Tombstone

Rating:
Summary: Skin that smokewagon and see what happens!
Review:

Though this isn't the most technically perfect movie ever made, it's damn enjoyable, and that's what matters most in a movie.

There are so many other good things about this movie that I won't be able to cover in this short review, so watch! Great, and I mean GREAT character development for both the good guys and the bad guys. Good portrayals of bad guys are missing in most movies, but in this one you get a true sense of why the bad guys choose chaos and disorder - because it's easier and more quickly gratifying than law and order. At the same time, you get a great sense of why you want the good guys to win - because in the wild west they represent some justice and peace!

The dialouge in this flick is non-pariel for westerns. The old phrases and slang were great. "Skin that smoke wagon," what a cool way to say "pull that pistol out of its leather holster." Billy Bob Thornton is great as the big cowardly bully in that scene.

Well, I can talk at length about this movie. It's a guilty pleasure, because I usually admire movies that are technically 'tight.' There are some scenes that could have been redone and a couple editing mistakes you can catch, but with a movie this fun, who cares?

-- JJ

Rating:
Summary: Wyatt and Doc Ride Again
Review: 'Tombstone' is one of my favorite movies for a variety of reasons.

First, despite the growing trend to rewrite history showing that the good guys were really the bad guys, this movie clearly shows that the Earps were the good guys and the Clantons were the bad guys. Don't pay any attention to the revisionists who say otherwise.

Second, it's a great action-filled movie.

Third, Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp plays the part in a way that makes you think he IS Wyatt Earp. From the photographs I've seen of Wyatt, you'd have to say the Russell is a mirror image of the immortal and legendary Earp. The lean, hard 6 foot body, the sweeping handlebar mustache, the blue eyes, the cold look... Russell was magnificent as Mr. Earp.

Fourth, Val Kilmer played a fantastic role as Doc Holliday (who may have been my illegitimate great-grandfather; we'll never really know). Kilmer's body size is too large to mistake him physically for Doc, but his portrayal negates that problem. What a wonderful interpretation of Doc he gave. The meanest dude in town.... he was the ultimate "You don't mess with Doc Holliday" character. Incidently, I thought that Quaid in "Wyatt Earp" was a better physical representation of Doc than Val Kilmer.

Fifth, Powers Booth was a great Curly Bill. From pictures of the real Curly, you'd think that Booth and he were twins. He was wonderful in the part. Wyatt really killed Curly Bill in a gunfight that was reasonably well depicted in the movie.

Sixth, the setting and the location shots seemed to be right on target... southeastern Arizona. Nice to see that authenticity.

From the history endpoint, much was so accurate. County Sherrif Behan was in cahoots with the rustlers (My own reading and study have led me to believe that he was not only a supporter of them, but in fact, their leader). Despicable Ike Clanton was a crude and totally distasteful individual, though not as ignorant as he was played in the movie. Texas Jack Vermillion and Turkey Creek Jack Johnson were real people, and friends of Wyatt. Although Michael Biehn played well as Johnny Ringo, and brooded much as Ringo did, he was too dirty looking to fit the image I have of Ringo. When Doc Holliday died in the sanitarium in Colorado, he was visited by a priest as shown in the movie (where he really converted to the Catholic faith because of his long past love of someone who was Catholic), and he supposedly really said "This is funny" just before he died. Wyatt really married Josie and spent the rest of his life traveling the West with her at his side. Jason Priestly's portrayal of Billy Breckenridge as a homosexual was accurate.

Ok, now for some "complaints"... mostly with historical facts. I didn't like Bill Paxton's protrayal of Morgan Earp... his character was much too geeky to have been the real Morgan. Also, Morgan and Doc were quite close, but the movie didn't get into that. The one glaring historical fact which no one disputes was incorrect was the shootings of Morgan and Virgil. The movie had Morgan killed and Virgil shot on the same night. This, in fact, is far from factual.... Virgil was shot just after Christmas in 1881, while Morgan was murderd in March of 1882 (in a pool hall as shown in the flick). There was great tension in Tombstone between the dates of the two shootings which was not evident in the movie. Few people realize that in Tombstone prior to the time of all this trouble, Bat Masterson and Luke Short were in town and were allied with Wyatt; they had their reasons for departing before the OK Corral. Another place where the movie wasn't as accurate as it could have been was the relationship between Wyatt and John Clum, the editor of the Epitaph. They were actually quite close and Clum supported Earp totally.

The movie had Doc killing Ringo in a shootout. It's true that Ringo was killed in June of 1882, but there isn't hard evidence who cut him down. It's possible it was Doc, who absolutely HATED Ringo, especially for his part in Morgan's murder. Ringo was killed after Wyatt and Doc left Arizona to go to Colorado, because of a warrant against them. It's possible they came back to finish Ringo, who most certainly had a hand in murdering Morgan. According to Mrs. Earp, it was Wyatt who really terminated Ringo. There is so much debate about his death. The "official" coroner's report says suicide, but too many details refute this. My opinion is that Earp went back into Arizona and took care of Ringo.

My primary objection to the historical authenticity revolves around WHY the battle took place. The full reasons never came out in the movie, or in any other movie about Wyatt Earp.... Wyatt's dealings with Behan in the agreement they made which Behan reniged on, the Benson stage incident, the shootings at Skeleton Canyon, Ike Clanton's deal with Wyatt to turn over his friends who had killed Bud Philpot during the Benson stage robbery for the purpose of the reward money, the resentment the Clanton Gang had for the way that Earp throttled their evil empire, etc. The movie made it seem that these people were just angry with each other... they were, but there was so much that led up to the fight that wasn't shown in any of the movies.

I would like to have seen much more of the trial of the Earps, in which they were correctly acquitted, rather than just Judge Welles Spicer's final ruling. You might be interested in reading the transcript of the trial and read the words of Wyatt, Ike Clanton and so many others, which will convince you that the verdict was correct. (See "The OK Corral Inquest" by Alford E. Turner, from Creative Publishing Company, College Station, TX)

Despite all the historical omissions, and they did take away from the movie for me, I'd still have to say this was a GREAT movie. I watch it over and over again, and will continue to do so. Even if you're not into the history of the period, you'll enjoy a great action movie, excellent music, and some terrific acting.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, even if not historically faithful
Review: Given that this is a movie, and has to try to tell an entertaining story in a short period of time, I hereby forgive the screenplay its inaccuracies and artistic inventions. Yes, yes: Holliday was really much older, Virgil and Morgan were shot months apart (not the same night), and Wyatt wasn't at Doc's bedside when he died. This isn't a documentary!

Having said that, I loved Tombstone the first time I saw it, and I loved this DVD edition. The rich soundtrack sounds adds immensely to the enjoyment of the film, and it really must be watched in its original widescreen format to be fully appreciated. [Then again, I think there should be criminal penalties for "altering" a movie to "fit" a TV screen.] I would go so far as to say that Tombstone was the first of a new generation of "big screen" westerns; it carried this burden well.

Kurt Russell is OK as Wyatt Earp; he certainly looks the part, though he doesn't always seem to carry the appropriate emotions to fit the scenes. I've never cared much for Sam Elliott, but I thought his performance as Virgil was wonderful.

The real star, though, is Val Kilmer as "Doc" Holliday. Though some have complained that his dialogue seemed too "cute" or "scripted," there's pretty good historical evidence that the real Holliday would have spoken in a like manner. Kilmer's performance is witty without seeming contrived, and infers Holliday's sharp character without being blatantly comical. Even better is the interplay between Kilmer and John Ringo, played by Michael Biehn. The verbal exchange between these two -- in Latin -- is priceless, as is their "gun-twirling" duel!

So, if you can live with an entertaining, not-necessarily-historical movie, I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: I found this movie...."CAPITAL" !!!
Review: Ok, I'm aware this movie isn't historically accurate. If you're that hung up on fact, you won't get into this movie. But for sheer entertainment, you won't find a more engaging, clever film. The two major highlights: Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday- he looked every bit the consumed, wry, witty and intelligent extremely proficient gunslinger. And second: the best ever quotable lines since "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"! Check out Curly Bill emerging from the opium den, waving his arms as if at a Grateful Dead concert, declaring "I feel...CAPITAL". Try this out on your friends at the end of of a night on the town. Or better, Doc Holiday's cynical " I have not yet BEGUN to defile myself" -the catch phrase at our last New Year's Eve Party. This movie will crack you up, and make you cry like a baby. It has it's wistful moments and shoot em full of lead moments and it is truly one of the few movies that I can stand to watch more than once. And it transcends the term "western"- everyone will like this film.

Rating:
Summary: People Are Easily Amused
Review: How can anyone watch this garbage? I got through over half the film but not without fast forwarding more than a few scenes. Finally I couldn't waste my time any longer. I found the acting to be hammy when I could find it believable at all. Wasn't that the dimwit from "Wings" playing a rugged cowboy? Yeah, that's believable... These characters don't even look like they belong in this era. I think the mustaches were added to make the actors look older. They travel over great distances and then come on camera with every hair in place and not a spot of dust to be found on their clothing. Give me a break. Rent "My Darling Clementine" instead. It has real actors: Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan and is truly a great western. Tombstone is garbage.

Rating:
Summary: Great Western Film
Review: This movie is sure to be a classic. A great action-adventure with an outstanding cast. It depicts Wyatt Earp and his family and friends. Its a great story of love, friendship and loyalty. In my opinion one of the greatest western films.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: Great movie, great quality, great packaging, great extras. I'm so glad I waited untill this version came out to buy this movie. It really adds to the overall feel.

Rating:
Summary: One of my all time favorites
Review: Tombstone represents one of those rare occasions where a much-hyped all star cast actually puts out a spectacular film.

George P. Cosmotos' vision comes across as very honest and passionate reproduction of the old west. The camera work is expert, utilizing extreme close ups and dramatic angles...all appropriately placed.

The real treat here is the acting...particularly by Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer. This is undoubtedly a prime moment for both actors. Russel's Wyatt Earp is a brave, tough and unflinching former law man. Kilmer's Doc Holliday is a famous con man who's heart is in the right place. Kilmer plays Holliday as a smart-mouthed, smooth talking, chronically sweating addict. His performance is nothing short of perfect. Supporting players Powers Booth, Bill Paxton, and particularly Sam Elliot are right on their games as well.

Not only is this one of the best westerns of the 90s, but one of the best films of the 90s, shamefully overlooked by the masses. More people need exposure to great films like Tombstone.

Rating:
Summary: This is Tombstone,Wyatt and Doc...forever
Review: "Watch it only once",critics have said about "Tombstone". Don`t! This film is to be watched over and over-it`s wonderful. Besides,there is no way one can get a grip on everything that happens the first time one watches it. This is a very action-filled movie,and so those who didn`t feel there was enough action and excitement in "Wyatt Earp" might very well get their share here.There is plenty of honest emotion and long-lasting strength here as well-to inspire us.This film will always be the West,Tombstone,Wyatt and Doc for me.
I hope you will feel that way as well.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: Tombstone is not your usual country western movie. It has action, thrills, love and all the other elements of a great movie. This is one of the few westerns that I can actually sit through and watch with enjoyment. As soon as I purchace this mvoie I know I will find myself watching is over and over again!!