"I'm your huckleberry"

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2015)

Tombstone tells the story of an aging Wyatt Earp who seeks to settle down and create some roots in Tombstone, Arizona. He is committed to changing his ways of womanizing and scuffling, in hopes of maintaining a business and a peaceful life. When you lie with dogs, however, you are unlikely to avoid getting fleas. With his gang of rascals helmed by Doc Holliday, trouble mounts. Holliday, much less committed to Earp's draw to a peaceful life seeks as much pleasure as possible, while enjoying life to the fullest. Earp's troubles go well beyond the confines of his own gang. Soon after arriving in Tombstone, Earp realizes that the cowboys that have run this town, and the law, are not willing to back down from their land without a fight. Another bright spot to Tombstone is a Miss Josephine Marcus, actress in the local theater who takes no time noticing Wyatt Earp, even though Earp tries to take his time noticing Miss Marcus. This love interest proves vital for Earp, as Josephine shows Wyatt how to seek and gain something from life, and how to enjoy it. Under attack, and unwilling to be scared away, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the rest of the gang set out to prove that the west is left to be won for anyone. Technically, this movie is a stunning success! Set against the sometimes mountainous, sometimes open plains of the Old West, each shot is a miniature piece of art that comes together to create a magnificent mural. This film also reached outside of the box (pun intended) and minimized the screen to remind the viewer of the stretched screen format in which many classic westerns were watched on. This nod proved useful to establishing the authenticity of a western filmed in the modern day. Also essential to providing the western flair that the audience expects was the multiple extreme close-up shots of faces dispersed throughout the film. These shots help set the tone, and the mood of each character by blocking out all other visual stimuli, oftentimes leaving only the eyes visible to the viewer. Not only did this camera work set the gritty western tone, but it added benefit of seeing the character as they were going through their struggles.
Tombstone proves to be an exceptionally acted ensemble piece. Anytime you have a film composed of about 30 main actors, the likelihood of one character upstaging another or one character disappearing into the background proves great. In this film, however, this problem never occurred. Each actor had at least one moment in which their character shines, and their acting is noticed. For me, the standout was Val Kilmer. It is unfortunate for Val Kilmer that what turned out to be, possibly the best performance of his career happened in a year stacked with masterpiece performances of supporting actors. When you watch Kilmer's Doc Holliday, and you watch both his health deteriorate and his drunken stupor, you see a depth to the actor that I, for one, did not know was there. When immersed in the film, it is easy to immediately state that he should have taken home a statuette that year from the dear Academy. Then, when you remember that was also the year of honoring work like The Schindler's List, you remember Ralph Fiennes' performance snub. Kilmer's acting in this film is the pinnacle of his career, and he should have certainly, at least, been nominated for it. An all-star cast came together for Tombstone and it will not disappoint. A stellar ensemble performance, wonderfully casted, and a beautiful backdrop proves Tombstone a western force to be reckoned with.