Wyatt Earp

Plot synopsis:
A teenage Wyatt Earp lives on the family farm. His older brothers, Virgil and James, are away at war serving with the Union Army. Wyatt dreams of war, and packs some belongings, bids his younger brothers and sisters goodbye, and attempts to run away, intending to lie about his age and join the Union Army. He doesn't make it off the farm before his father catches him and forces him to return home. A short while later, both brothers return home at the war's end, with James gravely wounded. Shortly afterwards, the family moves west. It is during this move that Wyatt first sees a man killed, shot during a gunfight. He gets sick at the sight, and vomits.
Years pass, finding him working out west as a wagon driver. During his time there, he works also as a referee for fights, and finds himself at odds with a bully. Wyatt and the bully eventually come to the point of fighting, with the bully intending to shoot Wyatt. Wyatt disarms him and defeats him, taking his gun as a trophy.
Returning home to Missouri, Wyatt marries a childhood sweetheart, Urilla Sutherland. The two move into their own house, and he begins working as a policeman. Months later, while pregnant, his wife dies from Typhoid fever. He stays by her side throughout the illness, becoming deeply depressed afterward. He burns their home and all they own, begins drinking, and drifting from town to town, eventually landing in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He robs a man and steals his horse, but is captured a short time later. With Wyatt facing certain hanging, his father bails him out of jail, telling him to leave and never return to Arkansas.
He begins working as a buffalo hunter, where he meets Bat Masterson and his brother Ed Masterson. The three become friends and work together hunting buffalo, with the two brothers working as Wyatt's skinners. Years pass, and he begins working as a Deputy Marshal in Wichita, Kansas, and builds a reputation as a good lawman. He is recruited to work as a deputy in Dodge City, with a lower salary, but for extra money for each arrest made, in the end making more than he would have in Wichita. In Dodge City he builds a hard reputation, and he kills his first man, a shooting witnessed by actress Josie Marcus. Wyatt becomes involved romantically with a prostitute, Mattie Blaylock, and the Mastersons begin working with him as deputies. Wyatt disagrees with Ed Masterson working as a lawman, believing him to be too passive. However, the Dodge City council decides that Ed is more acceptable than Wyatt due to the latter's excessive force, and fires him, appointing Ed to take his place. Wyatt then begins working for the railroad, capturing outlaws.
While pursuing outlaw Dave Rudabaugh, he is introduced to gunman and gambler Doc Holliday, in Fort Griffin, Texas, and the two become friends. Holliday assists Earp in locating Rudabaugh, whom he dislikes tremendously. Shortly afterward, Wyatt receives word that Ed Masterson has been killed, having shot and killed both his assailants before dying in the street. Wyatt returns to Dodge City to help bring law and order. After working there for a while, he and his family move to Tombstone, Arizona, under the protest of the Earp wives, and Mattie. Wyatt immediately finds himself at odds with the "Cowboy" gang. He meets and becomes romantically involved with Josie Marcus, which puts him at odds with her boyfriend, Sheriff Behan. This relationship also causes stress in his relationship with Mattie, and becomes the subject of rumor about town.
Wyatt and his brothers Morgan and Virgil arrest several Cowboys, and Virgil takes over as marshal following the murder of town marshal Fred White. The brothers find themselves at odds with the Cowboys often, and tension builds. Wyatt breaks up several altercations involving the Cowboys, particularly Ike Clanton (Jeff Fahey), and Doc Holliday swears his loyalty to Wyatt, whom he considers his only real friend. Eventually the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurs, with the brothers becoming very unpopular in town. Virgil is ambushed and wounded, and Morgan is killed. The film then shows only a glimpse of the Vendetta Ride with Wyatt and his friends taking out revenge on the remaining "Cowboys", and then skips to many years later with him and Josie mining for gold in Alaska. While en route by boat, a young man on the same boat recognizes Wyatt, and recounts a story in which Wyatt had saved the boy's uncle, "Tommy Behind-The-Deuce". Wyatt says to Josie, "Some people say it didn't happen that way", to which she responds "Never mind them, Wyatt. It happened that way."
An epilogue states that Doc Holliday died six years later in a hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Members of the Clanton gang continued to die mysteriously for years after Morgan's murder. Josie's and Wyatt's marriage lasted forty-seven years until Wyatt died at age 80 in Los Angeles.

Tags: cult, historical, murder, violence, flashback

Review:
When his replacement is killed as the law falls away in Dodge, Wyatt returns before moving on to Tombstone but finds his initial run-in with the Clantonhas left harbouring resentments.When I saw this in the cinema, it was hassled by the fact that another, more multiplex-friendly version of the story had just been released shortly before.
This means on one hand that we get a good picture over Wyatt's life as opposed to the events in Tombstone, however it also means that the film itself is a little dull and overlong.
The support cast is deep and includes faces such as Hackman, Fahey, Harmon, Pullman, Sizemore, Rossellini, Williams and O'Hara.Overall this is a film that requires patience - if you prefer your films to contain action more than story then Tombstone may be more for you - but, for all it's failings, this is still a solid western and a good telling of the legend with more emphasis on background than action and fluidity..
To do this, it looks at Earp's life in two stages: his life before, and after, a major transition.Contrary to what some may think, Kevin Costner does a very good job portraying the lawman.
His character experiences a wealth of emotion, but the script is so well written that Costner does not need to stretch himself to portray Earp effectively.The film comes together so well because of an excellent musical score, visually stunning cinematography, and strong acting by the supporting characters.
The direction by Kasdan is  quite low-key, allowing the viewer to be drawn into the story, rather than simply showing it to us.I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys epic stories, wonderful acting (particularly Dennis Quaid, although Tom Sizemore and Michael Madsen are excellent as well), and visually compelling shots.
WYATT EARP, the second of the epic films about the legendary lawman released between 1993-94, lacked the commercial values that made TOMBSTONE successful, but was a far riskier film, with higher aspirations.
Writer/Director Lawrence Kasdan, whose previous Western, SILVERADO (1985), had paid homage to Hollywood's Western clichés, wanted, with WYATT EARP, to cut through the myths, and create a film that would honestly examine an all-too-human Earp's life in the 'real' West, set against vistas of that were nearly overpowering in their immense size and beauty.
Unfortunately, the result was a mixed bag; while the film is beautiful to look at (with one of the most majestic film scores of recent years, composed by James Newton Howard), the characters (with the exception of Dennis Quaid's 'Doc Holiday') lack charisma, with Kevin Costner's portrayal of Earp so flat that it is difficult to arouse much interest in him (it would be nearly ten years before he finally 'got it right', in OPEN RANGE).
The film ultimately comes across as overblown and overlong, with it's memorable moments nearly lost amid panoramic views of the West.I still think, however, that WYATT EARP has a few redeeming qualities which make it worth viewing.
It is ironic that his performance had to follow TOMBSTONE's flamboyant 'Doc', Val Kilmer, who created such an over-the-top, audience-friendly character, that Quaid's more realistic portrayal would be forgotten.Another reason to watch WYATT EARP is it's presentation of the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and it's aftermath.
With the exception of John Sturges' HOUR OF THE GUN, no Westerns before TOMBSTONE and WYATT EARP had told the full story of the events, from the brief but deadly shootout, through the subsequent murder trial against the Earps, and Ike Clanton's vengeance, afterwards, resulting in Morgan Earp's murder, and Virgil Earp being crippled for life.
the rest are just strangers," speaks Wyatt's father at the beginning of the film--the most important line perhaps in the movie, with the exception of Wyatt's own at the end "Some say it didn't happen that way," commenting upon a flashback recounting his brand of law and justice in the wild cattle town of Dodge City.I wholeheartedly admit the film is long--but so are many other great films.
Unlike the more popular "Tombstone," this Earp story has a lot less profanity and almost no usage of the Lord's name in vain....but there is rough language and some crude sexual remarks, so don't watch it with the kiddies.At rate, the movie is a lot better than the critics would have you believe.
Nevertheless, "Wyat Earp" is a laudable effort and well worth the time to sit through its three hours and fifteen minutes running time.The performances were uniformly good, with a skeletal Dennis Quade particularly fine as the doomed Doc Holliday.
In fact, I thought that Quade's funny and moving performance as Doc Holliday was in the same class as Val Kilmer's portrayal of the same character in "Tombstone." The women playing the Earp wives, Catherine O'Hara, JoBeth Williams, Mare Winningham, and Betty Buckley, were also very effective.
The life and legend of Earp and his family proves very interesting, although taking a back seat to the film TOMBSTONE.Kevin Coster does a good job as the famed lawman, but seems a little less powerful compared to the image of Earp in our minds.
Other fine performances are logged in by Mark Harmon, Catherine O'Hara, Gene Hackman, Bill Pullman, Michael Madsen, Tom Sizemore, Tea Leoni, Martin Kove and Joanna Going.Maybe a half hour too long, but this movie is more than your average western.
It emerges as dull, bloated, uneven and about as truthful as many other pictures of this famous lawman with added overbearing score by James Newton Howard.Kevin Costner looks uneasy playing the younger Wyatt as an overgrown boy scout getting daily lectures on the importance of family by dad, Gene Hackman.After the sudden death of his first wife, what gradually emerges is a cold hard man who enforces the law his way, that way being by the barrel of the gun with his brothers as fellow enforcers.Director Lawrence Kasdan is shackled by Costner wanting to be the star of the show.
The actors playing the brothers Earp do not get much of a look in as they are in the shadows of Costner, their wives come across more forcefully as they stand up to Wyatt for putting their husbands in danger.
As his reputation as a good lawman grows, he is offered a job in Dodge City along with his brothers Virgil (Michael Madsen) and Morgan (Linden Ashby), where his reputation starts to take a turn for the worse.After the huge success of Dances With Wolves, this film seems to take a similar approach - epic, sweeping storytelling as opposed to the more action-packed angle usually taken when filming an Earp biography.
He can do brooding very well, and even though Wyatt Earp is portrayed as a complete bastard, with Costner playing him he remains an engaging character.Even with all the star actors on show - Madsen, Hackman, Bill Pullman, Tom Sizemore, Jim Caviezel, Jeff Fahey, Isabella Rossellini, Catherine O'Hara, and the excellent Dennis Quaid as Doc Holliday, the film does begin to drag.
Personally, the definitive Wyatt Earp film is John Ford's magnificent My Darling Clementine, and although it may not have the historical accuracy of this, it is a typically mystical, moving, and surprisingly dark masterpiece, featuring a great Henry Fonda performance.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com.
Unfortunately for him, the absolute best on screen Doc is Val Kilmer in the rival Wyatt Earp film, Tombstone.
Kevin Costner is excellent as Wyatt and also Dennis Quaid as Doc Holliday.
In Tombstone, we have Kurt Russell (Earp), Val Kilmer (Doc) and Stephen Lang (Ike Clanton) with Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton as the Earp brothers, Powers Boothe as an unredeemable Curly Bill Brocius and Michael Biehn as the deadly Johnny Ringo.Actors who played Earp include Henry Fonda ("My Darling Clementine"), Hugh O'Brien ("Wyatt Earp" TV series), Burt Lancaster ("Gunfight at OK Corral"), James Garner ("Hour of the Gun"), and Kurt Russell ("Tombstone").
For my tastes, the best Earp was Hugh O'Brien on the TV series, followed by Kurt Russell ("Tombstone") whom I think was the more realistic Earp.Actors who played Doc Holiday include Victor Mature who played a wonderful coughing Doc Holiday ("My Darling Clementine") as does Dennis Quaid in this film.
Val Kilmer ("Tombstone"), Kirk Douglas ("Gunfight at OK Corral"), Jason Robards ("Hour of the Gun"), and Douglas Fowley ("Wyatt Earp" TV series) also played Doc. Val Kilmer is my favorite Doc Holiday, though I am partial to TV's Douglas Fawley.Old Man Clanton was played savagely by Walter Brennan ("My Darling Clementine") but otherwise rarely shown.
"Wyatt Earp" had Kevin Costner (Earp), Dennis Quaid (Doc), and Jeff Fahey (Ike Clanton) along with a host of women who played the Earp's extended family.
this movie is quite a bit different than 1993's Tombstone.obviously it focuses on Wyatt Earp,more than anything.this movie paints quite a different picture of Earp than Tombstone does.it depicts him in a much different light.Kevin Costner's portrayal of Earp is much different than Kurt Russel's in Tombstone.i think i liked Russel's portrayal a bit more.Dennis Quaid portrays Doc Holliday,and his portrayal is much different than Val Kilmer's in Tombstone.i actually liked Val Kilmer's performance better,and i liked his character more.Quaid does a good job though.the supporting cast is also very good.another big difference between this movie and Tombstone,is that this movie is very deliberately paced,and more in depth.the story is much deeper.there is not that much action,and some may be turned of by the length of the movie at over 3hrs.but if you can view it as character study,you might enjoy it.one thing i really liked rising the musical score.i found it very rousing and poetic.for me,Wyatt Earp is a 7/10.
The movie brings not only the story of the life and times of Wyatt Earp, but also in showing you the events that led up to the beginning of the end of the Wild West.Any Wild West history buff will enjoy watching and understanding how the puzzle of the Old West fits into becoming a building block of our great nation.This movie will remain as one of my best loved movies..
A lengthy biopic about Wyatt Earp, this splendid film tackles the problem of telling the story of an actual man's life, and does it well.People do not live like Hollywood films in that our lives have no plot.
And his life kept right on trucking after that.Good performances all around, although I did not believe anyone gave the performance of their career.Often this movie is compared to another film, Tombstone.
I tried, but it was pretty impossible to root for Kevin Costner in this movie, and if you're not rooting for the hero, you've got a very long three hours in store for you.My favorite version of this story is 1957's Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Dennis Quaid's portrayal of Doc Holliday is something to behold.The remainder of the cast is pretty amazing for the names involved, some of which weren't stars yet and/or had very minor roles - Gene Hackman, Mark Harmon, Bill Pullman, Michael Madsen, Jeff Fahey, Isabella Rossellini, Tom Sizemore, Mare Winningham, Tea Leoni.So much potential wasted..
Although Wyatt Earp was authentic,I preferred Tombstone,as it portrayed more of the actual violence and pathos in the old west.Kurt Russell did a better job of portraying Wyatt Earp,as Sam Elliot,Powers Boothe,Michael Behin,and especially Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday.I am a real aficionado of the old west,and Tombstone was one of the best westerns ever made.Kevin Costner just does not seem to grasp the roles he is given and his portrayal of Wyatt Earp was really limp.And Dennis Quaid seemed like he wished he were somewhere else,Gene Hackman should have been in Tombstone,because he was wasted in Wyatt Earp,as was most of the other actors.Even "The Hour Of The Gun" with James Garner was Better,and it was made in 1967..
This movie relates more to Wyatt Earp's life compared to Tombstone, which is more on the gunfights and conflict.
The acting is nothing but subpar; and like my title says, if you want a wyatt earp story, watch Tombstone.
Eventually it culminates into the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral with Doc Holliday (Dennis Quaid).Kevin Costner is fine as a younger Wyatt still searching for a direction.
Director Lawrence Kasdan does a good job filming the movie but this long biopic will always have problems.
Wyatt Earp is a more ambitious film, and it clearly looks to pay more attention to real historical accounts, In the end however, it just isn't paced that well, and it lacks the action that Tombstone delivers consistently.Kevin Costner is quite good as Wyatt Earp.
This epic and beautifully shot western is one of Costner's best films.Following the life of legendary law man Wyatt Earp, this very underrated movie pictures the 'real' man with the 'legend' and gives viewers' a chance to decide for themselves what type of man Earp really was.
Rather than focusing totally on the OK Corral, there is an emphasis on the events prior to Tombstone that molded Wyatt Earp.This is one of the few Western movies I've seen where you get a feel for how it actually might have been to live in that time.
As for the other actors, they are all outstanding with Dennis Quaid in particular turning in a great performance as Doc Halladay.A lot of people have commented on this movie and Tombstone.
I loved Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer as the movie's center pieces, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday respectively.
Then there is the much debated arguement over who plays a better Doc Holliday, Val Kilmer in Tombstone, or Dennis Quaid in Wyatt Earp.
Dennis Quaid (ENEMY MINE) was, historically, a better Doc. Costner's (PERFECT WORLD) Wyatt Earp was outstanding.
Kevin Costner has made an entertaining and intelligent movie that seeks to tell people the real story about what happened in Tombstone..
Continuing my plan to watch every Kevin Costner movie in order, I come to Wyatt Earp, his second movie from 1994.It's impossible to talk about this movie without mentioning Tombstone, simply because it was released six months before, and focused on the only part of Earps life people care to know about.
The subject is the whole life span of Wyatt Earp, and is a much more serious movie than the flashier Hollywood pleasing characters portrayed in Tombstone.
However, at the end of the day Wyatt Earp is still a very good movie.
Kevin Costner did a great job here as Wyatt Earp delivering a very good and believable well rounded performance.
It's almost like they were using the same acting coach, but Dennis Quaid in this film and Val Kilmer in Tombstone which came out roughly the same time turn in virtually identical performances as the murderous and tubercular Doc Holiday.
Within the next decade and a half, I predict one if not more films will be made to once again interpret the character and events of the life and legend of Wyatt Earp..
When comparing "Tombstone" to "Wyatt Earp", I have to say that they are both good films, although "Wyatt Earp" has many points that overpower "Tombstone".First of all, we have a great cast of talented actors including Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Michael Madsen, Mark Harmon, Jeff Fahey, Joanna Going, Tom Sizemore, and Bill Pullman.
The film's main score is also memorable.Of course, the one thing that "Tombstone" definitely beats "Wyatt Earp" by is action and entertainment.
I agree with a lot of criticism about the movie, but still I was shocked at how WYATT EARP paled next to TOMBSTONE when they came out around the same time.
But I think both films give a good overview of Wyatt Earp and seen to be consistent with the true story of the legend.
If I was to pick a favourite I would probably say Wyatt Earp payed by Kevin Costner is probably the better as this film goes back into what made the man, whereas tombstone is about his time in tombstone.
There are many good actors in this movie like Michael Madsen and Tom Sizemore yet only Dennis Quaid's Doc Holliday was memorable.
The movie Tombstone, while very action packed, is nothing more than a "cartoon" depiction of the story of Wyatt Earp.
Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp and Dennis Quaid's Doc Holliday Should not be overlooked.
and in doing so tell us a story of Wyatt Earp the man that goes beyond Tombstone..
Obviously the most accurate and realistic movie regarding the life and times of Wyatt Earp.
It is an enjoyable and entirely watchable movie, but is more about how good Kurt Russell,Val Kilmer, and Sam Elliot look in those long black coats and black pants.It is a Hollywood version, portraying Wyatt Earp as what we would like our heroes to be.Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp on the other hand is a movie about exactly what it purports to be--the life and character of the man.
It is an epic version of the important events in Earp's life that shaped the man, and should not be confused or compared with other movies (no matter how great!) that center on 15 seconds in history.Tombstone vs.
Performances are good, especially from Dennis Quaid as Doc Holliday, Kevin Costner was a bit bland in some of the scenes with his first wife but generally he was good also.It is lengthy, my copy of the film involves turning the disk over half way through, but it is a biopic that chooses to document Wyatt's life as a lawman right from Wichita to Tombstone and in great detail as well.
Most of the movie and dialogue was top of the notch excellent but it got a tad bit boring.Overall this movie was very cool and I thought that it depicted Wyatt Earp's life well and Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid are awesome.
There have been many movies that have been made about the life of Wyatt Earp and the events that he was a part of in the Historic West.
Overall, the movie did an excellent job in portraying Wyatt Earp the man, not the legend.