Tombstone Review

        I think it’s appropriate to wrap up my look into the Western by talking about the one that represented that last bit of mainstream that the genre was in. After the critical acclaim of Dancing with Wolves and with Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, the genre was in another swing of relevancy. With Tombstone I believe epitomized the last hurrah of the genre. It’s an action movie when you get down to it, and probably the rare Disney movie where it’s surprisingly good for live-action. You probably didn’t think it is a Disney movie. Let’s get down to it. 

1. Wyatt Earp and Brothers. 

        Little did I know that I made a pattern when I scheduled the films that I’ve been discussing. Two fictional and historically based which I feel now with the benefit of hindsight helps expand just the scope of the Western. As far as this movie goes, it’s been with me my whole life. It’s one of my Dad’s favorite movie, although I doubt that he knows it’s a Disney movie. I keep harping on that studio like it’s a punching bag. 

        Anyways, we follow the exploits of the Earp family as they have moved to Arizona to start their new life. Wyatt is the lead guy of the family and was a former lawman. Inevitably, as far as any story goes, trouble comes as the Cowboys gang having control of the town of Tombstone as Wyatt acknowledges that he must now become a lawman once more. And that’s basically as far as the gist of it since it’s loosely based around the two events that happen in the town: the famous or infamous shootout and Wyatt’s Vendetta Ride.

        The thing that makes the film successful is the chemistry between the brothers and when Doc Holliday show up. Now, I know that Val Kilmer’s passing led to a lot of screenings of his movies to get a sense of what kind of actor he is. I feel that he works best as a leading guy and a supporting character, but manages to be just as good as the leads. Kilmer does a good job with portraying Holliday, and it’s sort of surreal to have his looks be haggard. I wouldn’t know what a person with tuberculosis looks like, but Kilmer’s pale face and sweaty shirt practically sells that he’s slowly dying. 

        The camaraderie between Wyatt and his brothers is also great to see. With a small ensemble like this one, Kurt Russel, Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton have that chemistry to sell that these are brothers. Their moustaches are something else. More so that we see Wyatt almost immediately take charge in a saloon as he manages to kick out a Cowboy who’s been abusive as the gambling house. Like, even though the brothers are the main characters, it’s ultimately Wyatt’s movie as this whole era is what he’s mostly remembered by to anyone who’s an enthusiast for Western stories. 

        The action is very good, considering that it’s gunfights galore. It’s mostly grounded in the sense where it’s not a bloody affair. It’s very quick which is something I noticed since most of the gunfights end in a quick matter. I think out of all the action scenes, my personal favorite is when we see the creek battle. It seems like a real stretch that Wyatt somehow doesn’t have any bullet penetration but kills some of the Cowboys. And when he is shouting out “No” as he killing just makes the scene work. And you’d believe that in real life, he was unscathed in any crossfire. 

2. Fall of the Western

        One last thing I want to commend the movie is that I do love how historically immersive it is. Most of the clothing looks to be about period accurate and I couldn’t imagine wearing the wool in the dry Arizona heat. Which is perhaps one of the reasons why there was a turnover at the director chair. Right down to even Kurt Russell taking control of the film and finishing it. Even though he doesn’t have his name on the credit, Val Kilmer stated that Russell did most of the job just to finish the film. 

        So, you’d think that with the resurgence that the genre would still be relevant about decades after the fact. Not to say that it’s dead or anything, but it’s interesting to see just how the genre changed and to just up and disappear. Like disappearing in a mirage so to speak. I think one of the reasons that the genre went dormant is that audience tastes has changed. More so that there’s been more info about the Western way of life that contradicts what’s been display in the visual medium. Making the Native Americans more sympathetic than their portrayals suggest and how the expansion was all about. 

        In some way, I wouldn’t say that the Western is gone per say. It’s birthed some sub-genres that have the iconography of the genre but is more contemporary setting wise. You got films like Sicario, Logan and No Country For Old Men that are Neo-Westerns in a sense where most of the stuff that make a Western are now replaced with things that we know of today. In any sense, nothing is dead but evolved to keep the tradition of what came before. 

3. Overall

        Tombstone is one of the last great Westerns to be released.