Val Kilmer has a face that was built for the 1980s. That jawline, the "Iceman" stare, and that weird, brooding energy that made him one of the biggest stars on the planet. But there is a specific moment in his career that people tend to skip over. It happened in 2003. He took on a role that was so greasy, so desperate, and so fundamentally "un-Hollywood" that it almost felt like he was trying to sabotage his own leading-man status.
The movie was Wonderland. It’s a grimy, sweat-soaked retelling of the infamous 1981 Wonderland murders.
Honestly, it’s a difficult watch. You’ve probably seen the "sanitized" version of this story if you've watched Boogie Nights. Dirk Diggler was loosely based on the real-life John Holmes, but Paul Thomas Anderson gave that story a heart of gold and a hopeful ending. Wonderland doesn't do that. It takes the real John Holmes—played by Kilmer—and drags him through the mud of Laurel Canyon until there's nothing left but a shell of a human being.
Why Val Kilmer in Wonderland Still Matters
When Kilmer took the role of John Holmes, his career was in a weird spot. He wasn't the "Batman" or "Jim Morrison" guy anymore. He was becoming known as "difficult" on set. Director James Cox basically handed him a script about a guy who was once the king of the porn world but was now a coked-out middleman for a bunch of low-level thugs.
It was a risky move.
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Kilmer didn't just play the role; he inhabited the pathetic nature of an addict. You see him pinballing between his teenage girlfriend, Dawn Schiller (played by Kate Bosworth), and his estranged wife, Sharon (Lisa Kudrow). Most actors want to be liked. Kilmer, in this movie, does not care if you like him. He’s manipulative. He’s a liar. He’s a guy who would sell his own soul for a fix, and Kilmer captures that hollowed-out look in the eyes better than almost anyone.
The film uses a Rashomon-style structure. Basically, you get three different versions of what happened that night at 8763 Wonderland Avenue. Was Holmes a victim of circumstance? Was he the mastermind behind the robbery of gangster Eddie Nash? Or was he the one who actually held the pipe during the murders?
The Reality of the Wonderland Murders
The actual history is even darker than the film. In June 1981, four people were bludgeoned to death in a house in the Hollywood Hills. It was a revenge hit. The victims were members of the "Wonderland Gang," a group of drug dealers who had made the colossal mistake of robbing Eddie Nash, a powerful nightclub owner with a reputation for brutality.
John Holmes was the bridge between these two worlds.
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He was a regular at Nash’s house because Nash liked having the world’s most famous porn star around. But Holmes was also deep in debt and desperate. He allegedly gave the Wonderland Gang the layout of Nash’s house. When Nash figured it out, he didn't go to the police. He sent men to Wonderland Avenue.
The crime scene was so horrific that the LAPD detectives who arrived first were reportedly traumatized. In the movie, Kilmer portrays Holmes as a man caught in the middle, forced to watch the carnage to save his own skin. In real life, Holmes was actually tried for the murders in 1982 but was acquitted. He took the secrets of that night to his grave when he died of AIDS-related complications in 1988.
The Performance That Got Overlooked
It's kind of a tragedy that this performance didn't get more awards buzz. Maybe the subject matter was too "sleazy" for the Academy. Kilmer put on weight, looked perpetually oily, and spent half the movie in a state of paranoid tremors.
He actually spent time with the real Dawn Schiller and Sharon Holmes to prepare. He wanted to understand why they stayed with a man who was clearly spiraling. What he found was a "perverse chivalry." Despite the drugs and the violence, Holmes apparently had a charm that made people want to save him. Kilmer nails that—you want to look away, but you can't help but feel a tiny bit of pity for this "Johnnie Wadd" figure who has lost everything.
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The supporting cast is also stellar:
- Dylan McDermott is unrecognizable as the meth-addled David Lind.
- Lisa Kudrow gives a heartbreakingly quiet performance as the wife who knows it's over but can't quite cut the cord.
- Eric Bogosian plays Eddie Nash with a terrifying, calm menace that makes you understand why the gang was so afraid of him.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Film
Many critics at the time complained that the movie was "style over substance." They hated the fast cuts and the handheld camera work. But if you've ever been around that kind of drug-fueled environment, the editing makes perfect sense. It’s meant to feel frantic. It’s supposed to mirror the "basehead" logic where time doesn't really exist and everything is a blur of panic and adrenaline.
Another misconception is that the movie is a sequel or a remake of Boogie Nights. It’s not. It’s an autopsy. It's what happens when the party ends and the lights come up and everyone realizes they're in a room full of monsters.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Film Buffs
If you are planning to watch Val Kilmer in Wonderland or want to dive deeper into the true crime aspect, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Watch the Documentary First: Seek out WADD: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes. It provides the raw, unpolished context that makes Kilmer’s performance even more impressive.
- Look for the DVD Extras: If you can find an old physical copy, the 1981 LAPD crime scene video is included. It is extremely graphic, but it shows how accurately James Cox recreated the environment for the film.
- Compare the Versions: Pay attention to how the lighting changes during the different "versions" of the story. The film uses a sickly green tint for the more "truthful," gritty segments and a warmer, sepia tone for the lies.
- Read the Original Source: The movie was heavily influenced by the 1989 Rolling Stone article "The Devil and John Holmes" by Mike Sager. It’s one of the best pieces of long-form journalism from that era.
Wonderland remains one of the most underrated entries in Val Kilmer’s filmography. It isn't a "fun" movie, but it is a masterclass in fearless acting. It reminds us that before his health issues and his later-career resurgence, Kilmer was an actor who was willing to go to the darkest places imaginable to find the truth of a character.
To get the full experience of this era in L.A. history, start by reading Mike Sager's "The Devil and John Holmes" before watching the film. This provides the necessary groundwork to appreciate the nuances in Kilmer's portrayal of a man who was both a victim and a villain in one of Hollywood's most notorious crimes.