TOMBSTONE (BLU-RAY) - VARIOUS

Probably one of the greatest classical westerns, made in 1993 long after the genre had subsided from its heyday which began when Hollywood began, really.I can't complain that perhaps some of the lesser characters weren't fully realized in this telling of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral because the film may have become unwieldy and I thought another, 'Wyatt Earp', was too long and too slow.This Director's Cut is nicely balanced at 136 minutes, 2 discs, with copious bonus features, English language and subtitles in English including for the hearing impaired, and Dutch / German standard subtitles.Kurt Russell is the epitome of the historical Wyatt Earp, and looks the part in keeping with director Cosmatos's fulfillment of historical accuracy and the legendary events in Tombstone, with special and gripping performances next to him from the late Bill Paxton, Sam Elliot, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn and Dana Delaney.One of the great performances from Val Kilmer playing a slightly effete Doc Holliday, something surprising which fitted into the film unexpectedly well. I don't think I will ever see a more riveting portrayal of The Doc as owned by Mr Kilmer.Now, where do these two main protagonists fit in cinema verite ? Some other Earp / Doc pairings over the years :Henry Fonda / Victor Mature : My Darling Clementine.Burt Lancaster / Kirk Douglas : Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.James Garner / Jason Robards : Hour of the Gun.Kevin Costner / Dennis Quaid : Wyatt Earp.Randolph Scott / Cesar Romero : Frontier Marshal.Harris Yulin / Stacy Keach : Doc.I've probably missed one or two out but these were the performances that I remember and that have stuck, in no particular order. I have heard that there may be a future Doc Holiday played by Jeremy Renner somewhere in the pipeline. Bring it on.

In a world full of Western movies, do we really need another re-telling of the gunfight at O.K. Corral? If it involves Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer and Sam Elliott, the sexiest mustache's in the history of man and enough masculinity to warrant a label warning of sudden pregnancy, than yes. We most certainly do.Tombstone is 1993 a movie written by Kevin Jarre, who was also the original film director. He was given the boot at some point in early production and the job of director was given to George P. Cosmatos. The film has an impressive all star cast with the likes of Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn of Alien fame, as well as the great Powers Boothe. Many other familiar faces of the time pop up and is a great who's who of actors. As I mentioned above, the film is a depiction of the lead up to and execution of the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona 1881. It also features events of the the Earp Vendetta Ride, the repercussion of such events.Despite being a well used subject matter in cinema, this event in history still provides and excellent backstory to put to film. We see the legendary Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and his two brothers settle in Tombstone and eventually getting themselves involved in stopping the criminal activities of the Cowboy gang. All this takes place alongside a very sick yet scene stealing Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer). In typical western style, there's a lot of drama, shoot outs, death and destruction. If you've seen this story told or any other of the genre, there's no real surprises here.However, when you look at the skill put into the acting from the all star cast, it makes it worth every penny. Val Kilmer and Kurt Russell steal the show with some great one liners. Whilst Doc is a sick laid back individual, more intent on utilisation sarcasm to get his way, Wyatt is a meaner more intense personality that knows how to deal with situations through force and intimidation. The combination of the two characters are some of the best chemistry in any western, in my opinion. Naturally, you love to hate the bad guys. Curtis Bill lights up the screen with that sinister smile that only Powers Boothe can do. Johnny Ringo, he doesn't come across in the fore front much but Biehn makes him look mean and intimidating with added venom from some one liners that really sting. You want these men to get their comeuppance.Much like every other western on bluray, the scenery just looks gorgeous. The natural lighting, blue skies, the yellow hue of the sand covered environments and wooden towns just look fantastic. The transfer quality is pretty clean and has aged very well. It's certainly a nice upgrade from the old muddy looking DVD. When I played the film on the big screen, we were all impressed at how well the film has aged. It's not the sharpest looking transfer but seeing it look so colourful and lively was a great experience.Tombstone is one of those movies that people either look at as a great film of its time or just another re-telling of the same old played out story. It gets a lot of comparisons to the Kevin Costner Wyatt Earp film but has a completely different tone. That film is a lot more dead pan serious where this is more about having fun and looking good whilst doing it. I highly recommend putting this film in your collection if westerns are your thing. It's a good easy watch with a great cast, a horrendous amount of fantastic one liners and some of the finest looking manly men in show business!As Jack Burton always says... what the hell!

One of the best Western’s ever made with great performances from most of the cast. In particular Van Kilmer as the TB suffering Doc Halliday was just brilliant, in my opinion, his best ever. Hearing him say ‘I’ll be your huckleberry’ in his charming, but also menace laden tone is memorable.If you haven’t seen the movie, then I’d highly recommend you do so, as Western’s don’t really age, seeing as there are no crude CG effects to give their age away and there isn’t as much blood & guts effects to put you off your dinner.

Tombstone tells the story of the Earp family's conflict with a criminal gang known as the Cowboys. Kurt Russell is very convincing as Wyatt Earp: a man eager to put his violent peacemaking past behind him for a new life in the eponymous boom town. Pushed into taking charge when the the current marshal is murdered by the leader of the Cowboys, a tit-for-tat campaign of violence ensues. The pace does flag at points during the story and there are one or two off notes when things seem a little rushed, but on the whole this is a very good movie. It has a really authentic nineteenth century look and the acting is superb. Val Kilmer plays Wyatt's friend Doc Holliday in an outstanding performance. He steals nearly every scene whether as feared killer, satirical wit, or suffering consumptive. Powers Booth, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton and Sam Elliot are marvellous too. Tombstone takes a very traditional approach and harks back to the best Westerns of the 1940s, fifties and sixties. It captures a really mythic feel and also features the best choreographed gunfight at the OK Corral, when the Earps face down the Clantons.