HOLLYWOOD IN TOTO: Val Kilmer Never Shined Brighter Than in The Doors.

The boldest touch in Oliver Stone’s film “The Doors” is that it never glorifies its subject matter, rocker/poet Jim Morrison.

Rather than create an ode to the so-called “Lizard King” and celebrate his body of work, Stone’s film portrays Morrison as a vile monster, a wordsmith who tarnished every meaningful friendship he had.

Morrison fronted The Doors, one of the most influential bands of the 1960s. He left us with a lot of great music. Here’s a movie that gives fans what they want and expect but also depicts its key figure in the most off-putting manner possible.

Val Kilmer stars as Morrison, a free spirit whose filmmaker aspirations were cut short after he meets Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan). The two form a band (Frank Whaley and Kevin Dillon play the other members of The Doors) and create some groovy, poetry-driven rock.

Then, Morrison’s behavior, constant public intoxication and button-pushing actions on stage tarnish their image.

Kilmer’s monumental performance as Morrison is fearless, an uncanny embodiment that transcends mere impersonation. The movie doesn’t let us into Morrison’s personal head space but reflects his state of mind and the world he inhabited.

Still though, just imagine the crossover possibilities if Stone mashed up his two biggest movies from the early 1990s: