Tombstone

In the 1980s, Hollywood practically gave up on the western genre and didn't return to it until the famous title Dances with Wolves. The Oscar success attracted the interest of studios, so in the first half of the 1990s, there were a number of attempts to revive the genre. Around the same time as Tombstone, Wyatt Earp was also created, which was sunk by Kasdan's megalomania, but the more realistic portrayal of Wyatt appealed to me more. Cosmatos' film is an attempt to revive the myth of the Wild West with all the classic clichés of gunfights and the most seductive romance. There's always a bit more pathos than necessary, there are countless grand words and heroic gazes, more bullets are fired than in many battles of the Civil War, and the villains are devilishly corrupt and of course, there are overwhelming numbers of them. It is miles away from real life in the American West and I have never enjoyed this kind of fairy tale. Fans of the genre may of course add one or even two stars, but for me, it was a waste of time. Overall impression: 40%. (01.04.2020)

George P. Cosmatos approached it differently than most of his colleagues. He managed to shoot a straightforward and decent western, full of tough men, mysterious villains, beautiful women, and the right moral values and principles. Tombstone is simple and predictable in terms of plot, but at the same time, it is so dynamic and mature that you cannot fault the creator. The biggest asset is, of course, the star-studded cast. Kurt Russell is incredible, but in my eyes, Val Kilmer, who plays the tuberculosis-stricken Doc, is the best character, and his final duel is absolutely unexpected. Michael Biehn's portrayal of Ringo is also exemplary – his Latin dialogue with Doc is captivating. The action is fierce and dynamic; this film has everything needed for above-average entertainment, there is no need to hesitate. Tombstone is worth watching. (21.01.2007)

A Western that’s relies solely on the performances of the title characters simply cannot be great. And Michael Biehn, Val Kilmer and especially Kurt Russell pull off the disproportionately drawn-out plot of Tombstone in a way that the lacklustre direction and the very naive script perhaps didn't deserve. You can forgive the story for being blindly predictable from the opening minutes, but you really don't see a fictional world this loose, where apparently the villains are allowed to do anything, yet their actions are incomprehensibly inconsistent and tedious. It's pretty watchable and the first half promises great things, but one revenge shootout and one static fight at the end unfortunately don't live up to expectations. Moreover, the most physically interesting of the villains is the supporting actor Stephen Lang, who is, however, a bore and a crybaby of the first class, while the others are easily forgettable. 65% (27.12.2016)