kilmer didn’t win an Oscarfor his role as Doc Holliday in 1993’sTombstone, the role remains one of the late star’s most beloved parts. Kilmer’s movie debutTop Secret!is an underrated comedy classic, as is his sophomore outing, 1985’sReal Genius. However, it was the role ofTop Gun’s Icemanthat catapulted him into mainstream Hollywood fame.
Kilmer’s career went from strength to strength from the late ‘80s into the ‘90s, with the star gaining further acclaim for a fearlessly committed performance as rock star Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s divisive biopicThe Doors. Kilmer followed that role with the beloved Western hitTombstonebut, before that Western success, he also starred in another, lesser-known Neo-Western. Although this movie is rarely listed among Kilmer’s most famous efforts, it is arguably an even better Western thanTombstone.
Thunderheart Is An Underrated Western
Thunderheart Boasts A Superb 91% Rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Directed byGorky Park’s Michael Apted,Thunderheartis a contemporary Western starring Val Kilmer as FBI agent Ray Levoi, who must interrogate his troubled relationship with his Sioux heritage when he is sent to investigate a suspicious death on a Native American reservation. Levoi soon uncovers a conspiracy to steal mineral rights from the local indigenous population, but threats to his life mean he may not be able to bring the truth to light before it is too late.
Loosely based on the 1973 Wounded Knee incident, Apted’s movie takes an unsparing look at the land theft that followed the genocide of Native American people.
Like thesame year’s revisionist WesternUnforgiven,Thunderheartis an intelligent, moving Western that subverts the usual tropes of the genre in search of something more meaningful. Loosely based on the 1973 Wounded Knee incident, Apted’s movie takes an unsparing look at the land theft that followed the genocide of Native American people. Like Scorsese’s laterKillers of the Flower Moon, the movie offers a sharp condemnation of the white supremacist ideals underpinning Manifest Destiny.
Superb supporting work from Graham Greene, Fred Ward, Sheila Tousey, and Sam Shepard ensures thatThunderheartisn’t a one-man show. However, Kilmer’s performance isThunderheart’s standout performance, and it is no surprise that Roger Ebert called the movie “Absorbing” and it boasts a 90% rating onRotten Tomatoes. As Levoi grows closer to the local indigenous population, he also begins to uncover more complicity on the part of the FBI, and Kilmer captures his conflicted loyalties with grace and a seething intensity that proves he was born to star in Westerns.
Val Kilmer Is Often At His Best In Western Movies
The Late Kilmer’s Considerable Star Power Was Well Suited To The Genre
Kilmer was, it seems fair to suggest, a chameleon onscreen. From thecocky charm ofTop Gun’s IcemanandReal Genius’s Chris Knight to the somber introspection of Jim Morrison or Ray Levoi, the star was capable of immersing himself in a diverse range of roles. However, although he starred in a string of neo-noir thrillers in the twenty-first century that were almost equally impressive, Kilmer’s Westerns might feature the star’s best work.
The Salton Sea,Wonderland,Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, andBad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleansprove that Kilmer’s heart lay in the world of neo-noir antiheroes, but Westerns were something of a calling for the actor.
Tombstoneshows viewers how adept he was at playing a classic Western character, whileThunderheartoffers a more modern, morally complex spin on the genre.The Salton Sea,Wonderland,Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, andBad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleansprove that Kilmer’s heart lay in the world of neo-noir antiheroes, but Westerns were something of a calling for the actor.
Thunderheartis available to rent and buy on AppleTV and Prime Video.
Long afterKilmer’s starring role inTombstone, he returned to the genre for 2012’sWyatt Earp’s Revenge. Although this direct-to-video Western wasn’t as impressive as either of his earlier efforts in the genre, Val Kilmer still acquitted himself to the material just as well as he had done inTombstoneandThunderheartyears earlier.
