Review of Tombstone

Introduction

There have been many versions of the Wyatt Earp story. The actual facts of the gunfight at the O.K Corral have no doubt faded into history, and legend has taken the place of truth, which when it comes to movies is no bad thing. The first version of the story that I saw, believe it or not was a Star Trek episode. Not a particularly promising start then, but my curiosity was piqued by the first movie version, starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. The year Tombstone came out, there were no less than two versions released, despite the fading of the western genre in Hollywood. I have, for obvious reasons avoided the Costner movie like the plague, but Tombstone is perhaps the best telling of the legend.

The Earp brothers, having retired from the law-keeping business bring their collective spouses with them to the booming mining town of Tombstone in an effort to make their fortune. Soon after arriving, Wyatt evicts the obnoxious Billy Bob Thornton from a saloon and he and his brothers, Morgan and Virgil take a stake in the gambling activities therein. However, all is not peaceful in the town, as the law is impotent there and a criminal organisation, the Cowboys run riot in the town. Wyatt is reluctant to become involved in the town`s problems, but his elder brother, Virgil cannot stand by and let the violence continue. After the town Marshall is killed by the leader of the Cowboys, Curly Bill, Virgil takes the position and deputises Morgan, outlawing all firearms in the town. When the Cowboys object to this, a showdown ensues and Wyatt reluctantly joins his brothers and his friend, Doc Holliday in the now legendary gunfight at the O.K Corral. Seeking revenge, the Cowboys exact a terrible vengeance on the Earps, killing Morgan and crippling Virgil. Wyatt bows to the inevitable and picks up his guns to end the scourge of the Cowboys.

Video

The disc sucks, to put it plainly. A 2.35:1 letterbox transfer is all you get, and not a particularly good one. I kept being distracted by jaggies and moiré. The resolution just doesn`t do a cinematic experience like this justice. Directed by George P. Cosmatos, Tombstone is a lush cinematic affair, wonderfully photographed and beautifully framed. There are glorious sunsets, and atmospheric silhouettes and the style is reminiscent of all the best westerns. The gunfights are always tense and well choreographed and the action and pacing spot on.

Audio

The sound is a Dolby Pro Logic track, and is adequate. I would have liked to be in the middle of all that gunfire, but it felt detached, also the dialogue was swamped on occasion. The lack of subtitles doesn`t help either. The music by Bruce Broughton also conjures the feel of the best westerns, being majestic and `large`. He gets the perfect feel in his arrangements and the film is enhanced as a result.

Features

For extras, you get the trailer and a brief 5-minute making of. The featurette is useful in setting the mood of the period, (as if the `taches weren`t enough) but other than that is little more than a trailer itself. Another problem arises with the extras. Recorded in what I assume is 14:9, they are best watched in 4:3 mode, but the disc insists in auto switching to zoom mode for the main feature, so you have to manually switch the picture ratio for each extra.

Conclusion

What an amazing collection of moustaches. The facial hair in this movie alone is worth the price of the disc. Seriously, the cast is brilliant, with Kurt Russell impressive as Wyatt, Sam Elliot as his upstanding brother, Virgil and Bill Paxton as the exuberant Morgan. Powers Boothe makes a by the book villain as Curly Bill but if there are two stars of this movie, they are Val Kilmer and Michael Biehn. Val Kilmer`s Doc Holliday is brilliant. He`s totally believable as the TB ridden gambler and he has by far all the best lines, every one is a gem. He provides the character with depth and explores the relationship with Wyatt, as it has never been done. The character of Johnny Ringo as played by Michael Biehn is more understated. The sinister gunfighter is the antithesis of Doc Holliday. Equally educated, but totally lacking in morals, Ringo is the other side of the coin to Holliday. You realise that it would take very little to turn one into the other, and the scenes between the two simply ooze dramatic tension and class. The Wyatt Earp story isn`t one to mention womenfolk, and to its credit Tombstone seeks to redress the balance. Wyatt`s wife is shown to be an Opium addict, drinking regularly from bottles of Laudanum. You can see that this relationship isn`t going anywhere and unsurprisingly a new love interest for Wyatt soon appears in the form of Josephine, played by Dana Delaney, an actress who bewitches Wyatt. The chemistry between the two is good and plausible considering that Earp in later life worked in Hollywood.

This is an excellent film. An intelligent script, able direction and brilliant performances make for a great viewing experience. The film is worth it for Val Kilmer alone, which you don`t often hear. However here, his Doc Holliday is unparalleled for sheer charisma. The same can be said for Michael Biehn. The real Wyatt Earp story can probably never be made, as by many accounts, both Earp and the Clantons were really fighting for control of Tombstone, with any question of law, or wrong and right meaningless. Any Hollywood movie needs good guys and bad guys, hence the need for a legend rather than the true story. But to it`s credit, Tombstone does try to show a sense of moral ambiguity, his final pursuit of the Cowboys is bloodthirsty and violent, and the question of whether he acts in the name of the law or blind vengeance is left to the viewer to answer. That said, there is no mistaking the good guys from the bad, and there is an obligatory happy ending. There is no excuse for the dismal quality of the disc as this is an outstanding modern western that deserves far better. Here`s hoping for a re-release.