Review of Tombstone (1993) by Shawn E — 31 May 2010

If Val Kilmer would not have been in this movie, it would have just been boring and confusing with a bunch of gun fights thrown in. There are so many characters and relationships this film tries to bring up, that its hard to find a focus to the plot.

Thankfully, Val Kilmer was maginificient in his role. His lines were delivered brilliantly and memorably. Reading his lines, "You're a daisy if you do." you wonder how that fits in a Western? But the way these lines are said by Kilmer is fantastic.

His eye contact when he's drunk versus when he's serious is superb. It really conveys the character and makes this movie. He adds humor and a touching final scene to the ending when he tells Wyatt, "There's no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life.

.. Live for me." Though I am a fan of Dana Delany, I thought her role was very superficial and glossed over in this film. Wyatt's wife was grumpy and mean the entire time. You cringed whenever she'd come on screen.

Just leave her out of it! This film is supposed to be about the end of the Cowboy gang and Earp's fight for it. Keeping the focus on the Clantons and the Earps would have helped this film. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of Russell's performance either.

Even his moustache looked glued on, unnatural, and was a distraction. Compare him to Sam Elliot in this film who is a natural as an Old Westerner, and Russell's performance is completely overshadowed.

Instead, I find myself just fast fowarding to every scene with Kilmer in it because you did not get confused by who was who in those scenes. Plus, they were fantastic scenes! Just watch the scene where him and Beihn are "gun" slinging.

Hilarious!