Tombstone (1993) Review

 

Tombstone (1993)

Tombstone follows Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil Earp, who, along with Doc Holiday, move to Tombstone, Arizona, leaving their gunslinger lives behind in search of striking it rich. Trouble soon finds them in the form of the Cowboy gang though, causing the four to pick up their guns once more to restore order to a lawless land. 

Few movies in history have ever hit such mythical status as Tombstone and it’s clear to see why. On top of a star studded cast, it’s hard to deny the allure of the Wild West and some of the true stories to come out of it, one of the most famous being that of the shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone. Like most Hollywood adaptions of historical events, Tombstone takes it’s liberties but crazy enough, it’s just to expedite the story, with much of the film still staying true to actual events, with some pretty obscure events thrown in too, which shows just how much research was put into getting the story right. 

Where this really excels though, is when the dust settles. Sure, the shootout in Tombstone is important but it’s the aftermath that really gives the shootout weight, marking it as a big turning point where, like truth, there isn’t a happy ending after the Corral, only a darker and bloodier bit of reckoning. 

That said, this is your typical Western with a clear good vs evil (unlike the real thing), acting as a tribute to men being men, living their lives on their own terms. The Earp’s, and Holiday for that matter, would likely have lived longer and turned out differently had they not fallen back on instinct, but hey, that’s what makes this one hell of a movie. 

We also get an absolutely unreal cast, starring Billy Zane, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Tenney, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Charlton Heston, Powers Boothe, Dana Delany, Michael Biehn, Stephen Lang, Bill Paxton, Sam Elliot, Val Kilmer, and Kurt Russel. It’s hard to not admire Russel turn as the legendary Wyatt Earp, but let’s be real, this is Kilmer’s movie. His drunken, intellectualism, matched with another round of terrific character acting just ooze charisma and likability, regardless of when he’s lightheartedly quipping or showing how outright dangerous Doc can really be. I also really admired the smaller, more nuanced performances from Lang and Elliot, adding a significant depth to both sides of the Earp feud. 

Tombstone, directed by George P. Cosmatos & Kevin Jarre, is a charismatic and exciting Western that wonderfully tells the true story of Tombstone, while also littering it with enough darkness and sacrifice that demands a lot of it’s large cast, who deliver in strides and give us an unforgettably fun experience. 

8.4/10