Still Quite Remarkable

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2009)

Not sure how it happened but somehow I ended up reading about one of my favorite American anti-heroes, Doc Holliday, the other weekend and by golly I was inspired to dig out my tape of TOMBSTONE. And gosh darnit this is still a very enjoyable modern day western, with a fabulous cast, some great laugh out loud moments and a sly sense of humor that sets it apart from some of it's more lead-footed contemporaries.
It's far from a perfect film. Kurt Russell isn't quite larger-than-life enough for Wyatt Earp (he's still the COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES guy, even thirty five years later), the screenplay & cinematography is hit or miss in spots. The music is stirring at the right moments but doesn't have the resonance of something like Walter Hill's THE LONG RIDERS -- still my personal favorite of the modern era westerns -- nor the novelty of a good old spaghetti western score.
The comparison to spaghetti westerns is inevitable, as far as I can see, mostly because TOMBSTONE is a cartoon of sorts. A graphic novel for grown-ups that just happens to use the legend of the Gunfight at O.K. Corral as it's departure point. It's colorful, bloody, bombastic, funny, pop oriented, and yet it has some very memorable moments that are perhaps more important than the work as a whole. Westerns in general are usually more about their individual moments than their story arcs, an attribute that directors like Sergio Leone or Sergio Corbucci understood very well. I think both of them would have enjoyed TOMBSTONE & gotten a kick out of how some of their own ideas were recycled by the very industry they themselves were recycling.
The standout attribute of the film is still Val Kilmer's delightful interpretation of Doc Holliday. With his southern drawl, cultured mannerisms, sly quick wits ("I've got two guns, one for each of ya.") and still quotable one-liners he created a role that was uniquely his. Whether or not it was as historically accurate as Kirk Douglas or Jason Robards or Dennis Quaid's versions isn't important. And like him or not as a person, the moments where Doc gets to shine are the movie's high points. The best part of his role is that Kilmer seems to have been aware that TOMBSTONE was a cartoon, and caricatured himself accordingly. As did many of the supporting players, particularly Powers Booth, Michael Biehn and Stephen Lang's delightfully scummy Ike Clanton.
Part of what makes the film so remarkable is what a star crossed production it was in the first place. Originally a Kevin Costner envisioned project, he departed quickly to make his own Wyatt Earp movie upon creative disagreements with writer + original director Kevin Jarre, who was promptly fired when Kurt Russell came into the project and changed it's focus. Robert Mitchum was injured before he could play his role, a sitting director could not be secured until the late George P. Cosmatos agreed to helm. Kurt Russell apparently directed the bulk of the project himself just to keep the production alive, which perhaps explains some of the more awkward moments.
The most awkward being Dana DeLaney's role as Josephine Marcus, Wyatt Earp's love interest. Her part was either inflicted on the script hastily or is sadly under-written, a conclusion borne out by stories about an original three hour version that might have explored her character in a bit more interesting of a manner. I also can't get around Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, who makes bizarre facial expressions through the whole film that aren't helped much by that cookie duster mustache he grew. Then again one of the historical accuracy traits the film boasts is that all of the mustaches and period costumes are real, which explains why Val Kilmer is sweating there in a wool suit for the entire movie. No air conditioning in the old west.
So while it may not have the poignancy of UNFORGIVEN or the breadth of THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY or even the macho swagger of an EL DORADO John Wayne film, TOMBSTONE is one of the great American westerns and a marvelous entertainment & deserves to be seen again. Here's a movie that's worth owning your own copy of.
7/10