Tombstone

In 1992, Clint Eastwood released Unforgiven which some see as the film which killed the western; it is a dark and foreboding drama that pulled no punches as it looks at life through the eyes of a reformed, vicious killer who is reluctantly tempted into a job which could see him fall-back into his old ways. But then in 1993, Tombstone released and here came a brighter, entertaining jump back into the old west complete with cowboys, saloons and gun fights that pitted good against bad. Clint may have hung-up his Stetson but Hollywood was not ready to let go. 

Based around real events, Tombstone is set in the 1880s Arizona as the three Earp brothers seek to make their fortune and settle down with their loved ones in a town that should be on the up. Unfortunately, the town of Tombstone is also shared with a number of outlaws including "Curly Bill" Brocius and Johnny Ringo who do not appreciate Wyatt Earp's attempts to clean out the dirty corners of the local area and so a conflict soon starts to emerge.

Directed by George P. Cosmatos (with this being his penultimate film), Tombstone boasts a great cast including Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Sam Elliot, Bill Paxton and many more, offers fresh vibrant visuals, plenty of entertaining action and some witty dialogue making it poles apart from the gritty realism of Unforgiven. This film even features the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral but isn't too concerned with the moral debates, instead choosing to serve up more of an entertaining journey into a bygone age, all the while narrated by Robert Mitchum.

But I don't want to dismiss the film as a western action flick because there are a lot of great moments throughout and it does try to offer an interesting account of the life of Wyatt Earp. However, it's pacing just sees the film lose some of its momentum in the first half which leaves us with an enjoyable film, just not a great one. The first half though is packed with colourful characters, particularly with Kilmer who steals the film, and great onset locations for the town to set the scene.

Just come the halfway point when the Earp Vendetta Ride begins and it just seems that Cosmatos was in a rush to reach the end making me wonder how many scenes had to be deleted to keep the film within 130 minutes. The cast of outlaws are all introduced well at the start but come the second half and it seems they can't be killed quick enough as the story starts to jump through time at a rate of knots. It's still entertaining but comes at the expense of character development and I wonder if this just needed a few more drafts to iron out a couple of these gripes. We even get a corny romantic subplot with Dana Delany which felt poorly handled and could have also benefitted from a few more rewrites.

I feel like I am being too harsh though as I have seen Tombstone several times now and really do enjoy its fondness for the time period and, like I said early, Val Kilmer's iconic performance as Doc Holliday is one of his best. The shootouts are also bloody and thrilling to watch with all the practical effects but also come with an eye for entertainment making this an example of the type of western we just don't really get anymore. 

Tombstone is a very entertaining film with a great cast and is a must-see for any western fan but will also appeal to action fans as well. History buffs might not quite come away with the same feeling or for those looking for another slice of Unforgiven but the late George P. Cosmatos did a great job here at bringing a talented ensemble together for a action packed, modern take on the western Hollywood style.