feels like a return to genre traditions.
a classic.
Val Kilmer Owns Tombstone
This Is No Revisionist Western
, but Kilmer is the performance people remember. A delicate dandy he may be, but those are the qualities that elevate Kilmer’s performance. Despite his illness, there is a keen intellect at work behind the card-counting mentality. This is why other actors came on set every day to watch him work.
is the movie that is talked about even now. In a performance that explores ideas of redemption, he stands toe to toe with those who would see him dead and tries to forsake firearms. It is a technique familiar to Westerns going back as far as director John Ford that works by putting anti-heroes in a moral dilemma. Within Russell’s performance, there are elements of masculinity at play that feed back into the cultural expectations of the time. Men were defined through their actions, carried guns with the intention of using them, and killed men for kudos. Only a certain type of actor can pull off those intricacies with conviction, hinting at the conflict beneath without showing weakness.
Wyatt Earp: Are you gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?
acknowledges that by leaning into homage, predominantly with references to Sergio Leone.
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The Western genre of movies is a staple in Hollywood, and there are a few films that helped to elevate and define the classic genre.
Sergio Leone Has a Huge Influence on Tombstone
Gender Stereotypes Undermine This Movie
feels like a Western for film fans after a fix. From the opening introduction that sees a bridegroom get shot and his bride-to-be humiliated by Powers Boothe and his men, this feels like familiar territory. Ruthless cowboys who seem incapable of shaving or taking a bath stand in opposition to Wyatt Earp and his men, who stay clean without once going near water. It is a simplistic yet effective way of signaling to audiences who they should root for without putting in the effort of making these characters three-dimensional.
feel like a made-for-television movie at certain points. Granted, those moments are few and far between, but nonetheless, a few seconds of slow motion in an action scene can undo so much good work. That Spaghetti Western style is also reflected in the depiction of women in this world, who are treated as trinkets for their men to admire.
Josephine: Interesting little scene. I wonder who that tall drink of water is.
untouchable.
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Tombstone Has Some Issues
A-Listers Are Not Enough to Make This a Classic
who have done better work elsewhere. The reputation of a movie can ebb and flow over time, and a rose-tinted perspective has clearly stopped some people from being objective.
, which might have a staked cast of A-list character actors, but it also comes with drawbacks. Incidental music makes certain moments feel disjointed, outdated attitudes grate, and sometimes production values are compromised. These factors call into question the status of Tombstone as a classic and may cause some to look a bit harder. Putting movies on a pedestal and defending them to death implies a lack of flexibility. Times change, attitudes change, and critical thinking needs to change along with it. In cinematic terms, that is what they call progress.
Tombstone is now available to watch and own physically and digitally.
Tombstone
It chronicles the legendary Wyatt Earp and his brothers as they seek a peaceful life in the titular town. Their efforts are disrupted by the violent Clanton gang, leading to the iconic Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Pros & Cons
- Val Kilmer is exceptional as Doc Holliday
- Kurt Russell measures up a Wyatt Earp
- Michael Biehn does Johnny Ringo proud
- Gender stereotypes undermine the action
- Underwritten supporting roles hinder the ensemble cast
- Incident music sometimes makes the action feel fractured
