"Wyatt Earp and His Immortals"

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2013)

I saw this one back-to-back with Kevin Costner's 'Wyatt Earp'(1994) movie and wow, what a difference in similarities. I will compare both films characters and interpretations , if applicable, and come to a conclusion at the end.
Kurt Russell's Wyatt was not bad. I enjoyed it. This Earp story was more about like the title, about just that. Costner's was more how Wyatt Earp became the famous Earp from the beginning. So it's a tie as who did a better Wyatt Earp.
Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday was a surprise. I felt he did a great job just as Dennis Quaid did with his. Very difficult on this also. I give it a tie also.
Sam Elliott as Virgil Earp was right on casting. As this great actor personifies the ideal cowboy to me. Michael Madsen's interpretation was not bad but Elliott just nailed it.
Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, also a great casting. I prefer Paxton's over Linden Ashby's. Even though Paxton's death scene was more Hollywood-ish and Ashby's more real and the Earp woman were more real in Costner's version.
Powers Boothe as Curly Bill Brocius was a treat. Again Boothe wins over Lewis Smith's one. Boothe was sneaky, sinister and just slimy evil. Great casting even though he looked more ethnic per say. When I 1st saw him I really thought he was a Mexican bandido or something. lol
Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo wins big time. Not only did Biehn do a phenomenal great job, the Ringo character was much more displayed and played a vital role here than Costner's one! The final showdown of Biehns Ringo with Kilmer's Holliday is classic!
Charlton Heston as Henry Hooker was more like a glorified cameo and that's all. Still nice to see the late great Heston in a modern western regardless. Jason Priestley as Billy Breckinridge I felt was a OK but not enough screen time for this young actor so I feel he was wasted per say. Both these characters were not portrayed in the Costner version.
Jon Tenney as Sheriff Johnny Behan was I believe a tie with Mark Harmon's. Stephen Lang as Ike Clanton was just great. A tie with Jeff Fahey's, who was also great. Thomas Haden Church as Billy Clanton was much better than Costner's version.
Dana Delany as Josephine Marcus. was not bad but I gotta give it to Joanna Going's version. Both very beautiful actresses and they needed someone like that to interpret the Josephine role to make it believable that Wyatt would be mesmerized by this woman.
Paula Malcomson as Allie Earp loses to the great Catherine O'Hara's version. Even the beautiful Dana Wheeler-Nicholson's Mattie Blaylock loses to Mare Winningham's version. Joanna Pacula's take on Big Nose Kate was way more believable than Isabella Rossellini's. But then again Isabella wasn't given much screen time and some of her scenes were cut, so who knows, had Isabella had more to do she could have given Pacula a run for her money.
Michael Rooker as Sherman McMasters was not bad but short. Still it was way better than Todd Allen's in Costner's version. Billy Bob Thornton as Johnny Tyler was a nice treat. Paul Ben-Victor as Florentino was amusing. John Philbin as Tom McLaury was a nice bit. His was better than Adam Baldwin's one even though Baldwin's was more menacing as he stands 6'4" but Baldwin didn't have much to do in his version and Philbin has a nice bit confrontation scene with Russell's Wyatt. Robert John Burke as Frank McLaury was so-so. I prefer Rex Linn's one. Billy Zane as Mr. Fabian was nice bit. perfect casting for Zane. Even Boothe's Curly says, "this is the handsomest man I have ever seen"! lol Buck Taylor as Turkey Creek Jack Johnson was better than Costner's version. Terry O'Quinn as Mayor John Clum was not bad at all. I wonder how he would have done in the Behan role instead. Frank Stallone as Ed Bailey had a nice cameo bit. And Robert Mitchum as the Narrator was not inspired but nice to hear the recognizable Mitchum tone in there.
In the end, both films are good but as far as interpretations goes I gotta give it to Tombstone. But as storyline goes , Costner's versions wins there.