Wyatt Earp, 1994

My instinctual reaction to Wyatt Earp is to compare it to Tombstone. But, I'm not so sure that would be a fair comparison. Both films are about Earp's life, they're both westerns, and they both share many similar events and characters. But past those similarities, the movies are entirely different. Tombstone is tough competition for any movie, yet alone another western. It's almost not fair. At nearly three hours, Wyatt Earp is long. But the pacing is almost perfect and the movie felt like a taut, 1.5 hour action flick. In Tombstone, the Cowboys were integral characters that the viewer grew to hate. In Wyatt Earp, they were just plot devices necessary to push the story along. For the most part, I never even matched faces with names; they were disposable. What Wyatt Earp has that Tombstone didn't is a sense of realism. The story really shows what kind of man Wyatt Earp was. It doesn't sugar coat everything. It lets the bad traits he had, as a husband, a son, and a brother show through. Wyatt Earp feels less like a legend and more like a true story. The acting was strong across the board. But, the stand out here was easily Dennis Quaid as Doc Holiday. Wow. It must be something about the character, though, because Val Kilmer was also fantastic as Holiday in Tombstone. Regardless, this was easily my favorite Quaid performance ever. In short, Wyatt Earp is a good movie. If you like westerns, this one is a must-see. If the story of Wyatt Earp interests you, check this film out. The acting, directing, and cinematography are all wonderful, and the story's pacing keeps you interested for the entire three hours.

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