Unfortunately for Earp, his plan to maintain a peaceful existence was short-lived, and the action takes off running in short order. Interestingly, several scenes in Tombstone make a special effort to emphasize how insistent Earp is on not returning to the right side of the law, and includes Earp outright refusing on multiple occasions. While he, of course, does pick up his gun again, it isn't made explicitly clear what changed his mind in the movie. For Earp, a snowball effect takes place that makes his return to the law inevitable.
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Only 1 Tombstone Actor Didn't Grow A Real Mustache For The 1993 Western Movie
The glorious mustaches of the entire cast of the 1993 western classic are a calling card of the movie, and only one actor didn't grow a real one.
Wyatt Earp Realizes The Threat Of The Cowboys Cannot Be Ignored
The Cowboys' Crime Syndicate Threatened The Entire West
The primary antagonists of Tombstone are the Cowboys, a veritable army of outlaws and rogues who act as the ultimate law in Tombstone, marked by the red sashes they wear. The Cowboys in the movie are based on the Cochise County Cowboys, a similarly-structured outfit that became one of, if not the first, true crime organizations in America. They're led by Curly Bill Brocius (played by Powers Boothe) and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn), and are depicted as dastardly and cruel in Tombstone. Therein lies their importance to the story of Wyatt Earp in the movie.
Release Date | Budget | Box Office | RT Tomatometer Score | RT Popcornmeter Score |
December 25th, 1993 | $25 million | $73.2 million | 74% | 93% |
Wyatt is forced to return to the law to combat the threat of the Cowboys in Tombstone. As an outlaw gang concerned with thievery and murder, the Cowboys run afoul of any man concerned with justice. That eventually puts them at cross-purposes with the Earps, especially when Wyatt arrests Curly Bill and Virgil becomes the new marshal of Tombstone in an effort to control the chaos sewn by the Cowboys. All the Earps understand the threat posed by the Cowboys to everyone in Tombstone, and they know that they won't go away without someone standing up to them without fear.
Wyatt Can't Avoid Siding With His Two Brothers In Tombstone
Wyatt Went Along With Virgil And Morgan's Commitment
Virgil is the driving force behind the Earps' involvement with the Cowboys in Tombstone, as he is the first of the brothers to declare that he can't abide the lawlessness of the gang, especially if they intend to start a life in the town of Tombstone. Morgan goes along with Virgil, and even becomes his deputy once he dons the mantle of marshal. As the youngest of the brothers, Morgan explains his actions to Wyatt as the path that he thought Wyatt himself would take, in acting on the side of righteousness.
As iconic as Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer's performances are in Tombstone, the roles were almost extremely different; at one point in production, Richard Gere was considered for the role of Wyatt Earp (fresh off his success in Pretty Woman ), and Russell would have played Doc Holliday instead.
Once Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the other Earp brothers run afoul of Ike Clanton and the McLaury brothers, the decision is all but out of Wyatt's hands. As Morgan notes, when men are brothers, their duty is to support each other, even if they don't agree with their actions. That leads to Wyatt begrudgingly agreeing to be deputized and made a man of the law under his brother's leadership, feeling as though he has little choice.
Tombstone Suggests That Wyatt Returning To Being A Lawman Was Inevitable
Despite Wanting To Settle Down, He Was Always Going To Fall On The Side Of Justice
Wyatt's reputation as a peace officer in Dodge City follows him out west to Tombstone, and as a result, he is asked by several people of influence in the town to take on the position full-time in Tombstone, as they believe he's the kind of man needed to stop the Cowboys from terrorizing the area. Wyatt repeatedly says no to all propositions, even vehemently denying his brothers the first time they broached the subject with him. Tombstone makes it clear that Wyatt's honest intention is to settle down, and leave the life of a gunman and officer behind.
The fact that Wyatt Earp has to keep saying that the life of a lawman is behind him for the entire first half of Tombstone is both foreshadowing and evidence that his fate is inescapable.
The continued pestering of Wyatt to take on the Cowboys points to the sheer inevitability of his return to the law. The fact that he has to keep saying that the life of a lawman is behind him for the entire first half of Tombstone is both foreshadowing and evidence that his fate is inescapable. Wyatt Earp was always going to be on the side of the law, whether it was something he wanted or not.
Tombstone is a Western film loosely based on true events. When a group of outlaws known as the Cowboys ride into a town and slay several police officers for revenge for the death of two of their gang members, word of their misdeeds reaches the ears of a retired lawman. Gathering a group together, the new vigilantes will defend the town and aim to end the terror of the Cowboys.
Release Date December 25, 1993
Runtime 130 minutes
Director George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre
Writers Kevin Jarre
Budget $25 million
English (US) ·