Tombstoneis revered as one of the best Westerns of the 1990s, but there are some things that don’t quite hold up.Tombstoneis based on the true storyof Wyatt Earp, a famous lawman in the old West. Although it deserves its status as aclassic of the Western genre, it isn’t without its foibles. If it were made today, it’s fair to say that some things might be a little different.
Tombstonecame out in 1993, but it bears the vestiges of ’80s action movies. There’s plenty of gun-toting action, a fixation on masculine heroism and some delightful quips. This makes it a brilliantly entertaining Western, and something a little different from the rest of the genre, but it also dates the movie in some ways. Fortunately,none ofTombstone’s drawbacks affect its legacy as a brilliant Westernthat’s still worth watching.
10The Messy Production Can Be Felt
The Original Director Was Fired
Tombstoneis a great movie, but it is all the more impressive how it turned out given the drama that went on behind the scenes. While it is not often remembered as one of the legendarynightmare Hollywood productionslikeApocalypse NoworJaws, Tombstonenearly fell apart while filming. Reports suggest that original director Kevin Jarre, who wrote the script, was not up to the task of directing and was fired while the movie was in production. Though unconfirmed, it has been rumored that Kurt Russell stepped behind the camera to finish the film.
Again, the fact that the movie turned out to be a classic is a small miracle. However, it is possible to see signs of this troubled production lingering underneath.Jarre had a massive Western epic in mind forTombstoneand the finished product is a much smaller film. As a result, the pacing can sometimes feel uneven, storylines are cut short, and there are characters introduced without much reason.
9There Are Too Many Characters
Some Characters Don’t Fit
Tombstonefeatures an incredible ensemble of actors, with so many of them giving terrific performances. That goes for some brief appearances, like Billy Bob Thornton appearing as a gambler who gets smacked around by Wyatt. However, there are some characters who simply don’t feel like they need to be included in the story that is already packed with key figures of the legend.
Along with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, the Cowboys have to be featured heavily and distinguished from one another. That is made difficult by some of the secondary characters taking up valuable time without really adding to the story. This is certainly the case with Billy Breckinridge (Jason Priestley), the cultured and sensitive member of the Cowboys, and Mr. Fabian (Billy Zane), the actor Billy becomes drawn to.While they have an interesting dynamic, it feels out of place inTombstoneand doesn’t add much to the story.
8Doc Holliday Is More Compelling Than Wyatt Earp
The Protagonist Is Overshadowed
It is hard to look atVal Kilmer’s iconic performance inTombstoneas anything more than a blessing for the movie. Indeed, his take on the character is perhaps enough to have made the movie a Western classic. However, there is also a sense that Kilmer’s performance is so entertaining and engrossing that there is not enough room for Wyatt Earp himself to really stand out as the protagonist.
The fact that it is Doc who has the climactic showdown with Johnny Ringo is a testament to this, taking one of the best moments in the movie away from the movie’s hero.
This is no slight on Kurt Russell’s performance, as he is pitch-perfect as the stoic and unstoppable force of justice. However,the nature of how the character is written means that he is constantly going to be overshadowed by Doc. The fact that it is Doc who has the climactic showdown with Johnny Ringo is a testament to this, taking one of the best moments in the movie away from the movie’s hero.
7Tombstone’s Ending Feels Too Upbeat
The Romance Subplot Could Use Some More Detail
Tombstonegoes to some dark places, so it’s a little jarring when Wyatt Earp salvages an uncomplicated happy ending in the very last scene. After leaving his friend Doc Holliday on his deathbed, Wyatt travels to Colorado to reconcile with Josephine and start a life together. Theending ofTombstoneseems a little out of place, as if the finale with Josephine was tacked on to the end to give Wyatt a victory.
The reason thatTombstone’s sickly-sweet finale doesn’t quite land is that the romance between Wyatt and Josephine is always treated as an afterthought. Aside from the one meaningful conversation they have when they first meet, their scenes are limited to intense stares and sweeping orchestral music, which can’t paper over the lack of chemistry the couple share.The didactic voiceover is another negative to the ending, concluding the stories of several other characters without any real payoff.
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6Tombstone Sometimes Leans Too Far Into Melodrama
One Or Two Scenes Go Too Far
Many ofTombstone’s best scenesinvolve violent splashes of action, like the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Doc Holliday’s tense shootout with Johnny Ringo. However, there are some moments which come across as self-indulgent and melodramatic. It’s part ofTombstone’s appeal that the action is over-the-top, so it constantly runs the risk of going too far.
Take, for example, the slow-motion sequence of Morgan’s shooting.
Aside from the exaggerated action,Tombstonealso has a tendency to stray too far into emotional melodrama. Take, for example, the slow-motion sequence of Morgan’s shooting, or Wyatt’s subsequent wailing reaction in the pouring rain.Some performances inTombstonego too big too often. It mostly works quite well, but Kurt Russell and others could be accused of hamming it up.
5Tombstone Has A Patchy Record With Historical Accuracy
Some People Might Be Put Off By Tombstone’s Half-Truths
Tombstoneis based on a true story, although some sequences are completely fictional. One glaring example is the fact that Doc Holliday didn’t kill Johnny Ringo. There’s some debate over what actually happened to Ringo, with some historians believing he took his own life, but Holliday was almost certainly in a jail cell at the time. This is just one of many historical inaccuracies inTombstone.
Of course, only certain people care about historical accuracy, andTombstonehas plenty of other qualities to admire. What’s important is that it gets most of the broad strokes right, like Wyatt Earp’s rivalry with the Cowboys, the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the fates of the characters involved.Historical accuracy in movies seems to come under even more scrutiny these days, which is why some people might be disappointed with the wayTombstonefudges the details.
4Tombstone’s Villains Are One-Dimensional
The Cowboys Lack Any Redeeming Qualities
Tombstoneis all about the thin lines between good and evil, and right and wrong. In the old West, Wyatt and his men are on the right side of the law, but they can be just as violent and irrational as the Cowboys under the right circumstances. It’s easy to see how the Cowboys could have a problem with the Earps, especially since they were considered the de facto peacekeepers inTombstonebefore Wyatt’s arrival.
Sometimes, there isn’t much to separate the violence and the code of conduct of both parties. To help delineate the good from the bad,Tombstoneoften makes the Cowboys out to be cartoonishly evil in the most ludicrous, over-the-top way possible. They shoot innocent people without a second thought, attack the wives of their enemies and delight in causing terror and panic.
Tombstonehas a great cast, but this doesn’t always cover for the fact that characters like Johnny Ringo and Curly Bill are rather one-dimensional and hard to relate to.Not many modern movies draw such distinct lines between heroes and villains.
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3Tombstone’s Third Act Can’t Sustain Its Rapid Pace
Tombstone Rattles Through Earp’s Vengeful Crusade
Tombstonecan feel quite slow to begin with, since there isn’t much consistency between bursts of frenetic action and the more mundane, pedestrian scenes as Wyatt and his friends try to live a life without drama. Eventually, this pace gets cranked all the way up, leading to a frantic sprint to the finish following Morgan’s death. This means that the third act can feel overly hectic.
There are a couple of montages toward the end ofTombstonewhich flash by in a dizzying blur. It all begins with Wyatt crashing a horse through the window of a bar and unloading his gun on the Cowboys inside.This image of absurd, splashy violence sums up a lot ofTombstone’s final act, as bullets fly all over Arizona. The speed makes things exciting, but it also means that some moments which should feel weighty and impactful, like Curly Bill’s death, get brushed past without a second thought. It seems like a clumsy way to pick off the remaining villains.
2Tombstone Completely Glosses Over What Happens To Wyatt Earp’s Wife
Mattie’s Real Story Ended In Tragedy
Wyatt first arrives in Tombstone with his wife Mattie by his side, but it soon becomes clear that they aren’t as deeply in love as they like to put on. Mattie is a mysterious but interesting character in her limited screen time. Her addiction to laudanum, an old medicine with opium used to treat pain, drives a wedge between her and Wyatt. He seems increasingly disinterested in her, which is compounded by the fact that he falls for Josephine.
Mattie’s life afterTombstonewas filled with tragedy. After being abandoned by her husband, Mattie returned to sex work, which was how she might Wyatt in the first place. She died just a few years later of a drug overdose. It was ruled a suicide at the time, but it could have been an accidental overdose.With this added context, it’s uncomfortable to watch Wyatt’s upbeat ending with Josephine.
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1Tombstone’s Female Characters Are Underdeveloped
Tombstone Is About Men And Masculinity, But It Could Still Flesh Out Its Female Characters More
Mattie isn’t the only female character inTombstonewho feels underdeveloped. Her real-life story would have been interesting to see more of, but she is brushed aside too easily. Josephine and Doc’s partner Kate also seem like they have much more to give. Ultimately,Tombstoneconcerns itself with different expressions of masculinity, and the female characters are often there to enhance this theme.
It’s worth mentioning thatTombstone’s male characters are often shallow stereotypes of their own gender too
It would be harsh to admonishTombstone’s representation of women in too much detail. In some ways, sidelining the female characters reflects the attitudes of the era, and it centers the story of masculine jostling for power which givesTombstoneits thrust. It’s worth mentioning thatTombstone’s male characters are often shallow stereotypes of their own gender too. Still, ifTombstonewere made today, it might flesh out its women a little more, if only to view its male characters through a different lens.
