So, the last time I got a cold, my mom suggested that we watch
Tombstone. She had been after me and my sister to watch it for a while,
but I hate westerns. This one was different.
Anyway, so the movie starts out with these brothers who move to Tombstone, Wyatt Earp being one of them. Wyatt had been an officer of the law previously, but decided to try and make a life for himself and his common law wife, Maddie, out west.
Around the same time, Doc Holliday gets himself into some trouble in Texas for illegal gambling. So he and his wife decide to run off, so they head for Tombstone as well.
Wyatt's reputation for being a man of the law precedes him, so the Sheriff (if you can call him that, he isn't very good at his job), offers Wyatt a job, which he promptly declines. The Sheriff also offers Wyatt and his brothers cheap land within town limits. So Wyatt has a place to live, pretty much from the moment he rolls into town.
Then Wyatt goes into a bar and finds a trouble maker (no big surprise since the evil Cowboys rule the West) and throws him out, earning himself a new enemy, but also a place in the bar, sharing the earnings.
About this time, Wyatt runs into Doc. They already knew each other from previous encounters, and were friends.
While Doc and Wyatt are talking in the street, a wagon comes into town, carrying a bunch of actors, one of whom is a very beautiful woman who sets her sights on Wyatt.
Wyatt and his brothers very quickly become very rich. But with this new found wealth comes a bit of corruption. Wyatt doesn't seem to care about the people of Tombstone, even though the Cowboys are taking over and the people are living in terror.
Wyatt's brothers decide to do something and get sworn in. They help post a law that states that there are to be no firearms carried around within town limits.
Wyatt is livid. He tells his brothers that they weren't supposed to get involved. But they ignore him and he turns in his gun.
Later, the Cowboy problem gets worse. Johnny Ringo comes into town. And Ringo hates Wyatt. He wants to kill him, and if it wasn't for Doc, he probably would have.
Now, Doc has consumption. His doctor tells him to lay off the late nights, the drinking, the gambling, basically, change his life, or he will surely die. The reason that Doc even went out west in the first place was because he thought the drier air would cure him.
Even though he's a 'lunger', as they call him, Doc is still the best shot in Tombstone easily.
So when he hears about an angry, drunk group of Cowboys who come into town, he decided to go see what he can do to help.
Wyatt also wants to help, so he gets sworn in and is, once again, an officer of the law.
One of the best scenes in the whole movie comes next (not the best, that comes later). A legendary shoot out between the Cowboys and Wyatt's men takes place in the streets of Tombstone.
The Cowboys get killed. You would think the people of Tombstone would thank Wyatt and his boys, but instead they are angry that the Cowboys were murdered. Of course, if they were mad at anyone, it should have been Doc, because, although he's saved Wyatt life, and isn't a Cowboy himself, he still goes looking for trouble sometimes.
So, Wyatt is generally not liked in Tombstone. Ringo hates him that much more and wants to 'play for blood'. Doc steps in on Wyatt's behalf and offers to challenges Ringo. Ringo's friends know that Doc would kill him in a second and drag Ringo off, telling him to wait.
Some time passes. Then the Cowboys go and try to shoot some of the women. The actress who likes Wyatt hears about what is about to happen and tries to warn Maddie and the other women.
Then the Cowboys get Wyatt's brothers. One of them dies, the other is maimed for life.
Wyatt's wife, the drug-addicted Maddie, and her sisters-in law leave Tombstone and head back east, accompanied by Wyatt's remaining brother.
Wyatt stays in Tombstone, vengeance on his mind. So he and a group if his loyal friends (Doc is included among these friends BTW. His wife also went back east) decide to destroy the Cowboys.
This is the most epically awesome part in the whole movie. My favorite scene is near.
So, Wyatt and his men single handedly decimate the Cowboys, all the while the law is at their heels. This is a slaughter, you must remember.
Ringo, however, is still alive, and his hatred for Wyatt is burning hotter than ever. He sends Wyatt a message to meet him out by an oak tree, so they can finish what was started. In other words, 'play for blood'.
During this, Doc falls incredibly ill and they have to stop and ask for a place to stay at a farmer's home.
Doc asks Wyatt if he can borrow his badge (Wyatt is still an officer of the law), because Doc refuses to get sworn in.
"My hypocrisy only goes so far," are his words.
So Wyatt leaves to go in search of Ringo.
Unknown to him, Doc is also in search of Ringo.
When Ringo sees someone in the shadows, he thinks it is Wyatt, come to his challenge.
"I didn't think you would show," he says.
Doc steps from the shadows. "I'll be your huckleberry," are his words (BTW, he says that alot. Those are like, his thing to say.)
Ringo is shocked. And more than a little frightened. He knows Doc is the best shot in the west. He knows he can't beat him.
"I was only joking," says Ringo, in an attempt to save his hide.
Doc smiles. "I wasn't," he says.
Instead of me typing the whole scene, I'm just going to put a link to where you can watch it :) Doc vs Ringo
Anyway, so after all that, Wyatt's boys finish off the Cowboys and end their rein of terror.
The end of the movie is really sad. Wyatt goes to visit Doc at the hospital, because Doc is dying.
Doc asks Wyatt to live for him, since he is dying young. He tells him to go after 'that spirited young actor' (meaning the actress who has had a crush on Wyatt through the whole movie).
So Wyatt leaves, because Doc doesn't want Wyatt to watch him die.
Since Maddie had gone back east, she had died of a drug over dose. So now Wyatt goes off to get his 'spirited young actor'.
This movie has such a great story. Of course, I would not recommend it for young viewers. Since the story is about Cowboys and whatnot, there is a fair amount of cussing.
Now, you should go watch the movie. Don't say "But you already told me the whole story!", because I didn't. Its a loooong movie and I left out half of it. Mostly because I only told my favorite parts :)
And here, a special thanks to my very persistent mom who made me watch this movie last time I had a cold. I don't know why I ever decide I don't want to watch something that my mom likes. She also introduced me to Benny and Joon. And Doctor Who. And Smallville. And pretty much all of my favorites. Except Labrinth. That was Dad :)
So, anyone who reads this needs to go watch Tombstone. Especially if you like westerns or Val Kilmer.
Cheers!
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