A gritty, realistic portrayal of the old west

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2006)

This is a great western. Similar to the style of westerns I grew up with in the 1950's. Kurt Russell was convincingly deadly in his face down with a few who had it coming. Val Kilmer was both humorous and pathetic as the diseased and dieing Doc Holiday. I felt all of the actors were convincing and believable. This is certainly one of the better modern day westerns. Wyatt is portrayed as wanting to avoid being a lawman because he saw the risks as outweighing the benefits. It is others and circumstances that draw Wyatt into being a lawman and later he is incensed to the point of revenge bordering on lawless behavior himself. Dana Delaney provides an interesting distraction for our hero. The shootout is portrayed quite well and of course we know the outcome.