Few Westerns are as memorable asTombstone.
While this isn’t a necessity, it happens regularly among different casts.
Michael Biehn is usually a sci-fi action hero, but he should spend more time in the Old West.
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More than that,Tombstonehad a notoriously grueling production that was incredibly difficult for the actors involved.
It was so difficult that many have come to believe thatRussell ended up essentially directing the picture himself.
But what’s even funnier about Russell’s gift is that Kilmer had a similar idea of his own.
Image via Buena Vista Pictures
“What Val had gotten me was an acre of land overlooking Boothill.”
“Doc Holliday’s all about death,” Russell concluded.
“But Wyatt’s all about life.
Val Kilmer Is the True Star of ‘Tombstone’
But why is Tombstone so widely regarded?
As Doc Holliday continues to decline physically in health,Kilmer emphasizes his steady pull towards violence.
Throughout the whole film,Kilmer flips the usual gunslinger tropes on their head.
Image via Hollywood Pictures
Hes the most talented gunman of the Tombstone bunch, but hes also something of a degenerate.
As Russell noted, Doc Holliday is obsessed with death.
Thats not something most Western heroes have, though theyre plagued by the deaths that trail them.
A successful lawman’s plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
But Doc isnt like most Western heroes, which is why we love him.
Doc Holliday is one of a kind, and so Kilmers performance had to be the same.
Tombstoneis available to watch on Paramount+ in the U.S.
Watch on Paramount+
