Kevin Costner is Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp has become one of my favorite films when I am in the mood for a really good Western movie. Bobby and I have different views on movies and it is not that often the we both enjoy the same thing to the same extent. Wyatt Earp, however is one of the exceptions. Filmed entirely within the state of New Mexico and released in June of 1994, Wyatt Earp actually comes very close to being a documentary. The story of the gunfight at the OK Corral is one that has been told quite a few times in quite a few ways. Wyatt Earp, however delves deeper into the man himself, and into the driving forces that make him develop into the person that he ultimately becomes.

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Due to the closeness of the release dates of Wyatt Earp and Tombstone (with Kurt Russell as Wyatt), the comparisons between the two films were almost inevitable. They basically tell the same story, but in vastly different ways. Most noticeably is the role of Doc Holliday played by Dennis Quaid. His portrayal was more gripping, and more entertaining than the same character played by Val Kilmer in Tombstone. Mr. Quaid lost about 40 pounds for the role and practically stole the show. His quick wit and snappy comebacks gave a bit of sparkle to what could have been some very dreary scenes.

Wyatt Earp ran for 3 hours and 9 minutes, compared to Tombstone, which ran for just over 2 hours. The character development was more evident, the cinematography was extraordinary (Owen Roizman was nominated for the Oscar for Best Cinematography for his work in Wyatt Earp). And last but not least, I also felt that Kevin Costners depiction of Wyatt Earp was much deeper and more believable than the one by Mr. Russell in Tombstone. Costner has been criticized in some reviews for this performance and I will totally agree that it was not nearly his best work. He did, however, have a difficult character to portray....a cold hard man with little emotion or feeling. In order to perform the role accurately, he, too would have to appear as unfeeling and unattached....in my humble opinion. Now, enough of the scorecard between these 2 films...let's talk about Wyatt Earp.

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Wyatt Earp was not the first joint effort between Kevin Costner and Director, Lawrence Kasdan. Back in 1983, Kasdan laid Costner into a coffin for the opening sequence for The Big Chill. They worked together 2 years later in 1985 in another well-known western, Silverado and then again in 1992s' The BodyGuard. Kasdan is not only credited as the Director of this film, but also as a Writer (co-writer, that is with Dan Gordon). Some of the more memorable films that he has received credit as a writer for were two of the Star War epics, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), as well as the wonderful Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

The life of Wyatt Earp has been somewhat romanticized after the many re-tellings of his legendary story through different mediums. In this film, we discover that he is not the dashing hero, the upstanding lawman, or the victimized target of ruthless renegades that some of us have been lead to believe. For entertainment purposes, Director Lawrence Kasdan says that he did a bit of fictionalization, mixing both myth and fact. After reading several articles dealing with the life of Wyatt Earp, I can see why Kasdan took this route. Many of the accounts of the actual events that took place during this era were vague and undocumented.

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As a young man Wyatt was constantly reminded by his father, Nicholas Earp (Gene Hackman) of the importance of family, duty, honor and loyalty....and that "blood" should always come first. Returning home after law school, Wyatt marries his childhood sweetheart, Urilla, (played very touchingly by Annabeth Gish), who subsequently dies from typhoid while carrying their child. Unable to handle this tragedy, Wyatt turns to booze and when hitting rock bottom, a horse-thief. Dear ol Dad comes to his rescue, but tells Wyatt that he must leave the area for good.

As a result, Wyatt became a deep brooding man, sullen, mean, and had very little respect for women. He treated the women in his life as little more than chattel, with no regard to their feelings or to their opinions. Wyatt is, however, a "family man"...that is, to his brothers James (David Andrews), Morgan (Linden Ashby) and Virgil (Michael Madsen). His greatest desire is to keep them all close to his side, and actually under his thumb. Wyatts' youngest brother, Warren (James Caviezel) joins his brothers later in the story. Despite the length of this film, little time is spent getting to know the brothers.

We actually see more interaction between Wyatt and the women in his life told here than in most other adaptations of the Earp legacy, or at least more than I personally could recall seeing or reading about. Most of the time it is with Wyatt engaging in verbal spars and heated arguments with them. Wyatt would intervene when anyone attempted to influence his brothers in any way. James' wife, Bessie (JoBeth Williams), Virgils' wife, Allie (Catherine O'Hara), Morgans' wife, Lou (Alison Elliott), Wyatts' second (common law) wife, Mattie (Mare Winningham) and his third wife, his true love, Josie Marcus (Joanna Going) are all victims of Wyatts' sometimes violent outbursts and nasty tongue. With the exception of Josie, he treats them all with disdain and at times with contempt (such as the various times when Mattie attempts suicide). He does not hesitate to remind them that only his brothers are "Real Blood"....not them.

Wyatt Earp held various occupations in his earliest years, before becoming a lawman. He drove a stagecoach for a while, as well as acting as a Wells Fargo agent. In his days of buffalo hunting, he met up with the Mastersons, Ed (played by Bill Pullman) and Bat (played by Tom Sizemore). As the years go by Wyatt moves around a lot and his brothers follow his path, along with their families. I did find it strange that there was not a child to be seen. A person would assume with 4 couples, there is bound to be at least one offspring among them. Did these brothers shoot blanks at home and save the potent blasts for the OK Corral? It should be noted that history says that Virgil did, indeed, have a child with his first wife, Ellen, but he was not aware of the childs existence for many years. They had married secretly before he left to fight in the Civil War, and they both believed that the other had died. This little goodie is not mentioned in the movie, though.

Director, Kasdan, did not emphasize on the actual fight itself that took place at the OK Corral. We all know what is coming between the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday with the Clantons and McLaurys, because we've seen it reenacted many times before. So many other directors have made it the pinnacle of the story. Kasdan, instead, focuses on that long road to the corral. You can practically feel the tension, the way the men swagger, with their long coattails swishing and their hats tilted just at the perfect angle. When the infamous shootout is finally underway it happens rather quickly and we see Wyatt exactly as he is, a cold-blooded killer. Not a pretty picture.

The shootout was not the end of the animosity between these gangs. Even though they stood trial for their actions, the Earps were found not guilty. While in a saloon shooting pool, Wyatt and Morgan were ambushed and Morgan died. Wyatt sets out on a path of revenge, which is one of the reasons that he is sometimes referred to as a vigilante. There is a segment near the end of the film in a train station that is difficult to follow. The scene is coated with mists and darkness and you can't see who is shooting who, until the final moments.

Again I would like to re-emphasize what a wonderful job that Dennis Quaid did in his portrayal of the gambling, gunslinging, aging dentist, Doc Holliday. He does such a good job, you would believe that this man was truly dying from tuberculosis. His cheeks were sunk in and his eyes had dark rings....which I realize can be accomplished with a simple movie make-up...the physical appearance, that is. But Mr. Quaid brought this character to life...you could see his pain in his eyes and hear it in his raspy voice. The script also helps him along...for instance in a saloon scene, Wyatt and Doc are talking....
Wyatt: What's wrong with you?
Doc: What is wrong with me? What have you got? I am dying of tuberculosis. I sleep with the nastiest whore in Kansas. Everyone who knows me hates me, and every morning I wake up surprised that I have to spend another day in this piss-hole world. All you can kiss my rebel dick! (to other folks nearby)
Wyatt: Not everyone who knows you hates you, Doc.
It is hard to believe this is the same man who played as "Gordo", Captain Gordon Cooper in The Right Stuff (1983), or as the young and rather sensuous detective in The Big Easy (1987), or as the time-talking Dad, Frank in Frequency (2000). If you don't watch Wyatt Earp for any other reason, it is worth it to see Dennis Quaid in this role.