Too few good turns, too few good moments, in this long, long film

Rating: 5/10 (19 November 2005)

The Earp brothers take on the Clanton gang, redux, in this muddled, overly long remake of "Gunfight at the OK Corral." The classical themes of old west lawlessness and threat of death are well displayed, but intruding upon these is an updated psychologizing theme that seems out of place as well as boring.
Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp spends a lot of time staring blandly into space. He is dignified, give him that. But he looks too much like a preacher and not enough like a killer with a badge. Burt Lancaster was better cast. Ditto for the Clanton gang, all tricked out here with red sashes, like some step dance troupe. Give me John Ireland and Dennis Hopper Â– both were Clantons in "Gunfight" - any day over the acting ensemble playing at bad guys here.
On the plus side, Val Kilmer is superb as the dying, mannerly Doc Holliday, way better than the perpetual ham, Kirk Douglas. And Sam Elliott is picture perfect here as Wyatt's brother Virgil. There were production problems on this film. Cosmatos was brought in to direct a month before the shoot, after Kevin Jarre, the screenwriter, who was supposed to make his directing debut here, was sacked. And Jarre's screenplay is dull, too inactive, too long, especially the second hour. (Gunfight, on the other hand, moved well and was written in part by the great action novelist, Leon Uris.) My rating: 5/10 (C). (Last seen on 11/12/05). If you'd like to read more of my reviews, send me a message for directions to my websites.