Key Insights
- Kurt Russell’s Perspective: The actor believes Tombstone could have been significantly improved.
- Production Challenges: The film faced notable difficulties during its production, including a change in directors.
- Screenplay Issues: Russell attributes the film’s shortcomings to the screenplay, which he feels did not meet its potential.
- Legacy of the Film: Despite its flaws, Tombstone is still regarded as one of the great Westerns.
Tombstone has become a beloved Western, but star Kurt Russell believes that the movie could, and should, have been so much better. Even now, over thirty years later, Russell says he will never make peace with that.
Tombstone Should Have Been Better
Tombstone revolves around several real-life events, such as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride. It features one of the best casts of the ’90s, with Kurt Russell starring alongside Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Dana Delany and Charlton Heston. The production was… difficult, to put it mildly (more on that later), but the film was a success, and its stature has only grown as the years have gone on.
Still, Russell thinks it could have been better. “That’s because of the screenplay. The movie is not as good as the screenplay,” he told THR. “I’ll never make peace with that. It could have been way better. 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. 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.“
The Production of Tombstone
As I mentioned above, the production of Tombstone is one of those famous Hollywood stories. Kevin Jarre, who also wrote the script, was the film’s original director, but it soon became clear that he was in over his head. After a month, he was fired and replaced by George P. Cosmatos. But with the tight shooting schedule, time was of the essence, and the script needed to be pared down.
As the legend goes, Russell actually directed the film, with Cosmatos serving as a “ghost director,” but Michael Biehn, who played Johnny Ringo, doesn’t agree.
“I get so f’in’ tired of people asking me if Kurt Russell directed the movie,” Biehn said. “Kurt Russell did not direct the movie. Kurt Russell was responsible for getting the movie off the ground. I never would have played Johnny Ringo if it wasn’t for Kurt Russell. And I told you last time I was here, I love Kurt Russell. He’s a great, great person and a great movie star.“
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