Val Kilmer

Watch Val Kilmer handle a gun in Heat (1995): he makes the practised movements look like an ordinary part of Chris Shiherlis's working life. That precision is one of his strengths, but Michael Mann also makes use of Chris's volatility. We found Chris unsettling because being good at his work did so little to make him seem at ease. It is a substantial supporting performance in a film that knows why supporting characters need time.

His early screen work included Real Genius (1985), before Iceman in Top Gun (1986) brought him mainstream prominence. The substantial roles that followed, Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) and Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), suited an actor willing to commit himself physically and vocally. Those parts also left room for the eccentricity that could make him an awkward fit as a conventional leading man.

In Heat, Mann lets the wider company matter without making every scene serve the central rivalry. Together with Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman and Ashley Judd, Kilmer gives us reason to care about the people around the pursuit. Elliot Goldenthal's music keeps a sadness in the quieter passages that the force of the acting might otherwise overwhelm. Some characters explain themselves too much, but the patience pays off.

Batman Forever (1995) is the useful caution: a prominent leading role need not be the right one. Its conventional demands constrained the eccentricity that made Kilmer interesting elsewhere. His later move towards character parts allowed more of it back, with Gay Perry in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) a clear example of his comic strengths. The distinctive delivery matters there as much as the physical performance.

We would start with Heat, and allow it its 170 minutes. There is room for Chris's loyalty as well as his volatility, and for Kilmer to work as one member of a strong ensemble. Do not hurry through the quieter scenes to get back to the guns.