- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
-
4 out of 5
Director Lawrence Kasdan's three-hour plus journey to the notorious shoot-out at the OK Corral is a monumental western that works both as a serious history lesson and as a quietly understated drama. Many movies have been made about the life of Wyatt Earp and the events he engendered, but what makes this one so compelling is that it's the most accurate depiction and assessment of his character and deeds. Kasdan's beautifully filmed epic portrays the man not the legend, tracing Earp's move from boyhood innocence to knowing cynicism. It takes us from the 1860s to the turn of the century, as the Earp family move to Tombstone, Arizona, to take on the Clantons, who have been terrorising the town. On the surface, the infamous gunfight may have only been a 30-second battle between two hate-driven gangs, kicking off a series of vengeful killings in the process, but in Kasdan's assured hands the incident is legitimately transformed into a key moment in the history of the west. Kevin Costner has seldom been better as the older Earp, and his expert range suggests all the good, bad and ugly facets of the complex character - while Earp was an effective lawman, he was also a thief, an arsonist and a murderer. Yet, Costner still leaves plenty of room for Dennis Quaid to steal the show as the tuberculosis-ridden dentist Doc Holliday. There's also strong support from Gene Hackman as Earp's father and a well-chosen back-up cast led by JoBeth Williams and Bill Pullman. They all make telling contributions to Kasdan's compelling study of this complex man.
Plot Summary
Epic western drama starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman. After the death of his sweetheart, the young Wyatt Earp descends into a life of crime until he is saved by his father and guided towards his destiny as one of the west's toughest lawmen.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Wyatt Earp
- Kevin Costner
- John "Doc" Holliday
- Dennis Quaid
- Nicholas Earp
- Gene Hackman
- Virgil Earp
- Michael Madsen
- Morgan Earp
- Linden Ashby
- Ike Clanton
- Jeff Fahey
- Josie Marcus
- Joanna Going
- Sheriff Johnny Behan
- Mark Harmon
- Allie Earp
- Catherine O'Hara
- James Earp
- David Andrews
- Ed Masterson
- Bill Pullman
- Big Nose Kate
- Isabella Rossellini
- Bat Masterson
- Tom Sizemore
- Bessie Earp
- JoBeth Williams
- Mattie Blaylock
- Mare Winningham
- Mr Sutherland
- James Gammon
- Frank McLaury
- Rex Linn
- John Clum
- Randie Mell
- Tom McLaury
- Adam Baldwin
- Urilla Sutherland
- Annabeth Gish
- Curly Bill Brocius
- Lewis Smith
- Virginia Earp
- Betty Buckley
- Warren Earp
- Jim Caviezel
- Mrs Sutherland
- Karen Grassle
- Sally
- Téa Leoni
- Ed Ross
- Martin Kove
- Johnny Ringo
- Norman Howell
Crew
- Director
- Lawrence Kasdan
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