Watched: Tombstone

Tombstone: the last of the old-Hollywood westerns or beginning of the revisionist, edgier neo-western? I think in spirit and technique it more closely resembles the old guard, but its got a bite to it that makes it feel much more of its decade (mid-90's) then the fluffy offerings, what little of them there were, from the 80's, or the truly gritty, re-imaginings from the 70's.

But a lot has already been written about Tombstone; what it meant for westerns and their dying popularity in Hollywood (I would say maybe a handful of really good ones come out a year these days) and big-budget pictures like this and all sorts of interesting implications for genre films in general. The 90's was kind of a weird time for film, there was a populist feel to a lot of the stuff until indie films really began to get popular. At least that's my take. A lot of the stuff feels pretty middle-of-the-road with controversial ideas and themes worked in almost off-handedly. Not unlike the heyday of Westerns, the '30s and '40s. (Some argue into the '50s as well, fair enough.) But a lot has been written about the genre. And that's just on Wikipedia! So let's just take a minute to appreciate truly just how MANY people were in Tombstone. So many faces.

"Listen to your friend Billy Zane, he's a cool dude!"

John Corbett, of My Big Fat Greek Wedding/Sex and the City fame!

Thomas Haden Church!

Terry O'Quinn, aka John Lock on Lost!

Sam Elliott! Sam Elliott's mustache!

Kurt Russell!

Val Kilmer with tuberculosis!

Paula Malcolmson (who I know from Deadwood and Sons of Anarchy)!

Stephen Lang (Avatar)! In the background, Powers Boothe!

Titus Welliver! (The Man in Black from Lost, and also every other TV show ever made in the US!)

Jason... Priestly?

Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy and also every other "that guy" role)!

Michael Biehn! (Terminator!!)

Not to mention a ton more that I somehow did not manage to get pictures of: Bill Paxton, Charlton Heston apparently shows up, as does Billy Bob Thorton, and apparently, Frank Stallone! Plus Robert Mitchum narrates. So basically this movie is the That Guy actor movie you've been waiting all your life to be driven crazy by. Is it good? Hm. It's okay. It's LONG. But it does have a story to tell and it tells it fairly well, I think.