History Film / Tombstone

* OutSick: Subverted. Doc Holliday wants to accompany Wyatt Erp to his private duel with Johnny Ringo, which Wyatt is convinced he cannot win. It appears as though Doc has tuberculosis and can't get out of bed. He plaintively asks Wyatt what it's like to wear "one of those", meaning the deputy badge. When Wyatt gives Doc the badge to make him feel better, he goes to the meeting to find that Doc, who is actually sick but it's not as serious as he let on, has beaten him there and killed Johnny Ringo for him.

* TwoShotsFromBehindTheBar: In Doc's first appearance in the film, he gets in a GambkingBrawl with another card player and pulls a knife on him. The bartender starts to reach for a double barrelled shotgun under the bar, only to stop when Kate [[ClickHello claps a pistol to his head]].

The film had a messy production and wasn't initially screened for critics amidst a heavy holiday window, but wound up a sleeper hit in theaters and grew larger on home video to the point it is arguably the most popular Western film of the post-[[Creator/ClintEastwood Eastwood]] era. It is also noticeable for its wide canvas of characters, with 85 speaking parts. It's an AllStarCast of 1990s cinema, with, in addition to all the characters listed above, Creator/DanaDelany as Josephine Marcus, an actress and the female lead; Creator/PaulaMalcomson as Virgil's wife Allie; Creator/StephenLang and Creator/ThomasHadenChurch as Ike and Billy Clanton; and Creator/BillyZane as the lead actor in Josephine's troupe. Creator/CharltonHeston has a cameo as a rancher and none other than Creator/RobertMitchum provides the narration. Many small roles filled with actors who would see much larger success afterward, such as Creator/BillyBobThornton and Creator/MichaelRooker among ''many'' others. Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday also drew raves and still resonates as a rather memetic role, which leads to Doc typically being regarded as his most memorable performance.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: While Doc Holliday's reputation as a feared gunfighter is acknowledged, the Earp faction in Tombstone is whitewashed. Holliday and the Earps had numerous run-ins with the law and assorted violent encounters before arriving in Tombstone. When they were lawmen themselves, they often exploited their authority for profit (though, it should be noted, this wasn't uncommon in the Old West - indeed, many men went into law enforcement precisely because doing so ensured a cut of taxes raised and kickbacks from local businesses). While the staging of the gunfight is mostly accurate, some of the set-up is altered to make the Earps and Holliday look more favorable: for instance, Wyatt pistol-whips Tom [=McLaury=] after the latter [[BullyingADragon challenges him to a fight]], when in reality Wyatt assaulted [=McLaury=] without provocation, which [[NiceJobBreakingItHero gratuitously escalated]] an already tense situation between the Earps and Ike Clanton.[[note]]Tom [=McLaury=]'s death is actually a major point of contention between reports of the real-life gun battle from Earp-sympathetic witnesses and those from Cowboy-sympathetic sources; both sides claim that [=McLaury=] hid behind his horse for the majority of his part in the gunfight, until either Holliday or one of the Earps managed to get into position and shoot him down, but those on the side of the Cowboys claim he was unarmed (having been disarmed by Wyatt the night before) with his hands up and holding the lapels of his coat, meaning the Earps/Holliday shot a defenseless man. The Earp side of the story claims that [=McLaury=] was seen firing a pistol over the side of his horse once or twice, meaning he at some point obtained and/or concealed a pistol after the previous night, or had one hidden on the saddle of his horse in violation of the weapons ban. It should be noted that the coroner's investigation supported the Earps' side, with [=McLaury=]'s wounds not consistent with the Cowboys' story that his arms were up in surrender when he was shot.[[/note]]

* {{Cucoloris}}: A short scene involving a traveling show features a decidedly low-tech version, where the effect of flickering flame (symbolizing FireAndBrimstoneHell in a reading of Faust) is created by having a stagehand slosh a half-full bottle of whiskey in front of the light.

:::Doc proceeds to backup his [[StealthPun cutting]] [[DeadpanSnarker wit]] by [[KnifeNut cutting]] Mr. Bailey [[CombatPragmatist down to size]].

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: 85 speaking roles. Creator/KurtRussell claims that he cut his own role down to allow other cast members more screen time.

** There's ''also'' the fact that Holliday ''knows'' he has tuberculosis and that [[YourDaysAreNumbered his days are numbered]]; by stating that Ringo, who is also aware of Holliday's condition, reminds him of him self, he is not-so-subtly [[ImpliedDeathThreat calling Ringo]] a DeadManWalking.

The film had a messy production and wasn't initially screened for critics amidst a heavy holiday window, but wound up a sleeper hit in theaters and grew larger on home video to the point it is arguably the most popular Western film of the post-Eastwood era. It is also noticeable for its wide canvas of characters, with 85 speaking parts. It's an AllStarCast of 1990s cinema, with, in addition to all the characters listed above, Creator/DanaDelany as Josephine Marcus, an actress and the female lead; Creator/PaulaMalcomson as Virgil's wife Allie; Creator/StephenLang and Creator/ThomasHadenChurch as Ike and Billy Clanton; and Creator/BillyZane as the lead actor in Josephine's troupe. Creator/CharltonHeston has a cameo as a rancher and none other than Creator/RobertMitchum provides the narration. Many small roles filled with actors who would see much larger success afterward, such as Creator/BillyBobThornton and Creator/MichaelRooker among ''many'' others. Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday also drew raves and still resonates as a rather memetic role, which leads to Doc typically being regarded as his most memorable performance.

** Also, just before he dies, [[spoiler: Doc Holliday notes the irony in that he isn't wearing his boots.]]

-->'''Cowboy''': (pointing a gun at Holliday) I got you now, you sonofabitch!
-->'''Holliday''': You're a daisy if ya do!

-->''Ringo'': {to the Earps} Don't any of you have the guts to play for blood?
-->''Holliday'': {holding a gun behind his back} I'm your huckleberry.[[note]]Historically, this meant "the right man for the job".[[/note]]

* StuffedIntoTheFridge: Johnny Ringo tempts the heroes into a duel by torturing and killing [[HeelFaceTurn Sherman [=McMasters=]]] and [[RedemptionEqualsDeath sending his body]] to the heroes.

* BadassMoustache: Just about everybody in the movie, especially the Earps. Especially in RealLife. Interestingly, despite Doc Holliday arguably being the most badass character in the movie, he probably has the least impressive moustache.

* RatedMForManly: Russel, Kilmer, Elliot, and so on...each with a BadassMoustache and skill with a gun. So much macho it ''hurts''.

** The lead-in to the gunfight is [[ShownTheirWork generally accurate]] but some minor details are changed. Although Ike had been fighting with Doc the night before, he wasn't actually arrested by Virgil until the following morning after he began making public threats against the Earps. Additionally, Tom [=McLaury=] did not aggressively threaten Wyatt, but encountered him by chance, after which Wyatt made some aggressive remarks towards him, then slapped and pistol-whipped the Cowboy without provocation, ensuring that he and Frank would back Ike in whatever confrontation happened that day. Wyatt also claimed that Tom was carrying a pistol, while others would claim that Tom was armed neither then nor later during the gunfight, a major dispute among witnesses and participants alike. Sheriff Behan did try to disarm the Cowboys before confronting the Earps, but they refused unless he disarmed the Earps first; some accounts claim that he told Virgil that he had visited the Cowboys "for the purpose of disarming them" ([[ExactWords technically correct]], though not very helpful) instead of [[BlatantLies claiming he had disarmed them]].

** The lead-in to the gunfight is [[ShownTheirWork generally accurate]] but some minor details are changed. Although Ike had been fighting with Doc the night before, he wasn't actually arrested by Virgil until the following morning after he began making public threats against the Earps. Additionally, Tom [[=McLaury=]] did not aggressively threaten Wyatt, but encountered him by chance, after which Wyatt made some aggressive remarks towards him, then slapped and pistol-whipped the Cowboy without provocation, ensuring that he and Frank would back Ike in whatever confrontation happened that day. Wyatt also claimed that Tom was carrying a pistol, while others would claim that Tom was armed neither then nor later during the gunfight, a major dispute among witnesses and participants alike. Sheriff Behan did try to disarm the Cowboys before confronting the Earps, but they refused unless he disarmed the Earps first; some accounts claim that he told Virgil that he had visited the Cowboys "for the purpose of disarming them" ([[ExactWords technically correct]], though not very helpful) instead of [[BlatantLies claiming he had disarmed them]].

** The exact sequence of the events at the OK Corral remains ambiguous. Critics of the Earps point out that many of them were veteran gunfighters (at least Civil War veteran Virgil was; Wyatt had been in one gunfight in Dodge City at that point, and Doc's reputation as a gunfighter is questionable to say the least), while for the Cowboys the shootout was their first (and last) and that it was therefore unlikely that they would have been the aggressors. However, as the film depicts accurately, some of the unarmed Cowboys were allowed to flee unscathed, highlighting that the Earps weren't there to massacre the Cowboys. Also, Earp's defenders point to the testimonies of the unbiased witnesses H.F. Sills (a railroad engineer whose testimony backed up Wyatt's, and who earlier heard the Cowboys threaten murder) and Addie Bourland (a dressmaker who testified that just before the fight, no one had their hands up).

** While the real Johnny Ringo is somewhat ShroudedInMyth, what '''is''' known about him suggests a more complicated character than the film's version. He occasionally served as a lawman in Texas (evidently a good, relatively honest one) and was active in land speculation and local politics in Arizona Territory[[note]]Ringo was elected a Democratic Party election official for Pima County and attended a territorial convention discussing the reapportionment of that county. He was a key figure in Arizona's disputed territorial elections of 1880, where political opponents accused Ringo and other Cowboys of ballot stuffing. Ringo was ultimately exonerated by a Republican judge who found no credible evidence of fraud, but the accusations are still repeated in some books about the period.[[/note]] prior to his run-ins with the Earps. Like many of the Cowboys, Ringo seems to have drifted in and out of crime rather than being a committed outlaw. Historians have only ever tied Ringo to two killings, both in connection with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_County_War Mason County War]] in 1870s Texas, along with the non-fatal shooting of Louis Hancock in a bar in 1879 in Safford, Arizona. Admittedly, Ringo ''did'' possess a HairTriggerTemper, especially when drinking, which did nothing to discourage his reputation as a fearsome killer.
** Of those involved in the OK Corral, only Frank [=McLaury=] had any real experience as a gunfighter [[note]]It's uncertain whether Frank ever actually killed anyone, but he was widely known as a crack pistol shot and seems to have inflicted most of the injuries on the Earp party during the gunfight.[[/note]] while Billy Clanton and Tom [=McLaury=] were rustlers who'd never been linked to any killings. While the Clantons were well-known for their ties to the Cowboys, the [=McLaurys=] were generally able to keep their criminal activities discreet, to the point where Frank [=McLaury=] threatened to sue Mayor John Clum for libel for publicly identifying him as a rustler.

** While the real Johnny Ringo is somewhat ShroudedInMyth, what '''is''' known about him suggests a more complicated character than the film's version. He occasionally served as a lawman in Texas (evidently a good, relatively honest one) and was active in land speculation and local politics in Arizona Territory[[note]]Ringo was elected a Democratic Party election official for Pima County and attended a territorial convention discussing the reapportionment of that county. He was a key figure in the disputed territorial elections of 1880, where political opponents[[/note]] prior to his run-ins with the Earps. Like many of the Cowboys, Ringo seems to have drifted in and out of crime rather than being a committed outlaw. Historians have only ever tied Ringo to two killings, both in connection with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_County_War Mason County War]] in 1870s Texas, along with the non-fatal shooting of Louis Hancock in a bar in 1879 in Safford, Arizona. Admittedly, Ringo ''did'' possess a HairTriggerTemper, especially when drinking, which did nothing to discourage his reputation as a fearsome killer.

** The Cowboys in general are portrayed as an organized gang of vicious killers who are tearing the town apart and ruthlessly persecuting the heroic Earp family. In reality, the Cowboys were a loose association of cattle rustlers who primarily stole cattle in Mexico (then moved their activities stateside once the Mexican government began cracking down on them). They had a lot of local support and helped consolidate local resistance against northern industrialists, with whom the Earps allied themselves. Their feud with the Earps, however, ''was'' quite bloody and the Cowboys weren't above murdering the Earps and their supporters after the OK Corral gunfight.

** The movie depicts that Morgan and Virgil were shot the same night (they were actually shot three months apart), that the Cowboys went after the Earps' wives (they didn't), or the notion that the ex-Cowboys eventually joined Wyatt's posse (which was never confirmed). Virgil was attacked in December and Morgan was killed the following March.

** Wyatt's brothers James and Warren Earp (both of whom took part in the Tombstone Vendetta ride) are omitted from the story entirely.

** While the real Johnny Ringo is somewhat ShroudedInMyth, what '''is''' known about him suggests a more complicated character than the film's version. He occasionally served as a lawman in Texas (evidently a good, relatively honest one) and was active in land speculation and local politics in Arizona Territory[[note]]Ringo was elected a Democratic Party election official for Pima County and attended a territorial convention discussing the reapportionment of that county. He served honestly enough in these positions, although his shooting of Louis Hancock and his connection with the Clantons assured he was never fully trusted by his colleagues[[/note]] prior to his run-ins with the Earps. Like many of the Cowboys, Ringo seems to have drifted in and out of crime rather than being a committed outlaw. Historians have only ever tied Ringo to two killings, both in connection with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_County_War Mason County War]] in 1870s Texas, along with the non-fatal shooting of Louis Hancock in a bar in 1879 in Safford, Arizona. Admittedly, Ringo ''did'' possess a HairTriggerTemper, especially when drinking, which did nothing to discourage his reputation as a fearsome killer.
** The Cowboys in general are portrayed as an organized gang of vicious killers who are tearing the town apart and ruthlessly persecuting the heroic Earp family. In reality, the Cowboys were a loose association of cattle rustlers who primarily stole cattle in Mexico (then moved their activities stateside once the Mexican government began cracking down on them). They had a lot of local support and helped consolidate local resistance against northern industrialists, with whom the Earps allied themselves. Of those involved in the OK Corral, only Frank [=McLaury=] had any real experience as a gunfighter [[note]]It's uncertain whether Frank ever actually killed anyone, but he was widely known as a crack pistol shot and seems to have inflicted most of the injuries on the Earp party during the gunfight.[[/note]] while Billy Clanton and Tom [=McLaury=] were rustlers who'd never been linked to any killings. Their feud with the Earps, however, ''was'' quite bloody and the Cowboys weren't above murdering the Earps and their supporters after the OK Corral gunfight.

** The Cowboys most certainly didn't advertise themselves by wearing red sashes around their belts like they were Bloods.

* BottomlessMagazines: The gunfight at the OK Corral is really guilty of this. Notably, Doc somehow manages to fire a dozen rounds each from both of his six shooters.

** While the real Johnny Ringo is somewhat ShroudedInMyth, what '''is''' known about him suggests a more complicated character than the film's version. He occasionally served as a lawman in Texas (evidently a good, relatively honest one) and was active in land speculation and local politics in Arizona Territory prior to his run-ins with the Earps. Like many of the Cowboys, Ringo seems to have drifted in and out of crime rather than being a committed outlaw. Historians have only ever tied Ringo to two killings, both in connection with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_County_War Mason County War]] in 1870s Texas. Admittedly, he ''did'' possess a HairTriggerTemper, especially when drinking, which did nothing to discourage his reputation as a fearsome killer.

** Though he laughs about it immediately afterwards, Curly Bill is visibly shocked when Johnny Ringo shoots the Mexican priest at the beginning. He also repeatedly tells Ringo to cool down and--[[NotSoDifferent parallel with Earp]]--tries to maintain what passes for peace in the town. In addition, Curly Bill's shooting of marshal Fred White is a [[AccidentalMurder complete accident]] while high off his ass on opium, and can be heard begging "C'mon, Fred, get up!" in a horrified tone of voice.

* CombatPragmatist: Doc Holiday, a man very much willing to use such tricks as hiding a drawn gun behind his back while tapping his holstered one with his free hand or carrying a knife on his person when someone thinks him easy prey just because he put his revolvers down and out of reach. The cleverest example is probably when a Cowboy is using a horse for cover during the OK Corral gunfight, so Doc fires his shotgun into the air to spook the horse and give him a clear shot at the cowboy.

** Wyatt Earp is the only one of the lawmen never to suffer even a ''glancing'' bullet wound. According to his contemporaries, [[TruthInTelevision he really did]] have a reputation for almost miraculously avoiding being shot. After the real-life shootout at Iron Springs, Earp found dozens of holes in his coat but had not been hit a single time himself.

* BottomlessMagazines: The gunfight at the OK Corral is really guilty of this. Most notably Doc Holliday somehow manages to get off 3 shots from a double-barrel shotgun in about half as many seconds.

-->'''Doc''': ''*clearly amused*'' [[DeadpanSnarker Very cosmopolitian.]]

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: While Doc Holliday's reputation as a feared gunfighter is acknowledged, the Earp faction in Tombstone is whitewashed. Holliday and the Earps had numerous run-ins with the law and assorted violent encounters before arriving in Tombstone. When they were lawmen themselves, they often exploited their authority for profit (though, it should be noted, this wasn't uncommon in the Old West - indeed, many men went into law enforcement precisely because doing so ensured a cut of taxes raised and kickbacks from local businesses). While the staging of the gunfight is mostly accurate, some of the set-up is altered to make the Earps and Holliday look more favorable: for instance, Wyatt pistol-whips Tom [=McLaury=] after the latter [[BullyingADragon challenges him to a fight]], when in reality Wyatt assaulted [=McLaury=] without provocation, which [[NiceJobBreakingItHero gratuitously escalated]] an already tense situation between the Earps and Ike Clanton.

* FamousLastWords: "Oh my. This is funny." (TruthInTelevision)