A retired lawman named Wyatt Earp and his two brothers, Virgil and Morgan, relocate to Tombstone, Arizona, in the Western movie “Tombstone.” Doc Holliday, a buddy of Wyatt’s, joins them along the road. The four guys arrive in the town and try their luck at gambling to make some money, but they can’t help but feel uneasy about Tombstone despite its flashy exterior. Outlaws conducting a raid on the town quickly become the cause of this unease.
The Earp brothers decide to maintain order since the former Marshall has already been shot and killed. In the 1993 movie, which was directed by George P. Cosmatos, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, and Dana Delany are among the ensemble cast. People have always been enthralled by and inspired by Westerns. This is in large part because many Westerns are based on well-known historical people. But does ‘Tombstone’ fall under the same category? Do not fret; we have the solutions for you.
Is Tombstone a True Story?
Yes, ‘Tombstone’ is inspired by a true story. Written by Kevin Jarre, it is loosely based on the records of the O.K. Corral shootout and the Earp Vendetta Ride. While some creative liberties have been taken in the film, its depiction of the events surrounding Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, along with the rest of the motley crew, is fairly accurate. The gunfight at O.K. Corral and the subsequent Earp Vendetta Ride are some of the key defining moments in US history that give us a glimpse into what the country was like in the years following the Civil War.
It was a volatile time, as people were scattered and moving toward the frontier in search of a better future. The changes that happened after the war seemed to have been especially more pronounced in the Wild West. With lawlessness on the rise and only a handful of courageous people to stand against it, it is no wonder then that this period in history attracts the attention of so many and stokes the imagination of storytellers everywhere.
‘Tombstone’ captures this essence – of both the lawlessness and the desire for something better in life that people had – through the Cowboys and Wyatt Earp and his companions. Wyatt and his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, along with Doc Holliday, move to the town of Tombstone in Arizona in order to earn a fortune for themselves through the various gambling houses in town. The Cowboys, on the other hand, seek to do the same by force, riding in guns blazing. While both the groups’ goal is the same, their means to achieve them are on different moral spectrums.
However, that is not to say that Earp Wyatt or any of his companions are necessarily “good” either. Wyatt isn’t beyond cheating at cards, and Doc Holliday has a tendency to kill those who accuse him of cheating, for example. Therefore, the idea of “good” is relative, and ‘Tombstone’ does an excellent job of presenting it. In a way, this also grounds the larger-than-life character of Wyatt Earp, who is generally portrayed as a hero figure in American history.
“The Westerns that I’ve seen in the past with Wyatt – he’s basically just a lawman. A real straight-line lawman,” said Kurt Russel, who portrays Wyatt Earp in the film, in a behind-the-scenes video. “Didn’t really ever explore the realities of the other sides of his character, a very dark side. A man who wasn’t above cheating in a card game, not above cheating on his wife. He is a human being, he has flaws, he has faults.” Similarly to how Wyatt is written in the film, the other characters are just as fleshed out. None of the villains feel like two-dimensional cut-outs of real people, only to provide the conflict part of the story.
Each character has their own distinct background and personality, even those who act as subordinates to the main antagonists, “Curly Bill” Brocius (Powers Boothe) and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). “It really shows all these characters as fully rounded, fully developed people; which is what they were,” said Jason Priestley (who plays Billy Breakenridge in the film). “Curly Bill and Johnny Ringo, for being bad guys were charismatic, fun-loving great guys…who’d shoot you in the back! But, you know, it’s an afterthought.”
Adding to that, Powers Boothe said, “It seems to me in the last decade at least, uh, movies have become so formulaic – your hero’s sidekick, his girlfriend, and the villain. And the only question is how big is the gun gonna be and who kills the villain. And the villain has no past life, no future life, no nothing; and-and so I was extremely pleased to read this script and find that, you know, my character has a whole life and the humanity, and the Ringos and Ikes, and the McLauries they’re-they’re all people. They’re human beings and it’s not like Hollywood heroes and Hollywood villains.”
Even though it is a typical Western, “Tombstone” is aware of its historical context. The movie takes on a few issues that have plagued civilization for ages. This encompasses issues like sexism, racism, drug and alcohol misuse, and the possibility of gun violence (which is prevented by outlawing the carrying of weapons in public). But because these subjects make the protagonists seem more relevant to the audience, everything just serves to increase the story’s credibility, which is already grounded in fact.