Kurt Russell plays Wyatt Earp, a former peace officer who has built a reputation for himself in Wichita and Dodge City, seeking to retire and pursue mercantile interests in the growing mining town of Tombstone in Arizona. He is accompanied by his brothers Virgil and Morgan, played respectively by Sam Elliott and the late Bill Paxton, along with his old friend Doc Holliday, played masterfully by Val Kilmer. Unfortunately, Tombstone happens to the stomping ground of a gang known as The Cowboys. Leading them is Boothe's Curly Bill Brocious and the sociopathic gunfighter Johnny Ringo, played by Michael Biehn. Because of Wyatt's reputation, he is constantly pressured to bring law to Tombstone - leading to the events at the OK Corral.
It's not the most historically accurate film, but I'm not going to go into that as it doesn't claim to be accurate. However, I do think the film goes downhill after the famous gunfight, degenerating into a blood-bath. As much as I like a good shoot 'em up every once in a while, it feels like a different film and contrasts the first half - which is based on Wyatt's reluctance to get involved in a conflict. And while Kurt Russell does have threatening moments, most of his acting is about as convincing as that moustache. Even one of his threatening scenes is delightfully hammy.
However, it's Val Kilmer who truly steals the show as Doc Holliday. He's a Southern Gentleman who's slowly dying from tuberculosis and lives every day like it was his last - because it just might be. He constantly abuses himself and doesn't have many friends, but those he does have he'll stand by to the end. Plus, all of his dialogue is pretty much gold.
Like I said, it's a very romanticised take on real events, but they do try and bring in some depth in the first half while trying to address the ensemble cast.
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