Tombstone

I loved this movie so much I bought it right after seeing it the first time. The acting is incredible in this film. I'm not a huge Kurt Russell fan, but he played his role very well. Among others, I consider this one of Val Kilmer's best performances. Even if your not a Western fan (like me), you'll still at least enjoy this film. Excellent lighting, cinematography and sound design. Intense pacing and story telling. All the classic elements of good guys and bad guys. Great story development and plot buildup. You have to see it at least once.

"Tombstone" is one of the best westerns ever made. It was overshadowed in the early-1990s due to the success of "Dances With Wolves" and "Unforgiven". While "Tombstone" is not on par with either of those films, it is an exciting shoot-em-up western that works because it never tries to be more than it is. The Earps (Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton) are looking for their fortune out west. However, trouble ensues as ruthless cowboys are reigning terror all over the region. Powers Boothe and Michael Biehn are the leaders of the bad dudes and a massive showdown is the only answer for all concerned. Also along for the ride is Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer, in arguably his greatest role). "Tombstone" also has one of the greatest casts of recent memory. Some of the faces that will be seen include Charlton Heston, Dana Delaney, Stephen Lang, Billy Zane, Jason Priestley, and Billy Bob Thornton. 4 stars out of 5.

Tombstone, Arizona is a boom town from silver and is hounded by an organized gang called the Cowboys. It is led by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe). Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) is a cold-hearted killer. After success in Dodge City, Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) moves to Tombstone to find riches and a more simple life. He is joined by his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott), Morgan (Bill Paxton), and close friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer). Despite having his wife Mattie there, he becomes infatuated with actress Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany). The Earps get into confrontations with the Cowboys which eventually leads to the shoot-out at the OK Corral.

There are a lot of good actors as both good guys and bad guys. Kurt Russell may not be the most impressive of the lot but he does a solid job. Val Kilmer is really hamming it up. He steals the movie with his memorable performance. Other than him, this is a straight western without much comedy. It's not camp. If there is any problem, it's that the movie is too ambitious. There are a lot of characters. It tries to be grand. It's quite a western. It's slightly better than the even longer Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp which came out 6 months later.

A late entry in the western genre when already not too many were being made, this is one of those re-watchable mini-epics, with strong entertainment value. It begins with a bang, an intense shoot-out after some supposedly historical footage narrated by actor Mitchum. We are introduced to The Cowboys, this era's version of the Mafia, led by the charismatic Curly Bill (Boothe). These first few minutes manage to unnerve and surprise the audience right away: we are also introduced to the psychotic gunslinger, Ringo (Biehn), but he's revealed as the most dangerous of the bunch only after the shoot-out, a sleight of hand by the filmmakers - they made him look sympathetic in those early moments while everyone is blasting away and he just stands there looking dazed and bothered. Only afterward do we realize he's a lethal lunatic of the damned - it's a powerful beginning.

It's amazing how well this film turned out considering all the rumors of a troubled history. Credit must be given to director Cosmatos and the actors. It's a fairly huge cast, with numerous speaking roles, and everyone seems to have at least one good moment during the story. Then there's Kilmer as Doc, who is good or great in every scene he's in - this is easily Kilmer's best role. Doc is already sick as the movie begins but he manages to stay in the game to the very end, more dangerous than any 2 cowboys, using supernatural willpower & sardonic wit to distract everyone and himself from the fact he's nearly a walking ghost. Russell is just super-solid as Wyatt; he conveys a strength, tapped from unknown sources (whereas Doc draws from within), standing tall when other tough guys quake in the knees. These two make a terrific team; it's not the usual buddy stuff of most pictures. All the supporting cast is fine, including Elliott and Paxton as Wyatt's brothers, though there are some overly obvious moments. Earp's on - off relationship with the actress (Delany) has its ups & downs, there's not much room for subtlety as Earp's wife looks on quite upset as Delany strikes another of her bemused expressions. Also, due to the large number of characters, some of their stories have a heavily truncated feel (Priestley's, for example). The Vista director's cut special edition DVD has some restored footage to improve this problem. The better scenes are the confrontations between the men, the threats swung high & low, and the sheer thrill of watching Russell slap an overweight Billy Bob Thornton silly.

And we have the villains, ah yes, the villains. I've already mentioned a couple of them - another one is Lang as Ike Clanton in a deliciously cheesy, hammy yet mesmerizing performance. By the last 3rd of the movie, I was so wishing he would get his - please, someone - Earp, Holliday, anyone ! - blow this bastard away! Ike is one of the great unsung villains of movie history, a tribute to Lang's abilities. The conflict in this true-life story stemmed from the notion that there were no real villains. It was a matter of which faction had the rights, based on gun power and political ambition. In other words, the Earps were just making a political power play in the view of some and there was little difference between them and The Cowboys. But this film wastes no time in establishing Wyatt and his brothers as the decent side of the coin and when you have characters like Ike, there's no mistaking which side are the bad guys. For a different take on this piece of history, check out the original Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun" from '68. Oh yeah, there are also other films like the Lancaster - Douglas opus from 1957. But the Gunfight at the OK Corral in "Tombstone" was just one set piece out of many.

One of the finest westerns ever filmed. Excellent action. A very good script. The cast was amazing. Val Kilmer should have received an Oscar for his role as Doc Holiday. The movie was probably about 90% accurate historically, but was one of the best retellings of what had occured.