STORYLINE:  After success cleaning up Dodge City, Wyatt Earp moves to Tombstone, Arizona, and wishes to get rich in obscurity. He meets his brothers there, as well as his old friend Doc Holliday. A band of outlaws that call themselves The Cowboys are causing problems in the region with various acts of random violence, and inevitably come into confrontation with Holliday and the Earps, which leads to a shoot-out at the O.K. Corral (IMDb)

   What do Blazing Saddles (1974), The Cowboys (1972), and Unforgiven (1992) all have in common?  They make the shortlist as some of my favorite western films. All take a back seat, though, to Tombstone.

    Kurt Russell is legendary law man Wyatt Earp, Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday, and the film is about the shoot out at the O.K. Corral.  

    The western is filled with cinema bits, I love. Tombstone has a stand up and cheer hero in Wyatt Earp.  He  has a heroes journey, and is aided in it by compelling sidekicks. There is an ominous villain, and a gang of villainous outlaws, to do battle with. Throughout the motion picture are one liners that are both witty as well as heroic. Tombstone features many of the stand-up and cheer moments that I love to watch!

    Naturally, I leapt at the opportunity to see my favorite cowboy movie, that dounle dips as an all time favorite, in a theatrical setting.  From my right pocket corner seat, I was glued to the screen, not wanting to blink, out of fear of missing one second of this movie. 

    The O.K. Corral gunfight was as  exhilarating as I wanted it to be. The scenic western shots were a sight to watch. I loved hearing my favorite lines, all over again, coming through the surround sound of the movie theater.

    For me, one of the best parts of the movie is the performances.  I loved watching kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp.  However, the highlight of the movie is Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday. He never made a better movie, and iy was a pure joy to watch his Doc Holiday role on the big screen.

   In 1994, Kevin Costner made a biopic about  Wyatt Earp, simply called Wyatt Earp.  I have yet to see this movie.  At some point I will, and am in no rush to do so. My fear is it will fall short To Tombstone, especially considering my love for this western. 

   Tombstone is my favorite western feature, and what a thrill it was seeing ot was in the theater!

   Until next time, I will see you at the movies!