A movie to watch again and again

Rating: 9/10 (17 April 2001)

*** tiny spoiler about romance included ** I do not like action films. I do not like shoot-em-up scenes. I do not like movies with cursing and taking God's name casually. I do not generally stay awake and alert during Westerns. Why, then, did I run out and buy this after one viewing? Why do I drag family and friends over to enjoy it with me? This movie is visually beautiful but deals with rough times and difficult themes. The characters are full of contradiction, just as in real life. The acting is great, down to every bit part. The action does not get boring even after you've seen it enough times to know exactly what will happen. There are more quotable lines than you can shake a Peacemaker at. Kurt Russell -- I still have trouble believing it is he! -- is so good at creating a persona who is admirable yet unsure of the deeper aspects of life. Val Kilmer is riveting in his portrayal of Doc Holliday: it is a hypnotically intense portrait, brimming with pathos. PLEASE don't get the idea that it is some cerebral, talk-filled flick. I watch the shooting and horse-riding scenes over & over because they are so clever. But even if you only like action and bang-bang-you're-dead stuff, I guarantee you will be doing a mental "compare & contrast" of the characters days later, and discussing them with others. You'll be sifting thru the many fan sites devoted to this multi-layered movie and watching again and again to catch some trivial background action or piece of dialogue. Don't expect historical accuracy -- it's a movie! -- and don't expect it to be either totally realistic or squeaky-clean. My only two complaints are that the DVD comes in widescreen while my husband enjoys full-frame (wah wah), and I don't like the silly romance between Wyatt and It's-Obvious-To-Whom, who is an unattractive person, being a 10-year-old mind in a woman's body.