Netflix currently streaming hit blockbuster that made fans 'fall in love with Val Kilmer'

Netflix is still currently streaming one of Val Kilmer’s best films that cemented his status as a Hollywood heavyweight back in the 1980s.

After a two-year battle with throat cancer, the actor continued to struggle with medical treatments and sadly died of pneumonia at the age of 65 this week, on Tuesday, 1st April.

Best known for a range of high-profile Hollywood roles throughout the 1980s and 90s, he got his breakthrough with the 1984 spoof film Top Secret!, before going on to star in Willow, The Doors, Tombstone, Heat and Batman Forever.

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Almost 40 years later, however, he’s arguably still best known to many movie buffs for portraying Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky opposite Tom Cruise in Tony Scott’s smash-hit 1986 film, Top Gun.

Kilmer portrays the steely rival pilot who clashes with Cruise’s Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell at the Top Gun training programme for the United States Navy, until they’re forced to work together on a dangerous mission.

The exhilarating action thriller is currently available for your viewing pleasure on Netflix, and it’s the perfect way to pay tribute to the beloved star.

“Equally 20 years ahead of its time and also completely embodying the 80s, thrilling, romantic, memorable, take your f***ing breath away,” a Letterboxd user described Top Gun in a five-star review.

Another die-hard fan said: “I just love how this movie screams 80’s in almost every scene. It was just perfect.

“Tom Cruise had a blast doing this, it’s so obvious in his face. I have never seen Tom laughing this much in a movie. His character’s relationship with Goose and Charlie were great.

“The tempting romance was so much fun. Kelly McGillis was amazing. Val Kilmer was terrific as Ice Man, such an iconic role.”

One heartfelt reviewer shared their touching experience of discovering Kilmer’s performances by watching Top Gun for the very first time.

“Since the first time ever seeing Val on screen in Top Gun, which I watched in 2022, I fell in love with him, in love with his talent, his beauty, his smile, his charm everything about him made him so loveable,” they disclosed.

“I loved him so easily and so fast that soon after I would binge his movies with the feeling that I would never get sick of him or them.

“I was seated for anything he was in and knew that no matter if I enjoyed the film or not I knew that Val was in it so at least there was one good thing about it and it was all worth it for him.”

IndieWire summed up the role perfectly in their ranking of Kilmer’s best performances, writing: “Of course an actor as handsome as Kilmer was bound to play the role of a caddish, a**hole jock at some point.

“Still, few actors have played that archetype as iconically, or as well, as he does in Top Gun, the film that truly cemented Kilmer as a movie star.

“As Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, he’s the perfect foil to Tom Cruise’s reckless Maverick, cool and unflappable and a little arrogant but with a well-meaning heart that dethaws over time.

“When the two finally make up at the end of Tony Scott’s blockbuster, it’s Kilmer’s iconic delivery of ‘You can be my wingman anytime’ that makes it such a fist-pump, hell yeah moment.”

Kilmer’s Top Gun co-star Cruise recently commemorated the late actor at CinemaCon, asking for a moment of silence. “I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us,” he said.

“Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him."

Back in 2022, Kilmer reprised his role as Iceman in a heartfelt cameo for the critically acclaimed sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.

Unfortunately, the long-awaited follow-up isn’t streaming in the UK, but stateside film fans can find it on Paramount+.

Top Gun is available to stream on Netflix.