It has been a very up and down sort of career for
Val Kilmer- lauded and inundated with a multitude of offers one minute- mocked and reduced to saccharine sub-TV movies the next. For every Top Gun enjoyed, there has been a Red Planet endured, for every venerated The Doors, there has been a Batman Forever panned. Not all his fault, of course- few can turn down the lure of the caped-crusader, but history would have been very different had he donned the bat-suit under the tutelage of a director more akin to Christopher Nolan than Joel Schumacher. Certainly, few possessed Nolans breathy charisma which has an effortlessness that intrigues infinitely more than Bales over-earnest method acting. If there has been one film starring Kilmer that has increased in reputation since its release, it is the independent comedy,
Real Genius, the story of two science students exacting revenge upon their senior tutor. In recent years, the movie has been the beneficiary of 80s chic- in spite of its rather broad humour and, frankly, absurd premise. Since the film, the lead actors paths have diverged considerably- in spite of his ups and downs, Kilmer has remained a Hollywood player, whereas film roles for his Real Genius co-star, Gabriel Jarret, have been few and far between. In spite of this, the two are set for an unlikely re-union in the independent film
Deep in the Heart, directed by
Christopher Cain (Young Guns). The film is a classic audience pleasing tale of the American Dream in action, as it depicts the life of Richard Wallrath who went from a despair ridden alcoholic to millionaire philanthropist. Other names associated with the project include long-time Cain collaborator, Scott Duthie and a cameo appearance from Texas governor, Ricky Perry.