One of the best Westerns of all time was released on Christmas Day 1993, and in the 32 years since the modern classic was released, the movie has only gotten better. Although the 1940s through the 1960s were the most popular eras for Western movies, the movie is still popular to this day, and it has left a lasting legacy on Hollywood.
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Directed by George P. Cosmatos, 1993’s Tombstone boasts a powerful cast, with the film starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton, while also featuring Michael Rooker, Charlton Heston, Billy Bob Thornton, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Church, and more. It tells the story of Wyatt Earp and this brothers as they arrive in Tombstone, Arizona, and attempt to restore law and order when faced with a ruthless cowboy gang.
The film opened in third place, but it went on to gross $73.2 million against a budget of $25 million. Despite the film’s slow start, it began to do better thanks to word of mouth. Fans were particularly vocal about Val Kilmer’s fantastic performance. In legendary critic Roger Ebert’s review of Tombstone, he explains that he decided to see the movie after hearing that President Bill Clinton loved Kilmer in the role.
How Tombstone Became A Modern Classic
While Tombstone‘s initial reviews were mixed, the film earned acclaim as time went on. The movie has been looked back upon as the perfect modern Western, updating the genre and creating an example that many modern Westerns still try to live up to. Like many later Westerns, it mixes true events like the O.K. Corral gunfight with fictional stories, carrying on the mythologized world of Westerns into the modern day.
Although it wasn’t the biggest success upon its release, it has since become a cult classic. Along with Unforgiven, Tombstone is the definitive Western movie of the 1990s, with it making the genre into a blockbuster hit again. It helped cement Val Kilmer as a blockbuster leading man, earning him later roles in movies like Heat and Batman Forever.
At the time of its release, many movie fans found it interesting that Tombstone was set to release only six months before 1994’s Wyatt Earp, another major Western that focused on the Earp family. There were lots of conversations about which Western would win, as one could be seen as a substitute for the other. In the years since their near-simultaneous releases, Tombstone has cemented itself as the true winner, being a financial success and having a much grander legacy.
Tombstone still lives onto this day as a Western classic, with it being a must-see for modern fans of the genre. The film managed to bring together some of the biggest stars of the 1990s, creating a Western magic that hasn’t been recaptured in the 32 years since the release of Tombstone.
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