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The Best Wyatt Earp Movie Ever Made Is A 1993 Western That Is Only Getting Its Flowers Now

July 11, 2025

The iconic 1993 Western Tombstone garnered sizable commercial acclaim upon its release 32 years ago, bolstered by a star-studded cast that helped the film nearly triple its $25 million budget at the box office. However, it was some time before the movie fully transitioned from its cult status to being regarded as one of the greatest westerns ever.

The recent death of Val Kilmer shined a light on both the film and his legendary role as Doc Holliday. Indeed, Kilmer’s passing helps illuminate just what’s so invariably appealing about Tombstone: its genius performances. Other retellings of the deadly showdown at the O.K. Corral have lacked the cinematic swagger necessary to portray Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

Though other acting greats have tried—including Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and even Kevin Costner in 1994’s Wyatt Earp—no ensemble has perfectly captured the machismo present in the iconic image of Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, and Sam Elliott all clad in black, which today stands as a visual testament to Tombstone‘s status as a definitive classic.

What Makes Tombstone The Best Wyatt Earp Movie Ever Made

The Film Carries On The Legacy Of ’80s Action Heroes

What might come as a surprise to some people is that Tombstone‘s famously star-studded cast is neither unique among Wyatt Earp movies nor the foremost catalyst for the film’s enduring success—it goes far deeper than that.

As mentioned previously, plenty of renowned actors have tried their hand at the O.K. Corral story, with none before or after Tombstone succeeding in surmounting the cinematic heights of the early ’90s classic. This is because the film harbors within it a unique alchemy that derives its intensity from the previous decade’s greatest creation: the ’80s action hero persona.

Val Kilmer’s 1992 Western Might Be Even Better Than Tombstone

While Tombstone might be the late, great Val Kilmer’s best known Western movie, he starred in an even better, more underrated Western a year earlier.

The ’80s brought us many things: Hulkamania, Return of the Jedi, and perhaps most famously, the era of the muscle-bound action star, whose heroics were carried by such cinematic titans as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell, who cut his teeth in films like The Thing and Tango and Cash.

Tombstone carries this legacy through Russell’s performance as Wyatt Earp, who’s something of a blend between Escape from New York‘s Snake Plissken and John Wayne. These heroics are not lost on Earp’s brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) either, nor Val Kilmer’s elusive portrayal of Doc Holliday—everyone gets a moment to shine in true action hero delight.

Tombstone Easily Beat The Kevin Costner Wyatt Earp Movie It Went Up Against

The 1993 Film Is More Streamlined And Action-Packed

Following the release of Tombstone on Christmas Day, 1993, many people justifiably thought that the upcoming Wyatt Earp biopic by Lawrence Kasdan and the acclaimed Kevin Costner would swiftly overshadow the energetic picture. However, this would not come to pass, as Wyatt Earp‘s sprawling, decade-spanning narrative failed to deliver the thrills audiences expected in the wake of Tombstone‘s high-octane action.

In many ways, Tombstone set the standard for ’90s Western action, and though one could argue that audiences should’ve expected a slower-paced film from the Dances With Wolves star and director, they simply preferred Tombstone‘s drive and tight-paced narrative.

…Tombstone bears an ensemble so fitting that not a hair feels out of place, nor a lead performance ever wavering or unbelievable.

As important as narrative is to film, however, it would be nothing without a proper vessel to channel its themes and motifs. Like The Godfather, which Stanley Kubrick once declared the “best cast ever assembled,” Tombstone bears an ensemble so fitting that not a hair feels out of place, nor a performance unbelievable.

After all, once a film is finished and its audience has left the theater, they won’t recall its timeline or greater historical accuracy: they’ll recall its performances, chemistry, and memorable one-liners (one of Tombstone‘s greatest lines was borrowed from a 1956 Western). Tombstone embodies these latter points, delivering a flurry of fun, iconic characters that are destined to endure.