The story of Wyatt Earp has been told many times over the years, from history books teaching us about the O.K. Corral to television shows and all the way to the big screen and back. Perhaps no telling of his life, however, is as accurate or as well-made asTombstone. The film, debuting December 25th, 1993, had an incredible cast that would be almost impossible to assemble in today’s films, and it carried a swagger — so much so that it is still directly referenced and quoted to this day, mainly Doc Holiday’s famous quote, “I’m Your Huckleberry.”
In addition to the incredible cast, the history, from those involved in the story is fairly accurate to what Earp went through in his travels. All of this, the performances from the cast, and the real history behind the story — it all culminated in a near-perfect translation that not only holds up but deserves praise to this day. Thirty years on from its release, let’s take a look at whyTombstoneis thebest Western evermade.
Update June 28, 2025: 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the release ofTombstone, so this article has been updated with even more reasons why the Western is classic.
In a time when it was common for maybe three or four major actors to lead a film,Tombstonewas able to assemble amaster ensemble cast: Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot, Val Kilmer, Dana Delany, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Billy Zane, the late Powers Boothe, Bill Paxton, the legendary Charlton Hesten, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from Billy Bob Thornton (perCinema Blend). Terry O’Quinn,who seems to be in everything from the 90s, plays the town’s mayor as well.
Russell, who portrays Wyatt Earp in classic fashion, pairs nicely with his brothers, played by Elliot and Paxton. Additionally, the friendship he and Kilmer’s Doc Holiday depict jumps out of the screen and hits the viewer in the mouth with their unshakable bond. Doc, showing his loyalty to his friend time and time again throughout the film, is one of the most heartwarming recurrencesTombstoneoffers.
The love the cast shares with each other and the hate they garner for Lang’s Ike Clanton, Boothe’s Curly Bill, and Johnny Ringo, portrayed in the film by Michael Biehn, almost jumps off the screen as real. As actors, they are supposed to get the audience to buy in, of course, but very rarely are the emotions tackled to run as deeply as they do inTombstone. The chemistry the cast has among itself is nothing short of legendary.
The History
Tombstone, for the most part, does away with Hollywood liberties and lets the actual history tell the story. Sure, some things are added for that extra audience appeal — any movie worth its salt will do that — but withTombstone, those liberties truly are few and far between. One of the best actual historical references in the film is the struggle between Wyatt’s wife, Mattie Blaylock, and her laudanum addiction. The substance, used to treat headaches, was an opiate-based pain reliever, thus highly addictive. The struggle with the addiction causes erratic behavior in Mattie, which, in turn, pushes Wyatt away and ends up with him falling out of love with her and pursuing Josephine Marcus, an actress portrayed by Dana Delany in the film. Marcus would become Wyatt’s common-law wife in reality.
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Additionally, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral was incredibly well done. The actual gunfight lasted about thirty seconds, and, of course, for entertainment purposes,Tombstonebrings the conflict to life a bit longer, but the results are the same. Wyatt takes a step back so his older brother Virgil can lead them into a fight with Ike Clanton and his fellow Cowboys. In reality, the conflict ends with two Cowboys dead and Ike Clanton surviving, as he did in the film. Additionally, Virgil, Doc, and Morgan were all injured in the fight, which is slightly different from movie events. At theheart ofTombstone, however, are the brothers and their families being in the spirit of the Old West, a time when the West was booming and the hunt for treasure and gold was on.
A Beautiful Translation
The beauty of the acting, as well as the history, all transform on-screen to tell the story of Wyatt Earp and, by extension, his brothers. The lawman inTombstonesums it up beautifully with the second-most memorable quote from the film (behind Doc Holiday’s famous exclamation, of course):
“All right, Clanton, you called down the thunder, and now you got it. See that, it says United States Marshall. Take a good look at it him Ike, because that’s how you’re going to end up. The Cowboys are finished you understand me? I see a red sash, I kill the man wearing it. So, run, you turd, run. Tell all the others the law is coming. You tell them I’m coming and hell’s coming with me, you hear? Hell’s coming with me.”
It’s at this moment that everything the film has been leading towards, all the conflict, resolves with these iconic words from Russell’s Earp and the ensuing carnage that leads to a standoff with Curly Bill in a creek side ambush. Furthermore, apart from the on-screen action, the film did just as much for the actors in it as it did to the audiences who loved it.
Russell’s son, Wyatt, was named so after his role in the film. Additionally, Val Kilmer’s memoir is calledI’m Your Huckleberry, after the most iconic quote in the film. It is rare when a perfect mix of what both audiences and actors get from a film, but in the case ofTombstone, the proof resonates throughout the life of the film, its actors, and those who enjoy it.
The (Not So) Classic Good vs. Evil
What makesTombstonesuch a compelling watch is the gripping too-and-fro of good against evil. While George P. Cosmatos and Kevin Jarre’s screenplay taps into the classic tropes of the morally principled taking on the societal outlaws, guided by corruption, power, and money, there are certain narrative techniques employed that separateTombstonefrom the fierce competition elsewhere in the genre.
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Tombstonedoesn’t incorporate one primary antagonist, rather, it is just a group of menacing cowboys, each with their own sordid and unscrupulous designs on the town and beyond. This clear difference adds another, more unpredictable dynamic to this tale, making Wyatt, Doc, Virgil, and Morgan’s job at keeping law and order even more perilous. This isn’t a film that safeguards its protagonists. In fact, it continuously puts them in grave jeopardy, as three of the four succumb to either savage attacks or illness.
Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp
Tombstonewas not the only movie released about the gunfight at the O.K Carol. Six months after the release ofTombstone,Wyatt Earphit theaters.Wyatt Earpwas directed by Lawrence Kasdan (screenwriter ofThe Empire Strikes BackandRaiders of the Lost Ark) and starred Kevin Costner as the titular hero, with Dennis Quaid as Doc Holiday.
UnlikeTombstone,Wyatt Earpwas not a box office hit and flopped, grossing $55 million against its $63 million budget. It was not just a matter of opening after Tombstone (in 1998,A Bug’s Lifeopened afterAntzand outgrossed it easily).Wyatt Earpfaced stiff competition from films likeThe Lion KingandForest Gumpin the summer of 1994, but it also failed to connect with critics and audiences. Most people found it not only to be similar toTombstonebut not as interesting or narratively exciting. WhileTombstoneremains popular,Wyatt Earphas mainly faded into obscurity.
Tombstone 30 Years On
Despite being nearly three decades old,Tombstonestill remains a classic. One of the most successful films from Disney’s defunct subsidiary, Hollywood Pictures,Tombstonefound a whole new audience thanks to cable reruns and is also a popular merchandisable commodity in the real Tombstone, Arizona. With stars like Bill Paxton gone andVal Kilmer having lost his voicedue to throat cancer,Tombstoneremains a way to preserve them at a snapshot in time.
The film feels like a relic of bygone age in Hollywood. Following the release ofUnforgiven, the Western genre saw a slight renaissance in popularity with films likeTombstoneand the similarly releasedWyatt Earpand later Sam Raimi’s box office bomb but cult classic,The Quick and the Dead. It was a time when a historical movie could also be a big blockbuster and appeal across generations. Now, historical films have a hard time at the box office, and now their biggest hope for longevity is possibly being considered for awards.
Tombstoneis a reminder of an era in Hollywood where a big-budget film could be aimed at adults, based on a historical event, featuring A-list movie stars, and audiences rushed out to see it. It did not need to be based on a franchise (although being based on a real-life event does help), and there were no attempts at spin-offs or franchises. It was a one-and-done film that connected with audiences and, to this day, lives on as a classic.
