Tombstone (1993)

Having just re-watched this, 25 years after its' release I can only say that it truly is a classic, dealing with classic themes, classic villans and classic( and not quite so classic) heroes.Kurt Russel, truly at his physical peak, with movement, squint, glance and demeanor demonstarting the pinacle of the typical american here.Val Kilmer, in a smaller but sublimely brillant turn, is every bit the hero. As Kurt Russell was in EVERY aspect of his role, Val took a wholelly diferent approach and also made his role every bit as rivetting, but in it's antichical format. Val Kilmer was mesmerrising in a way vastly diferent to the way that Kurt Russell was eqally messmerising.It was a true tour de force from both.Bill Paxtton is, well, Bill Paxton and the movie is the better for it.Even more the case for Sam Elliot whose western essense seems to trickle naturally from his pores.Watch out also for Thomas Hayden Church in a minor role as well. Overall, a rip roaring tale. Thoroughly engaging and extremely well told.Modern audiences may find it male centric, but, hell, so was the old west.A modern classic, well worth aquainting yourself,with and immersing yourself in.

******WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE MOVIE******I live a hour from Tombstone and have been there several times and I have been at the gun site. A relative of Ike Clanton still runs a business there. I know a little bit about the history of the gun fight and of the circumstances that lead up to the fight.I was a little disappointed in the many big historical inaccuracies in the movie. I was hoping it would be the first movie to truly show what actually happened, but it didn't. That being said, the actual gun fight in the movie was pretty close to what actually happened, so that pulled the movie back up a little.The biggest disappointed was how Val played Doc Holliday. I don't know what he was thinking when he decided to play him as a kind of "dandy boy". Doc Holliday was a pretty tough character in real life and certainly wasn't a sissy. And they really lessened the real life role of "Big Nosed Kate" in the movie. She wan't some nobody bar girl in real life.Also, I didn't like how they portrayed Wyatt at all. They made it look like he was a fairly passive player in all this and didn't want to get involved in enforcing anything, which is absurd. He was a very experienced lawman in real life. What were they thinking in portraying him like this? Then they swung the pendulum the other way by making it look like he went out and killed about 30 cowboys - it was only 3. They also had Doc killing Ringo, but it was actually Wyatt that killed him.In the movie Wyatt didn't see Curly kill White, but in real life he did and even testified in Curly's behalf that it was an accident. Before White died he even said it was an accident.And for some reason they portrayed Josephine as some high class entertainer, when in actuality she was a low class prostitute.There are many other little incorrect representations of facts. One is concerning the timing of when Morgan arrived to Tombstone. 3 of the brothers did arrive in Tombstone at the same time, but it was Wyatt, Virgil, and James that arrived on the same day - Morgan arrived there later.And Virgil was made a US Marshall before they even arrived in Tombstone. In the movie they made it look like he wasn't even a lawman when they got there.I think if someone made a movie that more historically accurate, it would be even more interesting than anything they have done so far, so am hoping one day that will happen, but it didn't happen with this movie. But still I think it is a pretty good movie. It would have been a great movie if they would have portrayed Wyatt and Doc a little more realistically.

Labeling this biopic-based western epic directed by George P. Cosmatos a classic may feel somewhat of an overstatement, but with engaging storytelling by Kevin Jarre and lively performances by such a likable cast (most notably Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer); it almost feels like one. With the Golden Age of Hollywood several decades in the rear-view mirror and the glory days of western actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood in the past, it seems the livelihood of the western genre has been slowly dying out with a progressing shortage of memorable or even engaging westerns outings looming year after year. However, this 90s biopic centering on the story of western lawman Wyatt Earp shows good proof that though the western genre is running low on fuel, its not out of the game yet. Set in the 1800s American West, this film tells the story of former lawmen Wyatt Earp (played by Kurt Russell) who has set to retire from law enforcement duty and settle down in the old town of Tombstone, Arizona where he reunites with his old friend Doc Holliday (played by Val Kilmer) and his brothers: Virgil (played by Sam Elliot), the town marshal, and Morgan (played by Bill Paxton), the town sheriff. Everything in town goes pretty peaceful, that is until a gang of corrupt outlaws lead by the ruthless Curly Bill Brocious (played by Powers Booth) arrive in town and cause tyranny. With the lives of their loved ones threaten, Wyatt and his gang must pick their guns back and serve justice against the unlawful gang.What do you come to expect when hopping aboard the western genre? Bearded men in ten gallon hats? Gunslingers engaging in violent shootouts? Thick Southern accents? As common tropes they are, they all of these happens to be here. But director George P. Cosmotos has much more engaging aspects to offer here than the usual western conventions. Based on an inspiring screenplay by Kevin Jarre partially based on true events, the film boasts a gripping biopic story with mostly solid pacing and charismatic characters, and ventures through the harsh odyssey of former lawmen Wyatt Earp and his call for heroism when the ones he loved become the target of corruption and the life he thought he left behind comes back to grab him by his throat. This all comes down to some bloodshed conflict between his town and the ruthless outlaws of the wild west who threaten to tear him apart. This is not to say the story doesn't offer moments of levity and humor in the midst of its overall solemn atmosphere, particularly from Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday who sprinkles in some comic relief. But the murderous outlaws are not only trouble Wyatt is gutted with, he is also caught in the unexpected love triangle with his narcotic common-law wife Josephine Marcus (played by Dana Delany) and Matty Blaylock (played by Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), which forms to a subplot this story sadly leaves underdeveloped and less dynamic than it should have been. Overall, the story is a spectacle. Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer are both genuine and highly rigid in their roles, and the chemistry these leads show is equally moving, though nothing in the Oscar territory, nothing remotely disappointing. Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton are fine, but quite as memorable as the former duo in the performance department, nor is Powers Booth as the gun-slinging antagonist with a thirst of blood.Tombstone is a beautifully engaging western epic with lively performances by Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, and boasts a powerful, if flawed direction by George G. Cosmatos and a gripping script by Kevin Jarre. Though this film may be not be what I consider a masterpiece, there are plenty of reasons why this film is worth your time, even if the western genre doesn't quite spark your interest.

The opening narration by Robert Mitchum is told among scenes from several early silent features: "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) and "The Bank Robbery" (1908). The narrator further states that the discovery of silver created the boom-town of Tombstone (1879). A large gang of ruthless outlaws, led by psychopaths Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn), ride hard at a Mexican wedding party and thoroughly destroy it. An incensed priest warns them about the ominous signs of the apocalypse: vengeful men riding on horseback. He is abruptly gunned down by Ringo. Only a few months after rowdy Tombstone's founding, three Earp Brothers (Wyatt = Kurt Russell, Virgil = Sam Elliott, and Morgan = Bill Paxton) arrive with their three wives (Mattie, Allie, Louisa) to settle down and make money. We do not hear about brothers James or Warren, even though they were there in the 1880s; James was a saloon-keeper not involved in the politics. Tombstone is typically western in that saloons and gambling establishments thrive. Confidence men check out the Earps as they disembark from wagons. County Sheriff Behan (Jon Tenney) introduces himself; the Earps also meet town marshal Fred White (Harry Carey, Jr.). After that, Wyatt enters the Oriental to confront bully Johnny Tyler (Billy Bob Thorton), who had seized the gaming table. By disposing of the coward, Wyatt obtains 25% of the faro take. Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), an old friend who has pneumonia, turns up to renew his old acquaintances. Entering town by stagecoach is actress Josephine Marcus (Dana Delaney) and her small acting troupe. Over time Josephine will replace laudanum-drinking Mattie as Wyatt's wife. At the Oriental gaming table, Wyatt and Doc make the acquaintance of Curly Bill, Johnny Ringo, and Ike Clanton (Stephan Lang). Ike warns Wyatt that the Cowboys dislike lawmen; Wyatt, though, is "retired"; he had been a noted peace officer in Dodge City, Kansas. Curly Bill wins $500 and walks away happy, although Doc and Ringo eye each other. Leaving an opium den, Curly Bill is of unsound mind and fires his weapons against town regulations; eventually he murders Marshal Fred White while corrupt Sheriff Behan does nothing. The mayor wants Wyatt to be town marshal but he initially refuses. Later Wyatt becomes a lawman, along with his two brothers. Meanwhile some outlaw cowboys pull into town armed. The Earps deploy to disarm the cowboys, an action that sets up the famous shootout at the OK Corral (26 Oct 1881). When the smoke clears, two McLaury Brothers and Billy Clanton (Thomas Haden Church) are dead; Virgil, Morgan, and Doc are wounded. Billy Clairborne (Wyatt Earp III) and Ike Clanton have run away. Actually Ike did not shoot at the Earps from Fly's studio; he simply ran towards the stables. Unsuccessfully, Behan tries to arrest the Earps. "Tombstone" is unique in that it covers six months after the OK Corral gunfight. Because of the shootout, the cowboys commence cowardly acts of vengeance. They hold a funeral for their dead comrades, carrying a sign that reads "Murdered on the Streets of Tombstone." On a subsequent stormy night, Virgil is ambushed by some cowboys; resulting in a buckshot-shattered left arm. After (actually three months later), Morgan is shot in the back while playing pool; he lives only a few minutes before expiring. Wyatt decides it is time to send Virgil, Allie, and Louisa to California. Curly Bill sends Frank Stillwell (Tomas Arana) to the train station to wipe out the remaining Earps. Stillwell, however, is shot to death by Wyatt, who now becomes a renegade for his vengeful action. The rest of the movie focuses on the Earp Vendetta (1882). This was a federal posse that included "Texas Jack" John Vermillion (Peter Sherayko), "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson (Buck Taylor), Sherman McMasters (Michael Rooker), Warren Earp (although Warren was not in the movie), and Wyatt. These are the men of the apocalypse, the earlier warning of the priest. Cowboys are shot to death on site, whether on the plains, in the woods, at an opium den, or in a barber shop. It's not easy, though. Once, Wyatt's band is trapped in a crossfire by Curly Bill and some cohorts at Iron Springs. Wyatt bravely extricates himself and runs towards the cowboys, blazing away, and killing Curly Bill. Doc says Wyatt walks on water. (It is an historical fact that Wyatt was never wounded in any of his gun battles.)Although Sheriff Behan forms a posse (that included outlaw cowboys) to arrest Wyatt, he never locates him. Wyatt's band rests at the ranch of sympathetic Henry Hooker (Charlton Heston). Ringo sends a message challenging Earp to come to the Oak Grove (Silver Springs), but Doc Holliday arrives first and challenges Ringo, who is slain. The remaining gang-members are systematically wiped out. Ike survives (only to be killed later while rustling cattle). After the vendetta is over, a dying Doc has checked himself into a Colorado sanitarium. On his deathbed he has converted to the Roman Catholic faith. (Doc actually lived longer, until 1888.)In snowy Colorado, Wyatt visits Josephine and proposes, even though he owns nothing. Josephine says she comes from a rich family. The narrator tells us that they lived together for 47 years; Wyatt died in 1929. Two of his funeral pall bearers were silent screen cowboys William S. Hart and Tom Mix. Credits appear at movie's end. Director George P. Cosmatos has created a vastly underrated western. The photography magnificently pictures the grandeur of the West, like its sunsets. Notice the interior of the telegraph office at the beginning, the ornate bar of the Oriental, or the candle-lighting around the actors' stage. The sets are authentic, even finer details like clothing, wallpaper, saddles, and pistols of the 1880s. The exception is the red sashes, which appear solely for Cowboy identification. There are 85 speaking parts and characters are well-developed. This might have been the best western since the 1970s.