Great performances and gunfights make "Tombstone" a western to enjoy

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2008)

Great performances and gunfights make "Tombstone" a western to enjoy. Well at least for me anyway, personally I have never been a big fan of westerns. So I may be to harsh or too lenient in my review, as I am vastly unfamiliar with what makes or breaks a western. So I will try to do my best to address all aspects of the film.
The film "Tombstone" concerns three brothers; Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), Virgil Earp (Sam Elliot) and Morgan Earp (Bill Paxton) venturing to a town called Tombstone (a developing mining town) and settling in. Here Wyatt meets a close friend Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer). Together they attempt to rake in the bucks gambling at a local saloon. Unfortunately several misfits and murders land them in trouble with the cowboys, a ruthless gang of maniacs, who appear to be in control of the town more than the police, or the town Marshall. After a murder of the town sheriff the trouble really begins. This trouble leads Wyatt and his brothers fearing for there lives, and as a result they join the police force. Although Wyatt initially was reluctant (as he was once a law man) he decides to help his brothers. Violence and mayhem persists and a war breaks out between authorities and cowboys, with moral and physical losses on both sides.
Now what everyone man or women seems in my opinion to like about westerns is three things; number one- cowboys, number two- shootouts and number three the presence of the classic saloon. "Tombstone" dishes this out in healthy doses. Some of the memorable shootouts include the; Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (a real shootout) among others. Now these shootouts are quick paced and feature casualties on both sides, and include a great variation in weaponry used. This is mixed in with moderate amounts of blood that don't move interest away from, neither the brilliant sets nor the costumes, but succeed in adding realism and occasionally shock value. Now the sets and costumes are something to really wonder over. The costumes appear authentic and the sets just as authentic. The sets also have a distinct warn down feel; which assists in placing viewers in a corrupt and dusty western environment.
Now aside from feeling like a western movie, the acting and the dialogue is quite authentic and enables you to really soak up the atmosphere of the picture, without being distracted by poor dialogue or bad acting. Now the best acting is given by Kilmer, who portrays Doc Holiday in such a way; you really will believe he existed. Kilmer doesn't overact at all and portrays him as a calm, but an in control man. Dialogue associated with good acting include; "All right, Clanton... you called down the thunder, well now you've got it! You see that?" said by Wyatt and "The Cowboys are finished, you understand? I see a red sash, I kill the man wearin' it!", also said by Wyatt. Now what makes this dialogue authentic is it doesn't seem forced and seems to be dialogue in which someone would come p with on the spot in an actual situation.
What also mesmerised me about the film is the substantial character development that occurs. At first Wyatt and his brothers are to varying degrees attempting to avoid fighting the cowboys, but after a while they literally launch a personal vendetta against them, which historical became known as the "vendetta ride". Not only are changes and conflict intriguing to watch, it also makes successful drama which makes "Tombstone" seem very sophisticated. Now I didn't enjoy everything about "Tombstone", one thing that really bugged me about the film, was the lack of time and detail spent on developing the cowboys. Now this effected my viewing of the film quite substantially. I began to feel as if the movie lacked in presenting villains that has emotions, had motives and had lives. They just seemed to pop up and disappear. The only cowboy who is talked about in some detail is Ringo (Michael Biehn), the motive for his villainous actions are; he is simply a sick, sadistic man. Now this is probably one of the biggest flaws, and won't concern most viewers aside from the very picky viewers (like me).
Summing up, "Tombstone" is an enjoyable western flick that presents believable characters and sets, combined with compelling gunfights and realism that sets it apart from other "action flicks". Overall I give "Tombstone" a well earned 7.3 out of 10. Not the best western I have seen, but pretty damn good for a modern one. Now I mentioned the film does have some blood in it. But the blood is rather quick and occurs infrequently throughout the film and is not very disturbing, so anyone 11 and older should be all right watching this film. Although many of them may find it too slow moving.