Excellent Western!

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2004)

"Tombstone" is a gem of a movie. It has everything a good movie should have: action, drama, romance, and comedy. An all-star cast and good writing round it out to make it an awesome film.
Kurt Russell did a good job starring as retired lawman Wyatt Earp. Along with scene-stealing Val Kilmer as the best on-screen Doc Holliday to date, the chemistry between those two was awesome. They played well off of one another, and showed a deep friendship between the two legends. Other notable performances include Michael Biehn as the contemptible gunfighter outlaw and rival to Doc Holliday, Johnny Ringo; Sam Elliot as Wyatt's older, more world-weary brother, Virgil; and Bill Paxton as Wyatt's light-hearted and more innocent brother, Morgan, whose best moment in the film came with Morgan's realization of what it felt like to really kill someone, even doing it to save Doc's life.
Someone else mentioned that this movie is more "popcorn" fair, as far as Westerns go. I don't agree. I think this movie, while not going as far as some, still manages to convey character depth, just more subtly, and I must admit, taking a back seat to much of the action.
I have two complaints about this movie. One, some of the scenes were incredibly graphic. The opening sequence at the mission, designed to make the viewer despise the outlaw gang, The Cowboys, did a good job at that. But it was a little hard to take, as was the part after Doc shot Ringo. The camera angles were strange, and jarring to the eye. Two, the parts of the women in the film, aside from Josephine, were too small and not very developed. I would have liked to know more about Louisa and Allie, Virgil and Morgan's wives. But for all that, this movie is an excellent movie, and I would recommend it for anyone who likes Westerns.
Note: the majority of this film was filmed at Old Tucson, a movie studio built in 1939. It's a place tourists can go. However, a fire nine years ago has changed what it looks like now, as opposed to then. But if you'd ever been there before 1995, you can recognize the places they filmed in Old Tucson!