Tombstone is a movie I like to watch every once in a while when I’m in the rare mood for a western. I try to go long enough between watches to forget the details so it becomes almost like seeing it again for the first time. It does such a good job of establishing the characters that no matter how long I go though, I always feel like I’m meeting old friends. I think its the strongest element of the movie.

The Earps, Josephine, and my favorite, Doc Holliday, all have this understated pomp inherited from their legendary escapades the moment they show up on screen, but it extends further than just the main cast. A constant stream of side characters come and go as the story progresses, from the bully who runs the card game at the Oriental, to the performer gunned down by the Cowboys, who serve a critical role as set and setting to complete the world, then later as motivation to continue the good fight for law and order. The Earps and the Cowboys aren’t insulated from the plights of the town, in causing or suffering from them, and its what makes the title so apt to me. Its really a story about the town, but the characters who live there are what make it shine.

Thank you for reading,

Benjamin Hawley