Review of Wyatt Earp (1994) by Marcus G — 01 Mar 2010

After years of watching this movie, I feel that it only gets better with age. This is dark western, with a grand scope and epic qualities. The production values are as brilliant as the performances, notably and outstanding Dennis Quaid as Doc Holiday.

Costner's, Wyatt Earp's character arch is superbly played also, with the Silverado Costner, becoming a dark and somewhat unlikable character, but he still manages to remain the hero throughout.

The infamous gunfight at the O.K. Coral is masterfully portrayed, in many respects because it is not the highlight of the film, rather it's beating heart. It is a simple gunfight played as such, but like all the fights in this movie, it looks authentic even though it probably is not.

Overall, this is a film well rooted in the epic, but with a lighter heart, trying to be all things western as well as grand and emotional. In many ways it fails and for that it may well only deserve four stars, but in the end, I found and continue to find this an enjoyable film, somewhat deeper than it first appears, and well played both in front of and behind the camera.

This is my number one western, and still has something after sixteen years...