Rest in Peace, Val Kilmer

 

Val Kilmer was a part of my life longer than I realized.  Growing up, my family got cable television and we were frequent customers of the local video store.  Because of this, I came to know him in the movie Real Genius.

I watched that movie more times than I can count.  It is the story of a brilliant student physicist who seems more interested in practical jokes and partying.  It is a quintessentially 80's movie and I love every part of it.  It was here that I first remember Kilmer's devil-may-care charisma, his sarcastic wit, and his effortless charm.  He could do over-the-top moments ("And now we're cha-chaing") as well as the driest of jokes ("I was just contemplating the immortal words of Socrates who said, 'I drank what?'").

Kilmer came from a divorced home and experienced tragedy early on when his younger, epileptic brother drowned at the age of 16.  Despite this, he developed his talents as an actor and became the youngest person to attend Julliard.  From here he would go on to work on the stage and screen.

Later I would discover some of his other comedic works like Top Secret, a movie so funny that it will still have me in stitches no matter how many times I've seen it.  A year after Real Genius, he played Iceman in Top Gun.  This was perfect casting because you needed someone who could rival Tom Cruise's screen presence.  And even though he technically the antagonist of the piece, Kilmer makes clear in his performance how Iceman is actually more right than he is wrong.  

But for me, my favorite Kilmer performance is that of Madmartigan in Willow.  This movie has a special place in my heart because it came along at a very difficult time in my childhood.  I found such joy in this film and that is no small part due to Kilmer's performance.  His Madmartigan is as good as Harrison Ford's Han Solo: he is a scoundrel with a heart of gold.  To this day, I will try to do his sword tricks when no one is looking.

There are a lot of films of his I have not seen that have been lauded, like his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors or Michael Mann's Heat.  He did an excellent job voice-acting Moses in The Prince of Egypt.  And he gives a criminally underappreciated performance as Col John Henry Patterson in The Ghost and the Darkness.  In movies like The Saint, he was able to show off his ability to be a chameleon and utterly transform his person (unfortunately, the movie was not as good as his acting).  And if he had been given a better script, I think his Batman could have made more of an impact on the legacy of the character.

But the performance I think he will be remembered for the most, especially by men, is Doc Holliday in Tombstone.  People may not remember but another film with the same characters came out at the same time called Wyatt Earp.  There, Dennis Quaid gave a fantastic performance as Holliday.  But the reason people don't talk about that as much is because he was overshadowed by Kilmer.  

His Doc Holliday was the embodiment of masculine charm.  He was stoic in his fatal disease, never complaining but always moving forward.  He was smart as a whip, able to win any verbal joust.  I love the look in Kilmer's eyes as he spins around his drinking cup to make fun of the pistoleer Ringo.  He Southern drawl communicated a sophisticated arrogance.  And he dangerous the way men want to be.  This almost never happens to me, but when I was watching the movie for the first time, I was at home by myself playing it on a VCR.  When he showed up and said, "I'm your huckleberry," I literally cheered.  I couldn't help myself.  Every man wants to dangerous enough to make the bad guy quake in his boots the way Holliday did.  And Kilmer made us believe it.

But the best line delivery in the film is simplest.  As Doc is dying from his tuberculosis, someone tells him that he ought to be in bed and asks why he is putting himself through this.  Kilmer's Doc simply says:

"Wyatt Earp is my friend."

Kilmer does not say this with passionate inflection or in a melodramatic tone.  He says it in a tone so plain and firm that it seems to come from some rock bottom truth.  And there is some deep truth that Kilmer touches on in this performance: that you will go to hell and back for your friends for no other reason than they are your friends.  

Kilmer's career took a downward turn after the tumultuous filming of The Island of Dr. Moreau.  He would still get leading roles, but the slowly started to dry up.

His final screen performance may be his most touching, reprising his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick.  As in Tombstone, Kilmer is able to convey the depths of male fellowship in his loyalty to Maverick.  And he is able to do that without the ability to speak (the voice was added later by AI).

He dated several famous Hollywood stars including Cher, Daryl Hannah, and Angelina Jolie.  He married Joanne Whalley with whom he starred in Willow.  The divorced after eight years, but not before having two children: Mercedes and Jack.

He was a lifelong believer in the Christian Science faith, which is why he was reluctant to do things like chemotherapy to help his cancer.  He did advocate for religious rights before Congress, asking for exceptions for beliefs under the Affordable Care Act.

Val Kilmer was a singular talent.  He made an impact on the movies of my life and therefore he has a special place in my memory.  And for that I am grateful.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

Rest in Peace, Val Kilmer

New Evangelizers Post: God’s Subversive Kingdom

                

I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com.  

Jesus came and preached the Kingdom of God.

I don’t think that we truly appreciate how utterly radical this Kingdom is.

The word that is used in the Gospels for Kingdom is “Basileia.” The “Basileia” of God was very different from the “basileia” of Rome.

“Basileia” means “rule,” “reign,” or “Empire.” The Roman “basileia” was a system of rule that held onto authority and the brutality of its strong military. Those who opposed Rome were crucified or killed for entertainment. This “basileia” was built upon slavery, where the Romans would conquer nations and take from the conquered those who could be put to labor. The Romans were utterly and casually cruel. There is no sense of human rights that are universal to the person. To them, some people were naturally slaves and some were naturally masters. The only thing that held this empire together was the iron fist of a violent leadership. Step out of line and you will be dealt with savagely.

Jesus’ “Basileia” of God was a complete inversion of this. It is a “Basilea” that transforms peoples’ lives through loving service. It would not be imposed by military conquest. Jesus said that we should love our enemies and turn the other cheek. Jesus’ Kingdom would come about through invitation, not imposition. Non-violent resistance is a method that changes the hearts of people.

A second difference is that Roman “basileia” was one built on the consumption of others. Rome enslaved nearly 75% of the Mediterranean people. In this order, the people who were not as strong as the Romans were consumed by them, bleeding them dry of people and resources so that all wealth and power was concentrated in Rome. Human lives were commodities. The conquered people were a means to an end. They were used like cattle to fuel the lifestyle of the Romans. The poor and the slaves were resources that were squeezed dry and then discarded like trash.

In Jesus’ “Basileia”, the ones who are great are the servants, not the masters. Service is where its power lies. All people are called to experience life to the full in His “Basileia,” but special focus was given to the poor, the sick, and children. We are called to help the poor and the helpless, not exploit them as the Romans did. Instead of consuming their wealth and labor, we are called to give generously of our wealth and labor to those in need. It boggles my mind this obvious observation: no one built hospitals until the Christians. It did not occur to anyone that we should build a society in which the poor were taken care of simply because they are God’s children. Jesus gave us a whole new way to think about those who are regarded lowest in a society.

A third difference is in the vision of the household. In Roman times, local households were arranged in this tyrannical style. The father modeled himself after Zeus, who was a father-figure that inspired fear, not love. The Roman father had absolute control over his house. He could beat or kill his slaves or children. He could even sell his children into slavery. Unwanted babies were discarded like garbage. In short, this “basileia” dominates, dehumanizes, consumes, and exploits.

But for Jesus, the image of the Father is radically different. In the Prodigal Son story, the Father is not a tyrant who punishes his wayward son. Instead, the Father does the (at the time) unthinkable, and runs to his son and forgives him. In Jesus’ “Basileia”, anyone who does the will of the Father is mother, brother, and sister to Jesus. In Jesus’ day, the people were watiing for the Messiah. They envisioned the Messiah as a conquering hero like David, but one who would be more powerful than Caesar. The Jewish people wanted a Jewish “basileia” similar to Rome, where God’s chosen people would be the ones ruling over a glorious kingdom of conquered people.

You can read the whole article here.