Val Kilmer all the actors to have played Batman up to that point, he felt Kilmer had given the best interpretation. Film critic Leonard Maltin (who criticized the dark tone contained in "Batman Returns") complimented Kilmer's portrayal when he reviewed the film for his expanding collection of film reviews. Defenders of "Batman Forever" praised the film for portraying Batman as a more heroic, less ruthless, and more human character than in the Tim Burton films. The film also brought the film interpretation of Bruce Wayne more into line with his comic book counterpart, showing him as a socialite and a very public
Val Kilmer generally well-reviewed, but received only a limited release. The same year, he teamed with his "True Romance" co-star, Christian Slater, and the two starred in the low-budget film, "Hard Cash", also known as "Run for the Money". In 2003 Kilmer starred alongside Kate Bosworth in the drama/thriller "Wonderland", portraying porn star John Holmes. He also appeared in "The Missing", where he again worked with "Willow" director Ron Howard. The next year, he starred in David Mamet's "Spartan", where he played a United States government secret agent who is assigned the task of rescuing the kidnapped daughter of the President. He