Law don't go around here. Savvy?
Is there a better movie in the history of cinemadom?
It's been a long time since I watched Tombstone. But I remember when I saw the first preview thinking..."Everyone is in this! And they're in the Old West! Excellent!"
When the movie was released it did not disappoint. I watched the DVD again today and was impressed all over again. One of the biggest snubs in Oscar history has to be Val Kilmer not getting props for his Doc Holliday.
"You're so drunk you can't hit nothin'. In fact, you're so drunk you're probably seein' double."
"I have two guns. One for each of ya."
As soon as you watch it, you want to see it again. Why is it so great?
First, the language. You learn new words and expressions just by watching.
"Lunger."
"Huckelberry."
"Skin that smokewagon and see what happens."
"No need to go heels to get the bulge on a tub like you."
Second, I have a soft spot for Arizona history. Arizona was a fabulous place to be a kid. There are so many historical sites to vist and legendary characters to read about. While I've never been to Tombstone, I certainly learned about Wyatt Earp and the OK corral when I was in elementary school. The Boot Hill cemetary is recreated in the Old Tucson film lot (or at least it was many moons ago), and I have been there. I had to learn a bit of California history to take the CSET to get into my credential program, and aside from the gold rush, which was in Northern California, CA just isn't that interesting. Missions, Spanish, blah, blah.
Third, the structure of the film itself. It's almost two movies. The first part has the Earps coming into Tombstone intending to live a quiet life and get rich. There's funny stuff, with Doc drinking and gambling to excess, the cowboys madly applauding and shooting their guns when the visiting actor performs the St Crispin's Day speech, and Wyatt getting struck by Cupid's arrow as soon as he sees Josie. There's also plot that establishes that this is not a straight up good guy versus bad guy deal. When Holliday and the Earps go to the OK Corral, Behan tells them he disarmed the cowboys. They continue on anyway. Why? It's worth pondering.
The second part of the movie is post OK Corral. It happens after Morgan is shot. It becomes a revenge drama.
"You tell all the curs the law's comin'! You tell 'em I'm comin'! And Hell's comin' with me!"
I don't care for revenge dramas. Mostly because you'll never have a better one than Hamlet, but also because revenge dramas always seem to have Mel Gibson. There's something here with this one. I think part of it is the action sequences on horseback. Part of it is Doc Holliday's lines lightening up the atmosphere. I also think part of it is that they established that things need to be cleaned up. While the motivation for Earp's hunt is what they did to his brothers, the filmmakers also establish that these guys are no good, and the world is not necessarily safe with them in it.
Also, every time I watch it, I see another actor who's gained some recognition in the last few years. Terry O'Quinn is here as the town mayor (before he got stuck on that island, of course). And John Corbett is in a few scenes. There's something about putting on a cowboy costume that actors just love. You can see it. They can play superheroes, soldiers, firemen, but they love love to play cowboys. Pirates are a close second, but I think the cowboy is the most fun. And why wouldn't it be?
Sadly, they just don't make 'em like this anymore. There aren't big films with major movie stars acting as an ensemble. The Ocean's movies are as close as we get these days. And there aren't lines as great as "I'd take the deal and then crawfish and drill that 'ole devil in the ass."
"Maybe this is not your game. I know. Let's have a spelling contest."
"Are you gonna do something about it or sit there and bleed?"
At least we have DVDs.