Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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178 of 197 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A memorable "huckleberry", September 26, 2003
Having already seen My Darling Clementine (1946) and The Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) several times, I was curious to observe what director George Pan Cosmatos and his screenwriters would do with essentially the same material in this film. There are significant differences between and among them but suggesting comparisons and contrasts would be unfair to three different films which appeared over a 57-year period.
Now on to Tombstone. Director George Cosmatos worked with a large cast and all of the performances are first-rate. William Fraker's cinematography and Bruce Broughton's musical score are carefully integrated within the narrative and serve it well. My own opinion is that Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday) dominates each scene in which he appears. However, Kurt Russell (Wyatt Earp), Dana Delany (Josephine Marcos), Sam Elliot (Virgil Earp), and Powers Boothe (Curly Bill Brocius) hold their own.
As portrayed in the film, Tombstone (Arizona) is a western town in the last stages of being a community dominated by outlaws. The involvement of the Earps coincide with a growing local desire among residents to establish law and order. The eventual showdown at the OK Corral is a key event but by no means the only one. I was especially interested in how Cosmatos and Russell develop Wyatt Earp's character as he struggles to follow his conscience, establish some stability in his own life, and thereby complete a transition from gunfighter to private citizen.
Back to Kilmer for a moment. I do not recall a prior or subsequent film of his in which he reveals the comic timing, nuances of personality, and conflicting anxieties which he does while portraying Holliday in Tombstone. His is a masterful performance, maintaining an exquisite balance between playful humor and force of will. I recalled elements of that performance while recently observing Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. However, the Holliday character is revealed to have much greater depth and complexity than Sparrow's even as both characters demonstrate at every appropriate opportunity a unique flair for mimicry.
I do have a few minor quibbles. First, I think the pace of the plot lags unnecessarily at times. Also, the evolving relationship between Wyatt Earp and Josephine Marcos is not always in focus, even when allowing for a period of adjustment as they take each other's measure. Finally, I really don't understand the purpose of the final scene except to offer an alternative to the neat-and-tidy conclusion which so many other films offer. That said, I think that Cosmatos, his cast, and crew have created 135 minutes of generally entertaining, sometimes hilarious, and often thought-provoking material. Perhaps the more ambitious scale (e.g. timeframe and subplots) precludes the dramatic impact of its predecessors, My Darling Clementine and The Gunfight at the OK Corral. In any event, I enjoyed it.
Final point: I wish all other versions offered special features comparable with those provided by the Vista Series DVD. They include a commentary by Cosmatos, the 134 Director's Cut Edition, featurettes ("An Ensemble Cast," "Making An Authentic Western," and "The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral"), an interactive Tombstone storyline, The Tombstone Epitaph - Actual Newspaper Account, and Cosmatos' original storyboards for the O.K. Corral sequence.
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A potential (cult?) classic!, March 17, 2000
While this movie may never achieve the critical acclaim it deserves, there is a grassroots appreciation for this movie that points out, once again, the different worlds of professional movie critics and the movie-viewing public. For example, Leonard Maltin describes Dana Delany as 'goofy' in this production. Personally, I found her captivating, and -- for some reason -- the most attractive I have ever seen her.Kurt Russell turns in another excellent performance, proving once again that he has grown considerably as an actor over the years. The performances of Michael Biehn, Sam Elliott, Powers Boothe, Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Paxton, Billy Zane, Jason Priestly, Joanna Pacula, even Charlton Heston, in supporting roles -- major and minor -- are carefully crafted and played to perfection. But in my book Val Kilmer steals the show as Doc Holliday. Chalk this up as another excellent performance (e.g. Thunderheart) by the oft-maligned but excellent actor. Do yourselves a favor and view this movie as a stand-alone ... don't try to compare it to the other Wyatt Earp movies; don't compare it to history. Just enjoy it as it is -- a truly well-told tale, a violent love story (think True Romance set in the 19th century if you will), full of outstanding performances. This story (as are almost all tales about Earp) is heavily romanticized. History reveals that there were no good guys or bad guys in the power struggles that took place between town authorities, Earp's crowd, and The Cowboys. Nonetheless, the director has paid close attention to period accuracy in costume, language, and props. The firearms used -- an area that is often woefully researched -- are period accurate, with only the most minor license taken for cinematic effect. My guess is that in time this movie will establish itself as an audience favorite regardless of "expert" opinion. And the cast members have every reason to be proud of a truly fine ensemble performance.
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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I'm Your Huckleberry", May 11, 2005
This is one of the most entertaining westerns ever made and as such, ranks right up there with "Shane," "Open Range," "Ride the Man Down" and Eastwood's "The Unforgiven." It is a story of changing times that haven't quite changed enough. Kurt Russell gives his best performance as Wyatt Earp, coming to Tombstone with his brothers to settle down and put his lawman days behind him. Tombstone is a wild town still and a group known as The Cowboys and a young gunslinger named Johnny Ringo begin to make this impossible.
Dana Delany is radiant as the actress Wyatt falls for even though he is married. His wife has become a drug addict and his marriage is not the stuff dreams are made of, but Dana Delaney is. The film takes its time as Wyatt and his brothers are slowly drawn towards the history we have come to know, and the aftermath we may not.
This is a multilayered story more faithful to the truth than most versions. What makes this film superior to other westerns is the depth of the story and the realistic performances of the cast. The finest of the aforementioned is Val Kilmer's extraordinary turn as Doc Holliday.
This film more realistically portrays the relationship of Holliday and Wyatt than any other film. Kilmer's Holliday is dangerous and intelligent, and above all, loyal to perhaps his only real friend in life, Wyatt Earp. Kilmer so became the real Doc Holliday that it was said he remained in character on the set at all times, even when the camera was not rolling. His performance is something that will always be remembered by anyone who watches this film.
Wyatt is a real man in this film with raw courage but no self delusions. He is no gunman and realizes he can not beat the quick and dangerous Johnny Ringo in a gun battle. Doc Holliday, in spite of his illness, has Wyatt's back and arrives there first. What follows is one of the most tense and accurately portrayed gunfights in film history.
Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp remained friends until Holliday finally was overtaken by the tuberculosis which had plagued him for years. As in real life, Wyatt Earp actually does find happiness and settles down with Dana Delaney after his wife dies in this film. The real Wyatt became quite wealthy in the latter part of his life.
The rich tapestry of events that formed the legend of the dangerous Doc Holliday and Marshall Wyatt Earp are given the best and most accurate screen treatment ever filmed. This is a must see western. You will never forget it and you will never see a better and more colorful true to life performance than Val Kilmer's turn as Doc Holliday.
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