Superior retelling of the OK Corral gunfight

Rating: 7/10 (25 October 2006)

The legendary gunfight at the OK Corral has been addressed several times on film; this is a well designed and faithful retelling of the story.
For the 1990's, this was remarkably old-school western in its approach. The larger than life Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell, sporting a giant mustache) and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer, also mustachioed) are portrayed as the legend paints them: heroically brave, with only traces of dented halos. Both Russell and Kilmer occupy their respective roles as these historic gunfighters with exuberance and urgency. Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton are great as the remaining Earp bothers, Virgil and Morgan.
The movie, like most of the other versions of the OK Corral story, elects to take poetic license to inflate the legendary characters and events of Tombstone. One of the Earps and one of the Clanton gang gunmen are missing, and the order of a couple of events have been changed in chronology. A couple of items are omitted, and a couple others fabricated. However, the deviations from history are negligible and easy to overlook, as the movie's focus on developing the main characters is thereby enabled. There is good insight to the souls of Wyatt and Doc, and what they stood for. The steadily mounting animosity between the two camps, and how it is exacerbated with each skirmish, is presented well.
The gunfight itself is strategically handled, and realistic. Events before and after the fight are also developed and showcased well. A fine movie for history buffs or western fans.