Tombstone (1993)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

George P. Cosmatos

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Jarre (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | Romance | Western

Tagline:

I'm your Huckleberry!

Plot:

A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona, are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.

Plot Keywords:

Cowboy | Doc Holliday | Tombstone Arizona | Arizona | Wyatt Earp

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Wyatt Earp
Val Kilmer	...	Doc Holliday
Sam Elliott	...	Virgil Earp
Bill Paxton	...	Morgan Earp
Powers Boothe	...	Curly Bill Brocius
Michael Biehn	...	Johnny Ringo
Charlton Heston	...	Henry Hooker
Jason Priestley	...	Deputy Billy Breckinridge
Jon Tenney	...	John Behan, Cochise County Sheriff
Stephen Lang	...	Ike Clanton
Thomas Haden Church	...	Billy Clanton
Dana Delany	...	Josephine Marcus
Paula Malcomson	...	Allie Earp
Lisa Collins	...	Louisa Earp
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson	...	Mattie Blaylock Earp, aka Celia Maddon

MPAA:

Rated R for violence. (director's cut)

Runtime:

130 min | USA:134 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Cinergi Pictures Entertainment

Trivia:

At the Birdcage Theater, one of the cowboys sees the juggler, "Professor Gilman" and says "Aw! Professor Gilman? I seen him in Bisbee. He catches things." To which another cowboy stands up, pulls a gun and says "Hey, Professor! Catch this!" and shoots one of the bowling pins he's juggling. This is based on a true anecdote told in the Time Life book series "The Old West-Gunfighters" profile of the OK Corral shootout. As in real life, the juggler raced off stage yelling "My God! They're really shooting at us!" Actually...."Professor" Gillam was performing a show in which blanks would be fired at him, and he would spit slugs out of his mouth that he had already prepared, when the cowboy made his "Catch this" remark.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the first Mexican village scene, when the wedding party is leaving the church the preacher puts on his hat inside the church. As the party leaves the church he is seen putting it on again.

Quotes:

Wyatt Earp: [Tyler reaches for his gun] Go ahead, skin it! Skin that smokewagon and see what happens...
Johnny Tyler: [pauses, scared] M-mister, I'm gettin' tired of your...
Wyatt Earp: [slaps Tyler across the face, unafraid] I'm gettin' tired of all your gas, now jerk that pistol and go to work!
Wyatt Earp: [slaps him harder, now completely steely-eyed] I said throw down, boy!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Knocked Up (2007)

Soundtrack:

Le Danse Macabre

The Good Wyatt Earp Film

Proof that westerns can be fun, Tombstone delivers an action-adventure popcorn movie that doesn't have to be campy and one-dimensional to be enjoyable. Here, Wyatt Earp biography is told like a fable. Sure, the facts are often recalculated in this film. But this is not looking to give a straight-on accurate view of Wyatt Earp's life. This is trying to take a man's life as a basis and then add to it to make a cinematic joyride. As opposed to the overlong and plodding "Wyatt Earp," this film decides to have a good time with the story and not get too bogged down in the misery. Kurt Russell is powerful as awful, and no man can deny that Val Kilmer, in his finest performance to date, was fully due for an Oscar nomination, if not an Oscar win. And Michael Biehn also gives a first rate performance as the sadistic Johnny Ringo. This is a thrill ride for anyone who loves westerns, or a good film to try to get others to start watching westerns.