Tombstone

More notable for Val Kilmer's supporting role as Doc Holliday than anything else, 1993's Tombstone comes to 4K for the first time. After a bit of gunplay highlighting the Cowboys who will make up the film's villains, the film opens with Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) along with his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) and their wives (Paula Malcomson, Lisa Collins, and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) relocating out West to the bombing town of Tombstone. Done with their public service, or so they believe, the Earps are looking to retire and make their fortune in the West starting with Wyatt getting the family a stake in a local Saloon by cleaning out the trash (Billy Bob Thornton).

Despite it's troubled production, and lengthy running time, Tombstone was both a critical and box office success. It takes about an hour for the tensions between the Earps and the Cowboys (most notably Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, and Stephen Lang) to finally boil over leading to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the multiple shoot-outs that followed. Also thrown into the mix are Wyatt's troubled marriage and his interest in a travelling performer (Dana Delany) who catches his eye which ultimately allows for an upbeat ending following a bloody final act.

Tombstone is a solid modern western that takes a bit too long to get going. Kilmer overshadows the film with one of his most notable performances and is far more memorable than any of the Earp brothers. Boothe and the other Cowboys are enjoying their time as black-hat villains. The Delany storyline is of interest, but along with some of the brotherly relationships, feels under-explored. It's worth a look, but maybe only every 30 years or so.

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• Title: Tombstone
• IMDb: link