The Big Picture

Kurt Russell redefined Wyatt Earp, showcasing maturity in
Tombstone
‘s iconic saloon scene.
Russell’s gritty fighting style in
Tombstone
adds authenticity to his portrayal of Earp.

Tombstone
remains one of Russell’s greatest achievements, portraying a vulnerable, reluctant version of the Western icon.

The 1980s were a decade that saw the emergence of action cinema as a true genre in itself, resulting in the prominence of several iconic stars. While no one would ever suggest that Chuck Norris or Jean-Claude Van Damme delivered an Academy Award-worthy performance, they had a level of inherent charisma that made it easy to get swept up in any moment when they were throwing punches. Compared to the “Planet Hollywood” trio of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis, Kurt Russell represented a much different side of heroism. Russell worked in a multitude of genres, and managed to add just a touch of reality to his performances in order to make them more relatable. Tombstone is a film that is packed with one of the most impressive ensemble casts in Hollywood history, and it featured the single coolest moment of Russell’s career.

Tombstone certainly wasn’t the first major action role of Russell’s career; he had first made his name by playing defiant, brooding anti-heroes in the John Carpenter classics The Thing, Escape From New York, and Big Trouble in Little China. Tombstone was certainly intended to be a throwback to an older generation of Westerns, as it adapted one of the most infamous “tall tales” of America’s frontier era. Russell proved early on in Tombstone that he was the right actor to play Wyatt Earp in an iconic brawl scene that represents the best of what he can do on screen.

Tombstone
A successful lawman’s plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.Release Date December 25, 1993 Director George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre Runtime 130 minutes Main Genre Western Writers Kevin Jarre Studio Hollywood Pictures Tagline Every town has a story. Tombstone has a legend. Expand

What Is the Iconic Western ‘Tombstone’ About?
Loosely based on a true story, Tombstone examines the alliances between several lawmen and former outlaws ahead of the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. At the beginning of the film, Earp has retired from his duty as a lawman, opting to live a quiet life where he can raise a family. However, Earp’s desire for peace is interrupted when his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliot) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) approach him with news that the outlaw Curly Bill (Powers Boothe) and his gang of criminals have been waging a tirade of violence at the wedding of a local police officer. After reuniting with his old friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), Earp realizes that the law needs him once more. However, he can’t even begin to think about amassing a force to rival Curly Bill’s until he has already civilized his community.

Russell showed Earp’s defiant streak in an early scene in Tombstone where he is forced to prove that he is still a force of authority to be reckoned with. It comes to Earp’s attention that the local saloon’s employees are being harassed and intimidated by the criminal Johnny Tyler (Billy Bob Thornton), who has taken the lack of a law enforcement presence as an excuse to abuse his authority. Earp does not take kindly to this; he strides right into the saloon and asks Tyler to rid himself of the facility. Russell has enough screen presence that seeing him face off against his enemies with complete bravery is inspiring enough in its own right; however, the notion that Earp did this when he wasn’t even technically a lawman anymore makes him even more heroic.

Kurt Russell Redefines Wyatt Earp in ‘Tombstone’

The saloon scene in Tombstone perfectly showcases the sensitivity and maturity that makes Russell’s interpretation of Earp one of the best. Although Earp is a character who was brought to life in classics like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the aptly-titled Kevin Costner biopic Wyatt Earp, Tombstone was the one to really hone in on the fact that all of his actions were done out of moral obligation. It’s shown at the beginning of the film that Earp has a rather comfortable home life, and that he could just as easily leave the heroism to a younger generation of gunslingers who may be more agile and ready to serve. However, it’s evident from Earp’s interaction with Tyler that he cannot stand to see innocent people being taken advantage of; beating up Tyler isn’t just a cool way to introduce a character, but an indication of the moral unrighteousness that defines Earp as a character.

Related One of the Movies Kurt Russell Is Most Proud of Sent Him to Hell and Back The actor dove right into real-life infernos for this 1991 thriller.

Russell also utilizes a gritty fighting style, similar to the techniques that John Wayne had lionized decades prior, that made the action in Tombstone feel more authentic. It’s evident that despite his enthusiasm about getting to take down Tyler, Earp has spent some time away from active duty, and is forced to utilize the same sort of fighting methods that he would in a brawl. The fight scene is beautiful, uncoordinated, and chaotic, which somehow feels more exciting than a more traditional face off would have been. The gritty, streetwise aspects of Earp were an important aspect of his character, particularly in comparison to the more polished charisma of Holliday.

Why Is Kurt Russell Still the Coolest?

Tombstone stands as one of Russell’s greatest achievements for many reasons. Russell has always been more willing to be vulnerable on-screen than many of his peers in the action genre; Big Trouble In Little China makes light of the fact that Jack Burton is an idiot, and The Thing forced him to be utterly terrified on-screen. With Tombstone, Russell had to play a reluctant hero who is fighting for personal reasons. Earp is ultimately fighting to ensure the safety of his brothers and friends, developing a deep animosity towards Curly Bill in the process.

Tombstone wasn’t the last of Russell’s great Western or action roles, as he would appear in several revisionist classics in recent years. The Hateful Eight allowed Russell to deliver some of the infamously snappy dialogue of Quentin Tarantino, and his emotional performance in the Western horror Bone Tomahawk helped make one of the most violent Westerns ever made even more terrifying.

Tombstone is available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.

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