Tombstone
Movie, 1993, The '90s, Set in Tombstone, 1881
Tombstone is #25 of 34 in release order and #22 of 34 in chronological order in the Westerns.
The story
Legendary marshal Wyatt Earp, now a weary gunfighter, joins his brothers Morgan and Virgil to pursue their collective fortune in the thriving mining town of Tombstone. But Earp is forced to don a badge again and get help from his notorious pal Doc Holliday when a gang of renegade brigands and rustlers begins terrorizing the town.
Tombstone recap
Tombstone (1993) follows Wyatt Earp, who arrives in the Arizona boomtown to retire and is pulled into war with the outlaw Cowboys. George P. Cosmatos directs. Wyatt (Kurt Russell) comes in 1879 with his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) and their wives, meaning to make money. His old friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), a gambler dying of tuberculosis, is already there. The Cowboys, led by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) and the educated killer Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn), run the county. Wyatt's wife Mattie is addicted to laudanum, and he falls for Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany), an actress. When Curly Bill kills the town marshal, Virgil takes the badge, and the Earps and Doc face the Clantons and McLaurys at the O.K. Corral. In revenge, Cowboys maim Virgil and kill Morgan. Wyatt forms a posse and rides out to finish them. It stands alone, retelling the feud of My Darling Clementine, and came out months before Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp.
Tombstone ending explained
Tombstone ends with Doc dying of tuberculosis in a Colorado sanatorium and Wyatt finding Josephine to start a life together. During the vendetta ride Wyatt kills Curly Bill, and Doc meets Ringo in Wyatt's place and kills him. Doc tells Wyatt to go after Josephine, and Robert Mitchum's narration says the couple stayed together for 47 years, with the actor Tom Mix crying at Wyatt's funeral in 1929.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Tombstone
Tombstone is streaming on fuboTV, Philo, and MGM Plus in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 76%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Unforgiven, before Deadwood.
- Chronological order: after Unforgiven, before Deadwood.
Cast
- Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp
- Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday
- Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo
- Powers Boothe as Curly Bill
- Robert John Burke as Frank McLaury
- Dana Delany as Josephine
- Sam Elliott as Virgil Earp
- Stephen Lang as Ike Clanton
- Terry O'Quinn as Mayor Clum
- Joanna Pacula as Kate
- Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp
- Jason Priestley as Billy Breckenridge
Directed by George P. Cosmatos.