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Tombstone (1993)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
6/20
6/20:
I often read that Tombstone, which was supported by rave reviews of Val Kilmer's performance, was one of the two
best Western movies made during the 90's with the other being Unforgiven, and after
finally viewing it, I can see why.
Sadly, the history of Wyatt Earp is mostly inaccurate as repeated in many mediums due to the inspiration
of the 1901 novel The Virginian. It marked the beginning of the Western craze that would dominate television and
movies during the 50's and 60's and with a good reason: they brought in the highest ratings ever. Therefore, it showed
the Old West that wasn't, hence the public having been spoon-fed lies and myths.
Despite the impossible-to-separate mix of fact and fiction, nobody knows for sure what happened in either Dodge City,
Kansas, or Tombstone, Arizona. Wyatt Earp and his brothers didn't fight the so-called Cowboys over honor; it was politics.
They were also thieves and murderers who were more interested in making money illegally, running whorehouses, and patronizing
prostitutes than anything else. The famous gunfight didn't happen at the O.K. Corral but six lots away, and the brothers got
arrested, were held for murder, and had to appear in court many times until they secured acquittal.
Back to Tombstone, it's quite good with an Arizonian ambience and a strong cast showing off an interesting collection
of mustaches which were all real: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn (who previously did the same for
The Abyss), Sam Elliot (of course...), Bill Paxton, Stephen Lang, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael
Rooker, Billy Zane, Jason Priestley, Thomas Haden Church, and Charlton Heston.
The unseen Robert Mitchum provides the narration after he was slated to appear but fell off a horse and hurt his back. Although
uncredited, Kurt Russell directed a majority of the film with George P. Cosmatos' help due to the firing of Kevin Jarre
who got overwhelmed by the task.
Unfortunately snubbed for an Oscar nomination, Val Kilmer takes the top acting honors by giving one of the greatest
performances of his career and has the best lines of any character. There are rich scenes that make Tombstone a
highly regarded Western. However, it's not a focused picture as there's a lot of filler that smacks of lazy
filmmaking. The horseback riding scene with Kurt Russell and Dana Delany is ridiculous and should therefore be cut
out; the same can be said for the unnecessary romantic subplot between their characters, too.
All in all, despite the negatives, Tombstone has my strongest recommendation, thanks to Val Kilmer.