(Movie poster from Hollywood Pictures)
When I saw this week's topic I knew I had to participate since some of my all time favorite movies are Westerns. From John Wayne and his iconic "pilgrim" line to Clint Eastwood's early days as Josie Wales and on to his remarkable character in Unforgiven, Westerns have always been about the good guys being the baddest mfers in town. The Young Guns movies were also favorites. Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" still fires me up to watch Westerns today.
But with all the great westerns out there, there is one I never turn off when I happen to run into it channel surfing. Funnily enough, it happens to coincide with this contest intro: Tombstone, from 1993.
Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), his two brothers (Sam Elliott & Bill Paxton), and their three wives all move to Tombstone to start a new life getting rich outside of law enforcement. Unfortunately, they barely get started in town when the requisite lawless gang of "Cowboys" comes in and causes trouble. The rest of the movie is Wyatt fighting to stay out of the struggle but eventually getting sucked in when the Cowboys ambush and kill Morgan.
As the hostilities rise, there are many memorable scenes with the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and the "Earp Vendetta Ride" being a couple of them. Loosely based on history, the story is a fast-moving look into the "Wild West" of the late 1800's complete with the saloon's, duals, theater, brothels, and of course the horses and gunfights. There's never a dull moment and the film is wildly entertaining, chock full of great one-liners by the main characters, both good and bad.
Speaking of main characters, Kurt Russell has never been one of my favorite actors but he plays this role perfectly. Just upstanding and honorable enough to be a believable sheriff, while also gritty enough to believe him capable of tracking down and killing outlaws. But the character that makes this entire movie is his "friend", Doc Holliday, played by Val Kilmer. How he didn't win an Oscar for this performance I'll never know. Battling a worsening case of tuberculossis, Doc is still one of the most dangerous men alive and allying himself with the Earp's leads to some very memorable confrontations with the Cowboys. His portrayal of a sickly but loyal friend to Wyatt and his battle with his own personal demons lead to some of the best lines in the film.
All in all, Tombstone is a very satisfying watch filled with good guys you love to root for and bad guys you love to hate. It also has a wonderful cast filled with actors you'll recognize from other movies, including a mousy Jason Priestley (of 90210 fame), and Charleton Heston as a friendly rancher. The epic final scene is everything you could want in a Western and puts a cherry on top of a movie filled with great lines. Definitely something to see.
(This review was written as part of the CineTV Contest "Favorite Westerns", found here.)
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