Tombstone (1993)

Tombstone

• This movie is loosely based on Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and all that gang, so since it has a bit of historical basis, you know it’s gonna be good. This film provides a great story, character portrayal, and music. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of more recently made westerns, but this one easily surpassed my standards. I’m so used to John Wayne and older Western’s like that, so I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this movie. But, the entire cast really pulls through and delivers an entertaining story. The movie starts out with a great introduction, filmed in the style of an old silent. In fact, the first few minutes of this movie almost replicate the beginning of Big Jake, which is one of the greatest Westerns made, as well as my personal favorite. After the intro, you get introduced to the characters, but the story definitely takes a few minutes to unfold. I questioned whether it was actually going anywhere, and it felt like just a couple random scenes put together. However, at a certain point, it falls together. The story then takes off at full speed, and doesn’t stop till the end. The entire cast also greatly helps the telling of the story. Like I said, the movie is based on real people, so the historical structure makes it even cooler. This is one of the few movies that I would go as far to say is perfectly cast, all around. There wasn’t a single person that I had a complaint about. The physical likeness and design of the characters were so spot on. Because of that, it gave the movie such an authentic feel. I think my favorite characters were Russell as Earp, and Kilmer as Holliday. They both did an amazing job, and had very likable characteristics. The music was fantastic, and though bits of it sounded a bit modern, a lot of it had the classic Western/giddy-up feel to it. It was especially awesome in the gunfight/action scenes, where the tone of the movie was heavily boosted. The movie was also great setting wise. A lot of the locations and sets obviously had the Western look, and the movie as a whole did a great job of having the 60’s/70’s Western aesthetic. Also, this movie has one of the best movie posters in existence, which is also one of the best movie shots of all time. Overall, I would highly recommend this movie to all Western fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now! And remember: I’m your Huckleberry.