Kurt Russell still hasn’t made peace with one of the defining movies of his career.
Russell started out as a child star but established himself as an adult actor with his Emmy-nominated performance in the 1979 TV movie Elvis, shortly after starring in the sci-fi cult classic Escape from New York. Russell went on to star in other milestone films such as The Thing, but also became a Western icon through The Hateful Eight, Bone Tomahawk, and Tombstone.
During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Russell was again prompted to discuss his issues with Tombstone. THR commented: “We’ve talked a few times about how we wish you could see the movie through our eyes, because you’ve previously said that you can’t help but remember what the movie could have been.“
“That’s because of the screenplay. The movie is not as good as the screenplay,” said Russell. “I’ll never make peace with that. It could have been way better.“ Widely considered to be one of the best Westerns ever made, Russell believes it could have ranked among the best outside this specific genre, if not for budget problems. “It’s considered one of the great Westerns, right? It could have been considered one of the great movies.“
“It had a great cast, but it had fabulous writing. And for a lot of different reasons, the money got burned through, and the director thing didn’t work out,” continued Russell. The movie’s lineup also includes Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton. “So we had to go about it differently, and we got what we made. The impact of Tombstone is very strong, and that’s nice. That’s great. But could it have been a lot better? Yes.“
Directed by George P. Cosmatos and written by Kevin Jarre, Tombstone is loosely based on a true story, following lawman Wyatt Earp (Russell), who reunites with his brothers (Elliott and Paxton) and friend Doc Holliday (Kilmer), and hopes to retire, but is forced to face off with the outlaw gang known as The Cowboys. Tombstone has a 76% Tomatometer and 93% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes.
Just based on this, Tombstone is flawed, but it has doubtlessly stood the test of time as the premier adaptation of Earp’s story and the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral, with fantastic action and performances. Audiences still love it, but Russell is unable to see it on these terms, being intimately familiar with the script and thus looking at the movie with knowledge of its wasted potential.
Russell is currently promoting the Apple TV sci-fi series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which just kicked off its second season. The Fast & Furious actor stars alongside his son Wyatt Russell in the Monsterverse spinoff series. But a major part of Kurt Russell’s will always be starring in a Western movie that can stand alongside the best of its genre, even if that description is a disappointment to him.
Tombstone is available to stream on AMC+.
- Release Date
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December 25, 1993
- Runtime
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130 minutes
- Director
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George P. Cosmatos