Nerdy Up North Podcast
The setup
Retired lawman Wyatt Earp heads to Tombstone with his brothers hoping to make money and live quietly. The violent Cowboys have other ideas, eventually pulling Wyatt and his dangerously ill friend Doc Holliday into a conflict that becomes increasingly personal.
Before I say anything else, I hate westerns. Or at least, I thought I did.
Tombstone is something else completely. A lot of cowboy movies feel like they’re about some guy who is impossibly tough, fights everyone, never really seems in danger and spends the whole runtime trying to convince you how badass he is. Tombstone has heart though. People are scared. People get hurt. There are real emotions here, and that instantly made me care far more about what was happening.
Kurt Russell put his soul into Wyatt Earp. He never feels like some invincible western hero. There’s weight behind everything he does, and when things start getting personal you completely understand why he becomes the man he does.
Then there’s Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Even though Doc looks like he’s on death’s door for most of the movie, Kilmer somehow manages to make him feel calm, funny and genuinely intimidating all at the same time. He barely needs to raise his voice to make you believe he could be the most dangerous man in the room.
I also don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard at a man holding a teacup. If you’ve seen the movie, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, I’m not spoiling it, but for me it is one of the best moments in the entire film.
The Cowboys are brilliant as well. Michael Biehn is perfect as Johnny Ringo. Obviously he had great roles in films like The Terminator and Aliens, but watching him here just makes me think he deserved so much more from his career. He gives Ringo this quiet danger that makes every scene with him feel tense.
The film is packed with great performances, but it is the emotion behind everything that surprised me most. The friendships matter. The fear feels real. People aren’t just there to look cool before a gunfight. That’s what separates Tombstone from so many westerns I’ve tried to watch before. It actually changed my mind on the genre.
I don’t hate westerns. They just need some heart. And Tombstone has plenty of it.
Positives
Val Kilmer's incredible Doc Holliday; brilliant ensemble cast; memorable dialogue; genuine tension; characters who feel human rather than mythological.
Negatives
A lot of characters are introduced quickly; some viewers may need time to keep track of the different factions.
Verdict
Tombstone delivers everything you want from a western and then gives it enough character to work even if westerns normally do nothing for you. Val Kilmer alone makes it essential.
