"If we're gonna have a future in this town, it's gotta have some law and order".

Rating: 10/10 (30 July 2010)

I'll get on a roll every now and then, and right now I'm into the Earps and the Gunfight at the OK Corral. Actually I'm coming back to the subject having watched 1994's "Wyatt Earp:Return to Tombstone" last week, which in turn caused me to do some more reading and research on the topic. Both movies actually get a lot of the history of the Earp Brothers down pretty accurately, right down to some of the nuances that led to the famous gunfight. Like Wyatt Earp bumping into Tom McLaury coming out of The Oriental, and cold cocking him to provoke a confrontation. There were a lot of those historical tidbits sprinkled throughout the story, so that if you learned about them ahead of time, you would be even more intrigued by the film.
That wasn't the case the first time I saw this picture when it came out in 1993. Back then, this was purely escapist entertainment, and the story of the OK Corral was just another fuzzy piece of Western history. But watching today, there's a lot about that period of the early 1880's that comes into focus under director George Cosmatos' discerning eye. If you're a Wyatt Earp fan, (and I am), and watch the picture from a completely neutral perspective, it becomes pretty evident that the Earp Brothers formed their own version of a protection racket once they got a foothold in Tombstone. With no more than a blistering confrontation with Ed Bailey (Frank Stallone) - "You gonna do somethin' or just stand there and bleed?" - Wyatt picks up a quarter interest in the Oriental. That kind of intimidation gained the Earps a reputation that quickly earned them a financial stake in virtually all the gambling and prostitution the town had to offer.
On the opposite side of course were the Cowboys. The opening narration to the picture might have gone a bit overboard with their description as the first instance of organized crime in the country. Actually, the Cowboys depended on a rather loose association based on business interests and family affiliation, along with personal friendships. In 1881, the Clantons were rather large landowners who derived much of their income from cattle rustling. The citizens of Tombstone were somewhat divided in their opinion of the Earps and the Cowboys, because even though they were a rowdy bunch, the Cowboys spent their money freely throughout the town. It wasn't surprising then, that elements would seek revenge on the Earps after the gunfight and trial.
But enough of the history. One of the things that I had forgotten all about was the opening sequence with Curly Bill (Powers Boothe) and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). Eight years earlier, Clint Eastwood built a movie narrative around Revelations 6, Verse 8 in "Pale Rider" - "And I looked, and behold a pale horse. And his name that sat on his back was Death, and Hell followed with him". I'm somewhat surprised the picture used virtually the same theme to kick off this picture. Johnny Ringo goes on to effect his own demonic influence throughout the story, but I wonder now whether it's more intriguing to consider Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday as the real pale rider of the story. Racked by tuberculosis, Kilmer gradually transforms his character into a deathlike spectre who faces Ringo in a final throw down that was pre-ordained. But I have to say, their initial meeting in The Oriental ranks right up there as one of the most memorable scenes in movie Westerns. Kilmer's cup twirl was an inspired piece of writing and acting brilliance.
As for the fabled gunfight, the story gets it right once again (for the most part). The McLaury's and Billy Clanton died, Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran off, while Morgan and Virgil Earp were severely wounded. Doc Holliday took a bullet to the hip, and Wyatt came away unscathed. I counted over fifty rounds fired in the picture against history's account of roughly thirty one shots fired, nevertheless, it was all over pretty quickly.
Dispensing with the Spicer trial that found Wyatt and Doc cleared of murder charges, the events that follow wind up economically compressed for time. With Virgil (Sam Elliott) once again severely shot and wounded, and Morgan (Bill Paxton) murdered, Wyatt and Doc embark on a lesser known facet of Tombstone history, the Earp Vendetta Ride. With a loyal group of followers, Wyatt and Doc sought revenge on those they considered responsible for the attacks on the Earps. Historically, Johnny Ringo met his demise during this period, though the circumstances of his death is open to wide speculation, one of which is the version offered here.
Although they maintained contact following the vendetta ride, Wyatt and Doc Holliday basically went their separate ways, so the scene at the Glenwood Springs Sanatorium is the film's final attempt to elicit some genuine emotion from the players and the viewer. I'll let them get away with that, as every film takes some license with history. It's the picture's last chance to put the Wyatt Earp/Doc Holliday relationship into perspective, as reflecting on Doc's words earlier in the film states it best - "Wyatt Earp is my friend".