Not just a good western, but a damn good film, period

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2010)

I think this story, cast and film making team could transpose the setting/genre and it would still work in a modern setting. This is a brilliant, brilliant film - and I'm no fan of westerns.
Val Kilmer gives a stand out, career best performance (and I'm no fan of him either!!) as Doc Holliday. Kurt Russell shines as Wyatt Earp but is supported so ably by one of the best ensemble cast's of the 1990's that it never becomes a one man show. Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Billy Bob Thornton, Charlton Heston and more put in great efforts.
If you judge a film by the amount of "moments" that come to mind after viewing it, this is a goldmine. The shootout at the OK Corral, the confrontation between Russell and Thornton, and my two favourite moments - the drunken brinksmanship between Johnny Ringo (Biehn) and Holliday (Kilmer) in the saloon, and the climatic gun fight, when Holliday beats Earp to the confrontation in the woods with Ringo. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up just thinking about that electric scene.
The film's ending is sheer joy, despite the demise of Holliday.
I would strongly recommend this film to anyone who hasn't seen it, and you don't have to be a fan of westerns to enjoy it. Ten out of ten.