Review of Tombstone (1993) by Byron B — 19 Feb 2012

Another western that has a very authentic feel. The details of costume and locations were carefully chosen to be more realistic, rather than based on myth and legend like so many of the earlier movie versions of the gunfight at the O.

K. Corral with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. The Earp brothers are in Tombstone to make some money by running a gambling house in town. They are all played believably by Kurt Russell as Wyatt, Same Elliott as Virgil and Bill Paxton as Morgan.

Val Kilmer stands out as the ill, alcoholic, swaggering Southern gentleman Doc Holliday. Wyatt and Doc go way back and are reliable friends to each other. The Cowboys are the local red sash wearing gang that have "bought" the town.

There is no real law. Powers Boothe plays the leader Curly Bill Brocius. Michael Biehn plays the crazy loose cannon Johnny Ringo. And Stephen Lang is Ike Clanton who shows a lot of false courage when backed by his gang, but turns into the sniveling bag of mush every time he is faced with the barrel of a gun alone.

Dana Delany is Josephine Marcus, a member of a traveling acting troupe and new romantic interest for Wyatt. Things escalate between the Cowboys and the Earps. Sometimes the distinction between good guys and bad guys is a little hazy, which is a unique feature of this telling.

It takes quite a bit for the Earps, and Wyatt in particular, to take responsibility and try to bring some law to the town. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral is not the end of the story though. After one of the brothers is killed and three of the Cowboys throw down their red sashes and offer to fight with Wyatt, we are treated to the final act.

Wyatt, Doc and some ex-Cowboys ride on a mission of revenge. The characters have a lot of dimension and the period detail is fun to watch.