Tombstone: Why I Still Love It

Rating: 4 out of 5

WHEN Tombstone first rode into cinemas in 1996 it seemed destined to exist in the shadow of the Kevin Costner star vehicle, Wyatt Earp, given Costner’s expertise with the Western genre.

But it actually became a word of mouth hit, gunning down Earp at the box office by virtue of its more straightforward, less epic approach.

Where Costner’s epic unfolded over three hours and adopted a self-serious tone (it remains a good movie), Tombstone opted for a lighter one and a more agile approach to the subject matter. It mixed strong gun-toting action with involving romance and even a terrific bromance.

And it features an all-time great performance from Val Kilmer (arguably his best) as the tuberculosis ravaged Henry “Doc” Holliday.

Kilmer commands every scene he’s in, injecting his portrayal of Holliday with equal parts menace, loyalty and unpredictability. In real life, Doc was reportedly hard to warm to and easy to anger - and while there’s certainly hints of that here (his steadfast loyalty to Earp born out of the realisation that he is his only friend), Kilmer also works hard to make him both likeable and effortlessly cool.

This is never more apparent than during an early stand-off between Doc and Michael Biehn’s unhinged villain Johnny Ringo, in which he follows a dazzling display of gun play from Ringo with his own mocking copy, mimicking Ringo’s moves with just his cup. It’s a dazzling moment of bravado, guaranteed to bring a wry smile to all who witness it.

But throughout, Kilmer displays an uncanny ability to put people down while remaining cool in the process. Another favourite moment sees him produce a poker hand that fleeces another villain, Ike Clanton, of his money, before declaring: “Well, isn’t that a daisy?” And then adding: “Maybe poker’s just not your game. I know, let’s have a spelling contest.”

Or the moment when, clearly drunk, he points a revolver at yet another member of the Clanton gang and, upon being mocked for being too drunk to shoot straight, replies: “I have two guns. One for each of you.”

But there’s more to Kilmer’s performance than just pure sass. There’s a sense of melancholy too, especially in the intimate moments between him and Earp, culminating in a final exchange between the two of them, as Doc lies on his death bed, that is incredibly poignant.

If Kilmer is the main reason for seeing Tombstone, he’s certainly not the only one.

Kurt Russell is a convincingly iconic Wyatt Earp, leaning into the legendary status of the lawman with a steel that is entirely believable - lending credibility to an early moment in which he tackles a casino bully (played by Billy Bob Thornton) with just his reputation and street smarts.

There’s a sensitive side, too, as evidenced in his interactions with both his opium addicted wife and his future lover (Dana Delaney), as well as a fiercely protective family man and brother, who wants nothing more than to settle down, make a fortune and forget the ‘sins’ of his own past. Yet when called upon, he is ferocious in seeking revenge.

There’s strong support, too, from Bill Paxton, as naive younger brother Morgan, and from Sam Elliott, as the just Virgil, whose decision to take up he role of Tombstone’s sheriff sets in motion the chain of events that will lead to the iconic Gunfight at the OK Coral and its subsequent fallout.

Director George P Cosmatos, who stepped in at the last minute with a lot of support from Russell himself, stages that legendary gunfight extremely well, building the tension nicely and capturing the intensity and chaos of the ensuing gunplay.

In real life, the shoot-out involved 30 seconds of gunfire and left two men dead and another dying. It continues to be debated as to whether it was a courageous act of law enforcement or an act of murder - but Tombstone certainly frames it as a heroic act against a group of hoodlums the film’s narrator (Robert Mitchum) refers to as the earliest example of organised crime.

Tombstone is by no means the definitive version of the Earp story. It takes some artistic licence, not least with the scale of Earp’s retribution following the murder of Morgan, as well as the climactic confrontation between Doc and Ringo.

But it does, at times, strive for historical accuracy in the smallest details: according to a review in The Guardian newspaper, some of the dialogue, including Holliday’s aphorisms, is remarkably accurate, and small details such as the Earps and Holliday drinking Old Overholt whiskey (reportedly Doc’s favorite tipple) and a dog barking as Morgan lies dying are true.

It’s an odd mix of fact and conjecture, therefore, that’s probably best overlooked given the overall enjoyment that Tombstone has to offer.

For there’s more to note too: from the innumerable famous faces (from Charlton Heston and Billy Zane through to Michael Rooker, Powers Boothe, Thomas Haden Church, Stephen Lang and John Corbett) through to the other well staged gunfights (including the cold-blooded opening that establishes the cowboys as genuine killers).

Michael Biehn’s Ringo is a suitably worthy adversary throughout (and memorably psychotic) while the camaraderie that exists between the good guys is genuinely compelling and worth being around.

Kilmer, however, remains the film’s biggest draw and its key asset. He’s Tombstone’s huckleberry - aka the perfect piece of casting - that affords the film its own iconic status.