Re: The Wing Kong Exchange
Marshall Wyatt Earp just wants to settle down and retire in the peaceful dustbowl town of Tombstone, Arizona. Unfortunately for him, the very men he used to hunt have invaded the small town, and these Cowboys will stop at nothing to goad him into a fight. It’s up to Earp, his brothers, and the town dentist, Doc Holliday, to stop these vicious outlaws at any cost, even if it means their own lives.
"These are NOT nice men..."
Tombstone, released in 1993, is a fact-based Western that is both historically accurate and highly entertaining. No small feat as most historic films tend to fall into the “accurate but boring†category, such as the same year’s “Gettysburg†or 1994’s “Wyatt Earp†(also based on the famous lawman). That is not the case with Tombstone, as it stands head and shoulders above these and other films in both educating and entertaining. The legendary Showdown at the OK Corral has been covered several times (most notably in 1957’s “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral†starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas) including an homage of sorts in the original Star Trek series (Spectre of the Gun for those interested) but never before has it been so accurately portrayed as it is here. Add to that an incredibly rich back-story and some wonderful performances and you have the surefire makings of a winner, which this film most definitely is.
"I'll shoot you before I star in another Escape film Mr. Carpenter!"
Directed by George P. Cosmatos (long considered a “puppet directorâ€, best known for Stallone’s Cobra and 1989’s Leviathan) from a script by Kevin Jarre (the excellent film Glory, The Mummy), the emphasis was put on dramatic and factually correct storytelling while still relying on sensationalism to get the point across to the casual filmgoer. This strategy works very well, particularly when one looks at the overall success of the film both critically and financially, as we will later on. It stars Kurt Russell (possibly my all time favourite actor) as Wyatt Earp, the main protagonist of the film. Lending support on the side of good is Val Kilmer (in a charismatic performance) as Doc Holliday, Sam Elliott (something about this guy just screams WESTERN) as Virgil Earp and Bill Paxton (killed by a Terminator, an Alien AND a Predator…in that order) as younger brother Morgan Earp. On the side of the evil cowboys we have a wonderfully evil Powers Boothe (he’s got the eyes that just make a villain a villain) as Curly Bill Brocius, Thomas Haden-Church (sympathetic Sandman from Spider-Man 3) in an early film role as Billy Clanton, Stephen Lang (best known as super douchebag bad guy in a big robot suit from Avatar) as Ike Clanton and finally, Michael Biehn (the greatest hero who ever lived, Kyle Reese) in a totally against type performance as the psychotic Johnny Ringo.
"My hero has never looked so crazy."
Every performer is really at the top of their game here, and the end result is a tour de force in the acting department. For starters, Russell plays Earp the way he should be played, a man who is tired of killing and wants nothing more than to retire. Conversely, his foil, played by Boothe, is nothing more than a vicious dog of a man, with no rhyme or reason behind his motivations save for the fact that mayhem brings him pleasure. Kilmer portrays Doc Holliday as an intelligent and calm man, though his subtle demeanor hides the heart of a truly efficient killer. His counterpart, Johnny Ringo, is played with a smoothly insane grace by Michael Biehn. In fact, Biehn is so good in this film I almost didn’t realize it was him initially, as I don’t think I’d ever seen him play an evil character before. However he is indeed quite good at it and his interactions with Kilmer make for some of the best moments in the film, particularly towards the end. The supporting cast are all excellent as well, particularly Elliott, a totally underrated actor who always brings everything he has to the table and Haden-Church, who shows flashes of the talent that would eventually take him all the way to an Oscar nomination (for the film Sideways). All of these actors are completely believable in their roles, which helps when making a factual film.
"Oh there'll be a showdown, at the OK Corral tonight."
The film itself is beautiful to look at, as Cosmatos and cinematographer Willim A. Fraker (who shot the epic car chase in Steve McQueen’s Bullit as well as the many films including Rosemary’s Baby) treat the old west the way it is meant to be treated. Everything has a dusty, grimy sort of feel, and it really makes the film look and feel authentic. The score, by Bruce Broughton (previously nominated for an Oscar for the excellent score to western film Silverado) is a real highlight as well, captivating the audience with its rhythmic beauty. In fact, it is a real bonus during the famous shootout at the OK Corral scene, and serves to enhance it even further. As for the scene itself, it is quite possibly my favourite single shootout scene in any western ever, no small feat considering I’ve seen close to a hundred of them. The real beauty lies in the fact that the events that take place in the film mimic those that took place in real life, all the way down to how Billy Clanton fell. This is incredible to me, as the attention to detail is second to none and really serves to make this film that much better. Oh, and Russell’s uttering of the curse word right before the shootout begins is a nice touch and though it may not be factual some small part of my likes to imagine that Earp himself would indeed have uttered that word before the shootout commenced.
"Curly Bill Brocius. I wonder if he's any relation to former Yankee 3rd baseman Scott Brosius?"
Of course the gunfight at the OK Corral is only one of the excellent scenes in this film, which indeed features many. From the opening moments featuring an old newsreel type shot segueing right to the Cowboy’s crashing of a wedding, we know that we are in for a wild ride. The events throughout carry us to the eventual conclusion, and in this time we are treated to some great dialogue, some awesome action, an incredible scene with Charlton Heston and of course the final showdown with Brocius and Ringo. I cannot overstate the importance of the factual basis for this film, as it is something that I have only seen done this well a few times (another example would be the equally brilliant Kevin Jarre written film “Gloryâ€, which I will review at a later date). That, coupled with the great performances and the well paced direction make this a must see western and perhaps the best fact based one of the 1990’s, while Eastwood’s “Unforgiven†would stand as the best “original†western of the decade.
"I'm your huckleberry...what does that even mean?"
Tombstone was released to mostly critical praise and box office success. It grossed over $56 million dollars in the US and earned the 20th place for the year. The film was also named one of the 5 greatest Western’s ever by True West Magazine. The detractors felt that some of the characters did not receive enough screen time, something that I do not agree with at all. Each player forms a piece of a puzzle that when completed gives us a fantastic film and a truly entertaining experience. So I loved it, and if they didn’t, well that’s their problem. There is a tendency for the film to drag in the middle, and that hurts it a little, but everything else is great and that’s all I can ask for. I would recommend this to any western fan, obviously Kurt Russell fans and anyone who just wants to learn a little about a unique period in Western history while still being completely entertained.
8/10.
