Tombstone (1993)

 

It is pretty fair to say this film had a troubled production. In fact, it's almost poetry that it came out, let alone as decent a western as this in fact is. It's a damn sight better than Kevin Costner's 'Wyatt Earp', which is fairly boring and long-winded. This one is snappy and even though it has faults, is severely underrated to this day.

Wyatt Earp, legendary lawman, has retired and is now planning on going into business with his brothers Virgil and Morgan. To this end, they head to the town of Tombstone with their respective wives. Wyatt gets a job in a casino and they make quite a decent amount of money. But the problem is that in Tombstone, the Cowboys often run amuck. This band of outlaws, recognizable by their red sashes, have no regard for the law or anything else for that matter. Things heat up when Virgil decides he's had enough and becomes the town marshall. With a shootout at the OK Corral, things spiral out of control and now it is blood for blood, as the Cowboys pick on the Earp family and kill Morgan. But Wyatt then becomes a spirit of vengeance together with three reformed Cowboys and his friend Doc Holliday. Bullets will fly.

I wouldn't call this a classic western. There's a lot of room and time for character development, especially for Wyatt and Doc Holliday. It feels genuine, as if these two have been friends for years through thick and thin and they both have their shortcomings and problems. Wyatt's wife is an opium addict, which puts some serious strain on their relationship. Holliday has tuberculosis and to compensate for the fact that he is slowly dying, he does nothing but drink, smoke and gamble all the time, just to get as much out of it all as he can before he bites the dust. 

What makes this film work, is the plethora of great actors assembled here. All of them are character actors and they all play well off each other. I mean, you have Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Michael Rooker, Stephen Lang, ... It is a veritable smorgasbord of cool actors, and there are plenty more faces you'll recognize in minor roles, such as Billy Zane, Thomas Haden Church or Jason Priestly. There is even an appearance by Charlton Heston. 

The ones that stick out the most, are Val Kilmer and Powers Boothe. Kilmer is funny and memorable as Doc Holliday and you will feel sad when he finally moves on. Powers Boothe is on the other side, hamming it up but clearly having a blast. 

Yes, I'm sorry, the ladies are a little underrepresented here. But allow me to iterate that the female lead, a spirited actress and love interest for Wyatt, is played by Dana Delaney and she is great. She sticks out and gets something to do, even if most of the time it's all about the boys. 

Also: Dana Delaney doesn't get enough credit for being feisty and fun and hot damn, is she gorgeous. 

The problems with this one are mainly in the pacing and editing. Because this film wasn't shot as it should have been and a lot of things went wrong, it often feels a little jarring, because thanks to the cuts, the story jumps around a little. I guess they had to make do with the material they had, but at times, it feels a little stitched together, which is a shame. After the shootout at the OK Corral, suddenly the film switches in high gear and everything starts to move at breakneck speed, which is awkward  considering the nice and slow buildup before that. 

In the end, 'Tombstone' is a very enjoyable film that has aged well, but it is not without its issues. But if you know this, chances are you will enjoy this one. Give it a chance.