An underrated replacement for the Western classic Tombstone is a renewed streaming hit.
Led by Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, the 1993 film was a loose depiction of the eponymous Southeast Arizona town in the 1880s, where iconic lawman Wyatt Earp was pressured to come out of retirement as the ruthless Cochise County Cowboys began tormenting the locals. Earp is joined by his two brothers, Virgil and Morgan, as well as legendary gunfighter Doc Holliday, resulting in some of the most famous shootouts and showdowns in Old West history.
Also starring Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, and Michael Biehn, Tombstone stands as a hit in the Western genre, having garnered largely positive reviews from critics and becoming a box office success. It also came at a rare moment in the industry as it was one of two movies to release that year revolving around Earp and his involvement in the O.K. Corral gunfight, and the time since has occasionally seen similar-structured stories come to life on screen.
One such film that nicely filled Tombstone‘s void was that of Ed Harris’ <em>Appaloosa</em>, which is now a global streaming hit. Adapted from Robert B. Parker’s novel of the same name, the 2008 film was led by Harris and Viggo Mortensen as Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, a seasoned lawman and his deputy brought to the titular New Mexico town in an effort to restore order as a powerful local rancher aims to keep a firm hold on its residents.
After first debuting on the platform’s U.S. charts toward the end of June, Appaloosa has now become a global streaming hit on HBO Max. As of the time of writing, the Western movie currently holds the No. 3 spot on the streamer’s worldwide charts, sitting just behind the Zazie Beetz-led horror-thriller They Will Kill You at No. 1 and the Ben Foster-starring crime thriller King Ivory at No. 2.
Despite garnering strong reviews from critics and holding a spot on some all-time Western genre rankings, Appaloosa has gone largely forgotten in the 18 years since it came out. The movie had a very quiet run at the box office, only grossing $27 million against its $20 million production budget, and has split viewers, holding a 55% “Rotten” score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes in contrast to its solid 78% “Certified Fresh” score from critics.
However, Appaloosa‘s streaming resurgence is sure to come as well-earned for those who have enjoyed the movie over the years. With its mix of classic Western storytelling and more modern elements, namely taking vulnerable looks at its gunslinger characters and the complicated moral landscape that the time period was for many figures.
Arguably, for those looking for a Western movie in the vein of Tombstone, the film also has a lot of familiar elements that make it the best modern replacement for the 1993 classic. Between the central crux of a seasoned lawman and his trusted partner being brought into a town to save them from a ruthless criminal’s torments to one of the pair striking up a complicated romantic relationship with a femme fatale-like character played by two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger, it has a lot to offer.
10 Great Western Movies Perfect For Tombstone Fans
Tombstone might be a perfect western, but there are plenty of other great movies for fans to check out if they love the 1993 Kurt Russell classic.
Additionally, much like Tombstone before it, Appaloosa holds a rare place in cinematic history in being just one of two films helmed by its four-time Oscar-nominated star. While his neo-noir thriller The Ploughmen sits in an unclear post-production state, the sole other title Harris has directed to this date was that of his 2000 Jackson Pollack biopic, which garnered similarly positive reviews and netted him his third Oscar nomination and first for Best Actor.
Appaloosa‘s global streaming resurgence also comes at the perfect time as Harris, in his first series regular role since the abrupt cancellation of HBO’s Westworld, has been garnering acclaim for his turn as seasoned animal veterinarian Everett McKinney in Dutton Ranch. With the Western genre still very much alive and well, and audiences looking to finally be giving the movie its fair shake, it will be interesting to see if it finds a way to climb even higher on HBO Max’s charts.
