Tombstone

Starring: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer
Director: George Cosmatos
Genre: Western
Year: 1993
Rating: 5 / 5

There are two types of people in this world: those who believe Val Kilmer has talent and those who do not. I count myself a charter member of the first group, and I offer Tombstone as Exhibit A. Due in no small part to Kilmer's career-defining turn as Doc Holliday, Tombstone proves to be one of the most exciting, enjoyable, and entertaining films that I have ever seen. Blessed with what might well be the most impressive cast of all-time - this film is right up there with A Few Good Men - Tombstone is a hip, action-packed western that delivers rollicking fun from the get-go.

The Cowboys, said in the film to be one of the earliest examples of organized crime in America, are terrorizing the western frontier. In their lives and into Tombstone, AZ, walks legendary lawman Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), now retired to earn his fortune. With him are his two brothers, Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton), as well as their respective wives. The Earps have chosen Tombstone, an up-and-coming mining town, as the place where they will settle down, earn some money, and live the good life. All of that changes when the Earps meet Curly Bill Brosis (Powers Boothe) and his band of Cowboys.

The Cowboys are lawlessness personified, and, left unchecked, they will terrorize the defenseless citizens of Tombstone. After the untimely death of the town marshal, the Earps are reluctantly forced into action. With no one to defend the town or stop the Cowboys' murderous ways, the Earps vow to put an end to the violence. With Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) at their side, the Earps, badly outnumbered and outgunned, engage the Cowboys in a spectacular battle that will leave only one side standing.

Tombstone is not the type of film that is going to win an Oscar for Best Drama, but it is entertaining film-making at its finest. Val Kilmer, a man whose roles have included Jim Morrison and Elvis, is magnificent as the intelligent, wisecracking Doc Holliday. He oozes cool whenever he is on screen, and his speed with a gun is matched only by the quickness of his tongue. Kurt Russell will never be mistaken for a dramatic leading man, but he is at his best as Wyatt Earp, an ordinary man pushed to his limits. "You tell him I'm coming! And Hell's coming with me!" This does not even begin to address such screen luminaries as Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, and Billy Zane. I can still hear Doc Holliday muttering one of his transcendent one-liners: "I'm your huckleberry."

Cast:

Kurt Russell..........	Wyatt Earp
Val Kilmer..........	Doc Holliday
Sam Elliott..........	Virgil Earp
Bill Paxton..........	Morgan Earp
Powers Boothe..........	Curly Bill
Michael Biehn..........	Johnny Ringo

Certification: Rated R.
Running Time: 130 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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