Tombstone

Plot

In 1879, members of a red sash-wearing outlaw gang called the Cowboys, led by "Curly Bill" Brocius, ride into a Mexican town and interrupt a local police officer's wedding. They massacre the assembled policemen in retribution for killing two of their fellow gang members. Before being shot, a local priest warns them that their acts of murder and savagery will be avenged, referring to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Wyatt Earp, a retired peace officer with a notable reputation, reunites with his brothers Virgil and Morgan in Tucson, Arizona, where they venture on toward Tombstone to settle down and pursue their fortune. There, they encounter Wyatt's longtime friend Doc Holliday, who is seeking relief from his worsening tuberculosis in the dry climate. Josephine Marcus and Mr. Fabian arrive shortly after with a traveling theater troupe. Meanwhile, Wyatt's common-law wife, Mattie Blaylock, is becoming dependent on laudanum. Wyatt finds himself drawn to Josephine's free-spirited nature. The Earp brothers begin profiting from a stake in a gambling emporium and saloon when they have their first hostile encounter with the Cowboys. Doc and Curly Bill's second-in-command, the psychotic Johnny Ringo, verbally spar, but are stopped before they can duel.

As tensions rise, Wyatt is pressured to help rid Tombstone of the Cowboys, though he refuses, no longer a lawman. After a visit to an opium den, Curly Bill begins shooting erratically in the street. Marshal Fred White attempts to disarm him, only to be shot dead. Wyatt takes Curly Bill into custody, fending off both a mob attempting to lynch the Cowboy and a handful of his brethren wanting him freed. Curly Bill stands trial but is found not guilty due to a lack of witnesses.

Virgil, unable to tolerate the lawlessness, becomes the new marshal and imposes a weapons ban within the city limits. This leads to a gunfight at the O.K. Corral, in which Cowboys Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers are killed. Virgil and Morgan are wounded, and County Sheriff Johnny Behan's allegiance with the Cowboys is made clear. In retaliation for the Cowboy deaths, Wyatt's brothers are ambushed; Morgan is killed, while Virgil is left handicapped. A despondent Wyatt and his family leave Tombstone and board a train, with Cowboys Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell close behind, preparing to ambush them. Having been clandestinely appointed a US Marshal, Wyatt sees that his family leaves safely, and then surprises the assassins. He kills Stilwell, but he lets Clanton live to carry a message: Wyatt has vowed to put an end to the Cowboys. Wyatt, Doc, and reformed Cowboys Sherman McMasters, Texas Jack Vermillion, and Turkey Creek Jack Johnson form a posse to seek revenge.

Production

The film was shot primarily on location in Arizona. Shooting began in May 1993. The film was supposed to be screenwriter Kevin Jarre's first job as director, but he was quickly overwhelmed by the job, failing to get needed shots and falling behind the shooting schedule. A month into filming, he was fired by producer Andrew Vajna and replaced with George P. Cosmatos. Michael Biehn, a close friend of Jarre, considered quitting. Biehn recalled feeling that director Cosmatos "had no understanding or appreciation of the screenplay." By the time of Cosmatos' arrival, though, all actors stayed on board. The new director brought a demanding, hard-nosed sensibility to the set, which led to conflicts with some of the crew members (mainly with cinematographer William Fraker). Meanwhile, Kurt Russell worked quickly with producer James Jacks to pare down Jarre's sprawling script, deleting subplots and emphasizing the relationship between Wyatt and Doc.

Russell has stated that it was he, and not Cosmatos, who directed the film, as Jarre's departure led to the studio's request. Russell stated that Cosmatos was brought in as a "ghost director" as a frontman because Russell did not want it to be known that he was directing. Co-star Val Kilmer has supported Russell's statements about working heavily behind the scenes and stating that Russell "essentially" directed the film, but stopped short of saying that Russell did the actual directing. Biehn stated that Russell never directed him personally.

Dana Delany spoke much more positively about Cosmatos's work: "We had a few days where we didn't have a director, and Kurt was definitely the cheerleader, keeping everybody's morale up. Then they brought on George Cosmatos. And it was hard because you have a new director who's trying to set his tone. His first day they wanted to start easy, which was a little unfortunate for me: his first day directing was all of my big scenes, especially the big love scene in the field with me and Kurt. It was kind of like, 'let's do the girl stuff first; let's get that outta the way.' It wasn't really fair to me, you know? I probably should have fought for myself a little bit more. George said to me, 'Just be fun! Just be girly! And I was like, oh my God! But I ended up really liking George, and he and I got along great. He was in a very difficult position, but I knew that he was highly sensitive underneath it all. He really wanted to make a good movie, and he cared deeply about it. I'm sure there's always going to be camps, pro or con against George. But in my mind, he really cared about it."

Music

Soundtrack

The original motion picture soundtrack for Tombstone was originally released by Intrada Records on December 25, 1993. On March 16, 2006, an expanded two-disc version of the film score was also released by Intrada Records. The score was composed and produced by Bruce Broughton, and performed by the Sinfonia of London. David Snell conducted most of the score (although Broughton normally conducts his own scores, union problems mandated another conductor here), while Patricia Carlin edited the film's music.

The album begins with the Cinergi logo, composed by Jerry Goldsmith and conducted by Broughton.

Release

Home media

Following its cinematic release in theaters, the film was released on VHS video format on November 11, 1994. The Region 1 Code widescreen edition of the film was released on DVD in the United States on December 2, 1997. Special features for the DVD only include original theatrical trailers. A director's cut of Tombstone was also officially released on DVD on January 15, 2002. This two-disc set includes "The Making of Tombstone" featurette in three parts: "An Ensemble Cast", "Making an Authentic Western", and "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral". Other features include an audio commentary by director George P. Cosmatos, an interactive Tombstone timeline, the director's original storyboards for the O.K. Corral sequence, the Tombstone "Epitaph" — an actual newspaper account, the DVD-ROM feature "Faro at the Oriental: Game of Chance", and a collectible Tombstone map. This DVD release is also THX certified and features a DTS 5.1 audio track.

The widescreen high-definition Blu-ray Disc edition of the theatrical cut was released on April 27, 2010, featuring the making of Tombstone, director's original storyboards, trailers, and TV spots. A supplemental viewing option for the film in the media format of video-on-demand is available, as well.

The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Ultra HD Blu-ray on April 22, 2025, featuring a 4K restoration.

Reception

Box office

Tombstone premiered in movie theaters six months before Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp, on December 25, 1993, in wide release throughout the United States. During its opening weekend, the film opened in third place at the US box office behind The Pelican Brief and Mrs. Doubtfire, grossing $6,454,752 in business showing at 1,504 locations. The film's revenue increased by 35% in its second week of release, earning $8,720,255. For that particular weekend, the film stayed in third place, screening in 1,955 theaters. The film went on to gross $56,505,065 in total ticket sales in the United States and Canada. It ranks 20th out of all films released in 1993. Internationally, it grossed $16.7 million for a worldwide total of $73.2 million.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes reports that 76% of 51 sampled critics give Tombstone a positive review, with an average score of 6.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "If you're seeking a stylish modern western with a solid story and a well-chosen ensemble cast, Tombstone is your huckleberry." Following its cinematic release in 1993, Tombstone was named "one of the 5 greatest Westerns ever made" by True West Magazine. The film was also called "One of the year's 10 best!" by KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, California. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert of Siskel & Ebert originally thought they would have to miss reviewing the film because they could not get a screening, but, as Ebert explained, "a strange thing started to happen. People started telling me they really liked Val Kilmer's performance in Tombstone, and I heard this everywhere I went. When you hear this once or twice, it's interesting, when you hear it a couple of dozen times, it's a trend. And when you read that Bill Clinton loved the performance, you figured you better catch up with the movie." Ultimately, Ebert recommended the movie while Siskel did not.

Ebert would later refer to Tombstone in future reviews, comparing it favorably to Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp ("It forced the comparison upon me.") and, in his review of Wild Bill, singling out Val Kilmer's portrayal as "the definitive saloon cowboy of our time." In his review of Kurt Russell's Dark Blue, he stated, "Every time I see Russell or Val Kilmer in a role, I'm reminded of their Tombstone, which got lost in the year-end holiday shuffle and never got the recognition it deserved."

In a mixed review, Chris Hicks writing in the Deseret News said, "aside from Russell and Val Kilmer's scene-stealing, sickly, alcoholic Doc Holliday, there are so many characters coming and going, with none of them receiving adequate screen time, that it becomes difficult to keep track of them all." He commented, "some very entertaining moments here, with Russell spouting memorable tough-guy lines". Overall, he felt, "Taken on its own terms, with some lowered expectations, Western fans will have fun." Emanuel Levy of Variety believed the film was a "tough-talking but soft-hearted tale" which was "entertaining in a sprawling, old-fashioned manner." Regarding screenwriter Jarre's dialogue, he noted, "Despite the lack of emotional center and narrative focus, his script contains enough subplots and colorful characters to enliven the film and ultimately make it a fun, if not totally engaging experience." He also singled out Val Kilmer as the standout performance. The film was not without its detractors. James Berardinelli writing for ReelViews offered a negative review, recalling how he thought, "The first half of Tombstone isn't an example of great filmmaking, but it is engaging. There's a sense of growing inevitability as events build to the shoot-out at the OK Corral. The melodramatic "serious" moments are kept to a minimum, and the various gunfights are choreographed with style and tension. Then, at the one-hour ten-minute mark, the Clanton gang and the Earps square off. From there, things get progressively worse. Not only is the last hour anticlimactic, but it's dull. Too many scenes feature lengthy segments of poorly-scripted dialogue, and, in some cases, character motivation becomes unclear. The gunplay is more repetitious than exciting. The result—a cobbled-together morass of silly lines and shoot-outs—doesn't work well."

Books

A paperback novel of the same name adapted from Kevin Jarre's screenplay, written by Giles Tippette and published by Berkley Publishers, was released on January 1, 1994. The book dramatizes the real-life events of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Earp Vendetta Ride, as depicted in the film. It expands on Western genre ideas in Jarre's screenplay.

The Making of Tombstone, a book about the film, was published in 2018.