Cosmatos has directed some really bad movies. I really don’t want to insult the guy, but it kinda feels like Tombstone is a great movie despite the director. Unless you credit him for the performances, the film isn’t directed particularly well. The story and the performances are just so bloody good that this film is fun to watch every single time, (I’ve seen it probably ten or eleven times.)
Kurt Russell is the star; Wyatt Earp the real life star of the wild west. However, everybody who knows this movie will agree, that the standout performance is Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday.
The two most famous lines:
I’m your Huckleberry.
and
Alright, Lunger. Let’s do it.
Both of these quotes are between Kilmer’s Doc Holliday and his nemesis, Johnny Ringo – the devil in black, played by the supremely misunderstood, expert character actor – who looks so much like a leading man that people have been miscasting him for years. A brilliant actor and a star without the ego – Michael Biehn.
The first quote is from a scene where Ringo gets drunk and goes looking for a fight. Only to find no one wants to mess with him. Except Doc Holliday. And when it looks like there could be a death battle, Ringo’s boss, Wild Bill reins him in and takes him inside.
Later in the film, the two have a final showdown. Ringo seems genuinely afraid of our lovable anti-hero Doc, but he won’t show it. A bit of false bravado and he tries to unleash the beast within, as he utters the famous line. And the two have a final one on one up-close and personal quickdraw gunfight. Which is over pretty quickly.
Whether it’s historically accurate isn’t really the point. It’s a powerfully effective, beautifully violent and interesting, not to mention romantic, action film without the silliness, or the massive budget – of most of Arnie’s material.
I think a better director, like say Tony Scott or James Cameron, could have made this a blockbuster movie with real guts and charm. As it is, this is still a hard movie to forget. It has some dynamite scenes and a whole shit load of sentiment.
My favourite scenes are – well yes, you guessed right the showdown between Doc and Ringo. But also when Wyatt takes the gloves off and enjoys one more ride for Wyatt Earp and his immortals.
You tell him I’m coming, and Hell’s coming with me!
That moment is like when shit gets real. Somebody died in a bloody mess. And it was gory, tragic and sad. Wyatt is burned by this and all the mess that things have turned into. And he’s been avoiding the fight this whole time, because he just wants to retire and live happily ever after with his family. But the cowboys pushed too far, and he’s lost his nut. Now he’s going to kill them all. It’s a real balls out moment.
5 stars
the joy of eating and the folly of thinking 
I love that film, so much better than the Kevin Costner take on the same events.
You are right though. It is Kilmer’s film in every way imaginable, and one of his best performances too.
Thanks for following my blog, which is much appreciated.
Best wishes, Pete.
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thanks Pete, no problem, I liked what I read and will read more soon. thanks for commenting I appreciate it.
Yea Kilmer is amazing in Tombstone. We were studying the gunfight at the ok coral in high school and we had to choose someone to research. I wanted to do Doc Holliday but my mate already chose him, so I was ‘stuck’ with Johnny Ringo, at the time I wanted to be a good guy. But now Johnny Ringo is my 2nd favourite in that film. Michael Biehn is so awesome! I know it’s kind of a B-movie in some ways, but it’s alot of fun to watch and so re-watchable.
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It’s my favourite version of the Earp story, and Stephen Lang is always such a good villain too.
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ha I had to look him up. Ike was awesome, I was so sucked in by his character I didn’t even wonder who the actor was. Great thing about character actors and some really good ones in that movie.
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