Tombstone

Rating:
Summary: "Law Don't Go Around Here, Lawdog."
Review: Wow! What a movie! You may have seen this epic western before but unless you've watched the Vista Series DVD you haven't seen half of it! There are several new scenes added into the film that makes the movie as a whole more interesting and in-depth.
It fills several holes and all and all makes this a better movie.
This is of course, an adaption of the historic O.K. Corral old west shootout that took place in Tomstone, Arizona.
The plot is perfectly constructed and is next to flawless.
The performances are magnificent!
Kurt Russell Makes the perfect Wyatt Earp and is totally believable in the role of the famous western lawman.
Sam Elliot of TNT fame is cast as his typical old-west sheriff and is very good at playing Wyatt Earp's brother.
Bill Paxton in an interesting change of role is cast as another of Wyatt's brothers and is most interesting in the role and pulls it off extremely well. Now, the absolute best performance in this film is given by the incredible Val Kilmer and watching his slyly sarcastic Doc Holliday on the screen makes you incredibly upset that he didn't even get nominated for an academy award which is downright unjust! He is the epitome of cool as he utters such classic lines as, "I'm your huckleberry" or whispering to his girlfriend, "Look Darling, It's Johnny Ringo" at the sight of the infamous outlaw. His accent is so believable it's amazing to think that it's put on! One of the most famous scenes in 'Tombstone' is one in which Val Kilmer's Holliday, after watching gunslinger Johnny Ringo show off by spinning his pistols around, takes two shot glasses and mocks Ringo by duplicating his movements.
When viewing one of his other performances, say, his Bruce Wayne character in 'Batman Forever', released the same year as Tombstone, it's amazing to think that this is the same Val Kilmer that played Doc Holliday in Tombstone.
Incredibly, Val Kilmer has all but dissapeared from the screen.
His last film being the little-seen 'The Salton Sea', released earlier this year. He surely deserves to be a more well known presence on the screen. All in all this is a powerful tale of friendship and justice that should be treasured among the best westerns, in fact, Tombstone is The Best Western ever to grace the screen!

Rating:
Summary: Great Western Fare....DVD is Less Bang For Your Buck...
Review: This review refers to the Cinergi/Hollywood Pictures(1997)DVD edition of this film.....
With so many legendary films about the immortal Wyatt Earp and his pal Doc Holiday, including such greats as "My Darling Clementine" and "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and even "Hour of the Gun". this is the one that always seems to end up on my screen. Those films are without a doubt five star classics,and I love em, but this one is compelling.You'll be drawn into the characters and won't want to miss a second of it. So why only the 4 star rating from me? The DVD(see above) is good,very good in fact,the Digitally mastered widescreen picture is sharp, colors bright, and the sound in Dolby Surround(2.0) is surprisngly pleasing.Even without there being any extras(that is usually not the thing that attracts me, I just consider those a bonus),I have enjoyed viewing it over and over. However there is now a newer release of "Tombstone" by Disney's Vista(sold right here at Amazon), that has the sound remastered in 5.1,THX,anamorphic widescreen and it is a 2 disc set with lots of goodies for those who can't get enough of Wyatt and Doc, AND>>>>It costs LESS than this one.Not much, but you get so much more for your money. So basically I wanted to let anyone looking at this one to know about the Jan 2002 release.
A quick synopsis of the film for those curious about that though..... The story picks up at the point of Legendary lawman Wyatt Earp's(Kurt Russell) career when he is ready to retire from
the law, go into business for himself, and maybe raise a family. He moves his family to Tombstone, a booming mining town, and meets up with his old pal, the infamous gambler and gunman Doc Holliday(Val Kilmer).The problem is no one will let him retire! The "cowboys" as their called(outlaws) are running the show. People are afraid to walk the streets, for fear of getting hit by a stray bullet. The officials all want Wyatt to clean up the town the way he did for Dodge, but Wyatt wants no part of it. When his brothers(Sam Elliot/Bill Paxton), join in the fight to help make the town safe, Wyatt puts his badge back on, and Doc picks up his shotgun to help his friend. The trouble starts with the famous shoot out at the OK Corral,and the Clantons and McClaury's are out for revenge. Wyatt Earp and his "Immortals" as Doc calls them, sweep the west of all the remaining "cowboys".
Amidst all this action, Wyatt meets and falls for the beautiful actress Josephine Marcus(Dana Delany) who he will spend the rest of his long life with.
So, there's lots of Western action, romance, beautiful cinematography,a terrific soundtrack, and a true story of friendship. Director George Cosmatos has captured this chapter of history perfectly. Lots of great colloquialisms from the era are used throughout, and if you watch it enough(Which you will) you'll be repeating them before the actors do.
And speaking of the actors in addition to the ones mentioned above, who were all brilliant(Val Kilmer was so in character as Doc,he probably still talks with that southern accent to this day), there's such legends as Harry Carey Jr and Charlton Heston making fine appearances.
So I'm adding the new one to my list of upgrades, but in the meantime I will still enjoy this one.
Saddle up for a great Western and a Cinematic treat.....Laurie

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Movie
Review: But that's about it. The Dvd portion of it didn't have behind the scenes or commentary. I felt it could have been so much more. Especially since the movie was so rich in history

Rating:
Summary: "Throw down, boy!"
Review: TOMBSTONE is as rough and raw as the tumbleweeds blowing across the Arizona dessert. This is a satisfying "shoot 'em up," a throwback to the finest Westerns of the genre, pitting good against evil. Dusty, gritty, dirty, violent--dripping with testosterone--TOMBSTONE delivers, viewing after viewing.

Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday steals the show; Kurt Russell turns in what I think is his finest performance as the brooding Wyatt Earp. Even more thrilling for an "old geezer" like myself was Charlton Heston's cameo and the narration by Robert Mitchum--two icons with symbolic ties to classical Westerns. A chubby Billy Bob Thornton (before his fame--or "infamy") appears in one of the film's most amusing scenes.

Look beyond the historical inaccuracies: TOMBSTONE is escapist entertainment at its best.

Rating:
Summary: The law is back in town
Review: This 1993 western may have received mixed reviews from critics when it was released, but it has since become a cult classic film that is still great movie that even people who don't like westerns can enjoy. The film is carried at a rather nice pace, and the sublime casting of Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday makes Tombstone work. Kilmer turns in his best performance, while Kurt Russell turns in a near equally great performance as Wyatt Earp. The huge ensemble cast includes Sam Elliot, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Dana Delany, Jason Priestly, Billy Zane, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Rooker, John Corbett, Thomas Haden Church, Stephen Lang, Robert John Burke, Charlton Heston, and the voice of Robert Mitchum in major and supporting roles, along with some great gunfights and brilliant set design all help Tombstone be a feast of the senses. If you already own Tombstone on video or on the older edition DVD, then seriously consider upgrading to this new edition Vista Series DVD set, the extras are great and well put together, and Tombstone is one of the best action films I have ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: It's all questions now. . . .
Review: I believe the song that Kilmer was playing at the piano was Chopin's Valse Opus 64 no. 2, however I cannot fully confirm this as Broughton and co. has saw fit to leave this off of the soundtrack. What a pity, most of his compilations are usually complete.

If anyone is aware of the Chopin piece, please be nice and email me.

Rating:
Summary: Hail is coming with me!!!
Review: Hail to the actors and producers of this motion picture!!
My wife and I recently visited Tombstone, AZ. and toured the shootout site at The OK Corral which occurred on October 26, 1881. ... .
Based on what I read and saw, the movie is generally accurate and based on true facts. The performance of Val Kilmer as the role of Doc Holiday should have been awarded with the best supporting actor in a major role. The Academy either ignored it, or had made a prior commitment to give it to a less deserving actor.
The dvd has added feutures such as DTS and 5.1 digital channels. The quality of the picture is pure, crisp and as digital as it comes. In my honest opinion, this is the greatest western movie ever produced. A must in your library. Big thumbs up!!!

Rating:
Summary: "I'm Your Huckleberry"
Review: This is one of the best westerns ever made and ranks right up there with "The Searchers" and "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 Marshaling days behind him. Tombstone is wild though and a group known as "The Cowboys" along with young 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. 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 different from other westerns is the depth of the story and the realistic performances of the cast, the finest of which is Val Kilmer's terrific turn as Doc Holliday. This film more realistically portrays the relationship of Holliday and Wyatt than any other film. Kilmer is dangerous and intelligent, and above all, loyal to perhaps his only real friend in life, Wyatt Earp. Kilmer so becomes the real Doc Holliday that it was said he remained in character on the set at all times. 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 Johnny Ringo in a gun battle. Doc Holliday, in spite of his illness, arrives there first and in one of the great (and most accurately played) gunfights in film history kills the legendary Johnny Ringo, thus saving Wyatt's life.
Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp remained friends until Holliday finally was overtaken by the tuberculosis which had plauged him for years. As in real life Wyatt Earp acually does find happiness and settles down with Dana Delaney after his wife dies. He 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......

Rating:
Summary: Reason for editing. . .
Review: Tombstone manages to finds its way into my DVD player on a monthly, if not weekly basis. Certainly during poker games. Kilmer as Doc Holiday is one of my favorite characters in movies. Now, I'm aware that this is not the historically correct portrayal of the Earps and their encounter with the Cowboys, but I really don't care.
So why the four stars and ominous heading. Well, this review is really about the Vista Series release of the movie. Looking at the extras before this came out, I had to own a copy. I even sold my other version to make room for this copy, which, of course, was going to knock me dead. I mean, it has commentary and extra scenes. . . I could die and be happy.
Well, I'm alive. . . very much alive. While I was really happy with Cosmatos' commentary (although I wish the some of the actors would have also been available), the added scenes did nothing for me. Actually it's worse. They really ruined the movie for me. Not for all time! Just during that viewing.
The extra scenes attempt to fill in some of the "blanks" that were missing from the original. Such as, what happened to Kate in the second half of the movie? How did one of Earp's "Immortals" get captured and dragged by a Cowboy behind his horse? Where was Doc the night the Earps were attacked?
Well, I've seen the answers, and they stink. They are simply not needed, which, you guessed it. . . is probably the reason they were cut from the original. The scene between Kate and Doc that was added was the worst. It simply did not fit in with the personalities of the characters up to that point. In fact, it almost ruined Kilmer's performance for me.
Cosmatos, in his commentary, discussed a scene that did not make it in the original or this release. It was actually an expansion of the Josephine and Wyatt scene in the valley after riding their horses. Apparently, there was more of a "connection" than just the obvious attraction the two have in the version that made the film. Actually, if you watch the trailers for the movie, you see a brief second where Wyatt and Josephine are kissing. Cosmatos cut that scene to save time, and because he wanted to leave it up to the viewers imagination as to what really happened. I wish the same had happened with the scenes they did decide to put back in.

Rating:
Summary: Wyatt Earp As Entertainment
Review: "Tombstone" is the 1993 film about the "shootout at the OK Corral". This movie's version of events should be taken with a large grain of salt. It is not intended to be a faithful rendition of what transpired but instead leans toward the actual event as morality tale/entertainment. "Tombstone" is really more about good and evil than it is about the Earps and the Cowboys.

To give the film that kind of an edge, the film makers had to gloss over some of the Earps, especially Wyatt's, less than moral behavior. Doc Holliday, played in the movie by Val Kilmer, was an especially dubious character who could have just as easily found a living with the Cowboys as with the Earps.

What "Tombstone" amounts to though is a bit of a whitewashed do-gooder tale with a healthy dose of vengeful violence thrown in. Kurt Russell gives his usual quality performance as Wyatt Earp and the remainder of the cast plays quite well with the exception of Doc's nemesis Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). Biehn plays Ringo as a half-crazed, half-psychotic misanthrope and is way passed the edge of believable. However, his over-the-top performance may only seem so because of Kilmer's typically unemotional portrayal. I bet Kilmer only blinked twice during the whole movie.

It might be unfair to compare "Tombstone" to the Kevin Costner made "Wyatt Earp" because they were not really attempting to do the same things. With his movie, Costner was trying to give an accurate portrayal of Earp's life whereas the makers of "Tombstone" were more interested in the morality/entertainment value of only one aspect of Earp's life. "Wyatt Earp" runs a little long at 189 minutes but gives a much better view of the real Wyatt Earp. "Tombstone" however has its place too as entertainment.