Upon watching this new trailer for Prime Video documentary Val, which is quintessentially the life of Val Kilmer by Val Kilmer, it struck me how little I know about the man himself but also how much of his work has graced my life throughout the years gone by.

Heat, Top Gun, Willow, The Doors, Tombstone, The Saint, Batman Forever, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang are just a selection I can think of but he’s been working since the early 80s and hasn’t ever really stopped. I’ve always heard rumours of occasionally on-set feuds with other actors, but there’s also been stories of his utter commitment to roles and characters, and that’s lauded more than ever, in the modern sense.

Directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo, the new documentary Val features hours upon hours of his own, personal handheld camera archive. We hear him discussing how he’s always been in love with film, and recorded the majority of his film experiences over the decades, and how he’s had to deal with throat cancer more recently. Kilmer could well be one of Hollywood’s most mercurial or misunderstood actors, and this look into this own life and craft appears to be completely fascinating.

Undoubtedly complex, Val could well be the story of Kilmer we never thought we’d see but I’m definitely up for delving into the life of an iconic actor, who’s always been there in my life but also on the fringes of my understanding, cannot wait, here’s the trailer:

Val comes to our screens from Amazon Studios, who’ll release it in the States from 23 July, and on Prime Video from 6 August – We’ll confirm UK dates as soon as we have them!