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Back in the Wild West, the men had their cards, their liquor, their horses, and their guns (while the women…well, they had the babies). Any Hollywood Western will tell you that the Old West was a place of bar fights and showdowns, of feuds and friendships—but rarely are they more gripping (or more entertaining) than they are in Tombstone.
After a successful career as a lawman, former U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) decides to settle down and make a living in the boom town of Tombstone, Arizona. As soon as he and his brothers, Virgil (Sam Elliot) and Morgan (Bill Paxton), and their wives arrive in town, the local lawmen try to recruit Wyatt to help them in their ongoing battle against the Cowboys—a gang of outlaws who have the town under their control. But Wyatt turns them down, preferring instead to find himself a job at a saloon in town. There, he gets to spend plenty of time with his old friend, Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), an eccentric gambler who isn’t above a gunfight or two.
While Wyatt is happy to leave the law behind, though, his brothers can’t ignore the injustice around them. But when they decide to take a stand against the Cowboys, they throw off the delicate balance of life in Tombstone, and the battle gets bloody.
Though it’s known for its quotable lines, its vast prairie landscapes, and it intense shootouts, what makes this iconic Western truly stand out is its exceptional ensemble cast, which features just about every man’s man in Hollywood, circa 1993. Kurt Russell may get top billing, but if you dig a little deeper into the cast list, you’ll find everyone from Jason Priestley (who, at the time, was starring as California boy Brandon Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210) and Billy Zane to Thomas Haden Church and Charlton Heston. Even without the Old West action and drama, the cast alone makes Tombstone worth watching—if only for the pure movie-buff fun of picking out the various actors in the crowd (like an almost unrecognizable Billy Bob Thornton).
The lead cast, however, couldn’t be much better. Sam Elliot was born to wear a cowboy hat and carry a gun. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that no Hollywood Western should be made without him. And—no surprise—he shines as Virgil Earp. Paxton, too, has his share of memorable moments as the quiet younger brother, Morgan. But while Russell holds his own as the legendary lawman, Kilmer is the star of the film. His Doc Holliday is flamboyant and perfectly over-the-top, enjoying life while he can, perfectly content to let an angry, gun-slinging cowboy do him in before the tuberculosis does—especially if it happens while he’s fighting beside a friend.
Tombstone is a movie about outlaws and lawmen, but there’s so much more to it. It’s also a movie about the line between the good guys and the bad guys. It’s about friendship and honor. At times, it leans toward the usual cheesy Western action and melodrama—complete with gun fights and stereotypes, along with some awkward romance. But the gripping suspense and the extraordinary cast make it a worthy Western favorite.
Blu-ray Review:
The quality of Blu-ray backlist releases can often be hit-or-miss. Sometimes, older films look crisp and clear—as though they just came out last year. At other times, though, they can look blurred and grainy. Tombstone is a little of both. Some scenes are surprisingly clear, while others are surprisingly fuzzy. So if you’re looking for a gorgeous remastering of a favorite old Western, you might be disappointed with this edition.
The Blu-ray release also comes with a few extras—most notably, a half-hour, three-part making-of feature, which takes a closer look at the cast, their characters, and the crew’s careful attention to detail. There’s also a collection of director George P. Cosmatos’s original storyboard sketches for the O.K. Corral shootout scene and a few trailers and TV spots.
