This Week in Streaming (April 9th)

Spartan (VOD Rental) David Mamet’s first-daughter-gone-wild political thriller didn’t make much of a box-office dent in 2004. Regardless, Kilmer’s turn as a rogue secret service agent dedicated to rescuing her from Saudi sex traffickers offers serious John Wayne in The Searchers vibes that proved the former Batman should have been as big of a stalwart action hero as that other bro from Top Gun.

Val (Prime) Kilmer amassed thousands of hours of self-shot footage on every format from 8mm to digital video over forty years. This 2021 documentary sculpts the largely misunderstood actor’s eclectic life while  examining the lines between consummate professionalism and artistic obsession. No obituary could come close.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (VOD Rental) In addition to kickstarting Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback, this 2005 Hollywood-set neo-noir buddy comedy features Kilmer’s greatest role–a glib yet refined private dick who proved the ultimate delivery mechanism for writer/director Shane Black’s trademark dialogue. On top of that, it’s the best Christmas move to ever grace the silver screen.