Tombstone

	Sign In Sign-Up

Tombstone (1993)

Tombstone:

Tombstone tells the story of Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and Doc Holliday in the late 1800's as they arrive in Tombstone, Arizona. After a successful peacekeeping career as a lawman in various cities, Wyatt Earp rolls into Tombstone with his brothers to try and strike it rich. They are coasting along making tons of money until the local "gang" known as the Cowboys start causing trouble. Despite Wyatt's reservations, the brothers become the local law enforcement and draft a new law making it illegal to carry guns in Tombstone. When a few of the Cowboys come into town carrying guns, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday go to disarm them which leads to perhaps the most famous gunfight in western history, the shootout at the O.K. Corral. Three of the Cowboys are killed in the shootout and Virgil and Morgan Earp come out with minor wounds. The Cowboy gang take revenge as they severely injure Virgil Earp (the eldest brother) and kill Morgan Earp (the youngest brother). Wyatt now must put a stop to the Cowboys forever and goes on a hunt to eliminate them all in a couple of testosterone filled action sequences.

From what I've read, Tombstone is only somewhat historically accurate as many points were compressed or omitted for dramatic value and time conservation. But we don't go to the movies for historical accuracy... that's what documentaries are for. We just want to be entertained and Tombstone delivers big time. Atypical of most westerns, Tombstone doesn't portray the main character as a squeaky clean hero wearing a white hat. It actually shows Wyatt Earp as a flawed individual with imperfect relationships, questionable morals, and selfish motives. Kurt Russell does a great job of bringing depth into this Wyatt Earp character. Sam Elliott makes a great tough guy as usual in the Virgil Earp role. And Bill Paxton plays Morgan Earp with a naivety that is very representative of the character. Most importantly, Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc Holliday is phenomenal and is easily the most memorable thing out of this movie and his career. His demeanor and dialogue as Doc Holliday easily steals the scenes that he's in along with the entire movie. Check out this confrontation for a little taste:

DOC HOLLIDAY: And you... music lover... you're next.

BILLY CLANTON: Drunk piano-player. You couldn't hit anything. In fact, your probably seeing double.

DOC HOLLIDAY: I have two guns, one for each of ya.

That's only a little bit out of a movie that's just filled with cool Doc Holliday lines. To this day, I still quote Doc Holliday lines in my head for a quick cheer-up. Tombstone gives us a great story based on actual events but more importantly it gives us great, memorable characters to bring the story to life. There just aren't enough westerns made in today's day and age which is a crying shame if you ask me. It seems the genre took a steep decline after the early 80's for whatever reason. Perhaps the public just didn't know how to enjoy them when they could go see fighter jets instead. Anyhow... enough whining... go rent Tombstone straight away. Better yet, go buy it because you will want to watch it again and again whenever the mood strikes you.

-Tso