Barnes & Noble

The Wild West's most famous feud, previously the subject of no less than a dozen movies, gets its definitive screen treatment in this violent, sprawling, and historically accurate telling of the notorious gunfight at the OK Corral and its bloody aftermath. Kurt Russell heads a stellar cast, portraying legendary frontier marshal Wyatt Earp as a weary gunfighter who joins his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) as they seek their fortune in a dusty but booming Arizona mining town. When a faction composed of renegade outlaws and rustlers -- led by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) and Ike Clanton (Stephen Lang) -- runs roughshod over Tombstone, Wyatt again dons a lawman's badge and enlists the aid of his disreputable friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), in wiping out the town's lawless elements. Kevin Jarre's screenplay not only packs a wealth of character and incident into this flawlessly produced retelling of the Earp-Clanton conflict; it does so by remaining largely faithful to the historical record while enhancing the dramatic impact of many actual situations. The muscular direction of George P. Cosmatos (Rambo II) goes a long way toward making Tombstone the most operatic of horse operas: He adds forceful emphasis to scenes delineating violence, betrayal, and tragedy. Although this film avoids the simplistic white hat/black hat formulas of yore, it is not a revisionist western, just a good old-fashioned barnburner of a movie guaranteed to rouse the long-dormant cowboy in us all. This Vista Series DVD presents the director's original cut, which Cosmatos accompanies with detailed commentary. Other extras include a Tombstone Timeline, which lists the historical events in chronological order, production featurettes with behind-the-scenes footage, original storyboards, and DVD-ROM content. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

A high-energy action adventure based on legend rather than historical fact finds Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) desiring to retire from law enforcement. With brothers Virgil (Sam Elliot) and Morgan (Bill Paxton), he arrives in Tombstone, Arizona intending to build his fortune. He discovers that long-time friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) is there and that the town is run by a group of brutal outlaws called the Cowboys. Earp, frustrated with his laudanum-addicted wife, begins a romance with traveling stage actress Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany). Meanwhile, the Cowboys terrorize the citizens of Tombstone unchecked.

When the town marshal is killed by a Cowboy, Earp steps in to prevent a lynching by an angry mob. He also refuses to hand the killer over to his fellows, beginning the enmity between the Cowboys and the Earp brothers. Virgil, overcome with guilt at doing nothing to help the Tombstone citizens, accepts the position of town marshal. With Wyatt and Morgan as his deputies, and the help of Doc, Virgil attempts to arrest several Cowboys, resulting in the famous OK Corral shoot-out. The Cowboys take revenge by ambushing two of the brothers and injuring Virgil and killing Morgan. The Earps leave town, apparently cowed. Wyatt returns, wearing the badge of a U.S. marshal, vowing to destroy every last Cowboy. He hunts them mercilessly, until the leader, Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) challenges Wyatt to a duel. While not regarded as an artistic masterpiece, "Tombstone" is considered the best of director George P. Cosmatos' prolific films. The all-star cast (including Thomas Haden Church and Billy Bob Thornton in small roles) delivers solid performances. Both William A. Fraker's cinematography and Bruce Broughton's stirring musical score are expertly designed for dramatic effect. Blood is shown liberally in several key scenes, but seems intended to show that there is nothing glorious in Wyatt Earp's actions, only necessity. He and his deputies take on the symbolism of the horsemen of the apocalypse -- dispensing judgement, and the Biblical references form a symmetry at the beginning and end of the film.

Lucinda Ramsey

Product Details

• UPC: 786936158380
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, THX-Supervised Mastering
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 2:14:00
• Sales Rank: 1,820

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