Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner

[thehairlessone]

I rented this today. I think it was the first time I have seen it or maybe the second. I really wasnt that impressed with this movie.

It was pretty boring and slow. Alot of the actors I didnt think did that great of a job either.

I must say I really preferred Tombstone over this one.

rick

[jrdudas]

I have seen "Tombstone" many times and "Wyatt Earp" maybe three or four times.  I agree that "Wyatt Earp" (the Kevin Costner film) is slow in spots and, while the actors do a good job with their parts, they just don't seem to compare to Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday in "Tombstone".  As far as accuracy, I think they are about equal.  Those who really research the life of Wyatt Earp and the facts of his Tombstone years find plenty of flaws in both movies.  In our family, three out of four prefer "Tombstone" over "Wyatt Earp".

John
   

[Danny Bear Claw]

I prefer the Costner film.  It is more historically accurate than Tombstone.  Both films have inaccuracies in them but there are more of them in Tombstone.  I have posted my opinions on Tombstone elsewhere in this forum so I won't repeat them here.  I think both of these movies are great westerns.  Maybe the 2 best westerns ever made.  Dennis Quaid's portrayal of Doc Holliday is probably the closest thing to the real Doc that has ever been done on screen.  That said, let me also say that I think Val Kilmer is one of the greatest actors of our times and even though his portrayal of Doc Holliday is less accruate than Dennis Quaid's, I think he took the role and molded the character into an extremely entertaining version of Doc, as he perceived him.  That in itself is a sign of a truly great actor.  Both films are good, well made westerns and whenever I watch one I usually follow it with the other.  One other thing, dispite what is portrayed in these two movies and others that include Doc Holliday, Doc actually carried a 7.5 inch barreled, blue/cc Colt SAA 45, not the short barreled, nickle plated versions seen on screen.

[Advertising]

[RowdyBill]

And for accuracy, let's not even bring up "My Darling Clementine" with Victor Mature as Doc Holliday.

[Bad Hand Dan]

Oh man, the way Costner played Earp really bugged me. IMHO, He totally missed the mark on how a Victorian era man would have expressed himself. If nothing else, Wyatt was not wimpy.

On historical accuracy, Costner did get the alcohol thing right and Tombstone didn't. Tombstone shows Earp drinking beer, which he didn't at the time.

On the whole, Tombstone is far better I think.

Heres to Mud, Blood and Beer...

God Bless,

Bad Hand

[litl rooster]

And for accuracy, let's not even bring up "My Darling Clementine" with Victor Mature as Doc Holliday.

That's a fact

I prefer the Costner film.  It is more historically accurate than Tombstone.  Both films have inaccuracies in them but there are more of them in Tombstone.  I have posted my opinions on Tombstone elsewhere in this forum so I won't repeat them here.  I think both of these movies are great westerns.  Maybe the 2 best westerns ever made.  Dennis Quaid's portrayal of Doc Holliday is probably the closest thing to the real Doc that has ever been done on screen.  That said, let me also say that I think Val Kilmer is one of the greatest actors of our times and even though his portrayal of Doc Holliday is less accruate than Dennis Quaid's, I think he took the role and molded the character into an extremely entertaining version of Doc, as he perceived him.  That in itself is a sign of a truly great actor.  Both films are good, well made westerns and whenever I watch one I usually follow it with the other.  One other thing, dispite what is portrayed in these two movies and others that include Doc Holliday, Doc actually carried a 7.5 inch barreled, blue/cc Colt SAA 45, not the short barreled, nickle plated versions seen on screen.

Remember it's Hollywood not Arizona 1880's I beloeve Quaid did do a better part for accuracy but Kilmer was alot more entertaining, his part as Holiday became almost a cult following at Ohio State and other colleges.  Did Quaid in his part, carry a S&W?

[Bushwack Bill]

I first saw "Wyatt Erp" w/K. Costner when I ran on HBP years ago.  I had already seen "Tombstone" w/Kurt Russell and thought that it was great.  Wyatt on the other hand was different, well done, but I couldn't really compare it.  To manny different acting interpertations of the characters.

Anyway, After seeing Costner's character shooting a yellowboy carbine from a Stagecoach, it convinced me to get one as well.

Oh yeah, I just got the DVD "Wyatt Earp" to go along with my VHS copy of "Tombstone".

[RRio]

I really felt that "Wyatt Earp" was better than "Tombstone". The script in "Tombstone" was horrible in some parts, down right painful in others and the whole Wyatt/ Josie affair was too sophomoric. "Wyatt Earp" was a lot more accurate in that regard.

[RRio]

 Did Quaid in his part, carry a S&W?

No. It was a nickel-plated, Colt SAA Storekeeper's Model, three inch barrel, no ejector.

[LazyK Pejay]

I have watched both and prefer Tombstone. The other is boring because Kevin Costner in my opinion is boring

LazyK Pejay

[Capt, Woodrow F. Call]

I really felt that "Wyatt Earp" was better than "Tombstone". The script in "Tombstone" was horrible in some parts, down right painful in others and the whole Wyatt/ Josie affair was too sophomoric. "Wyatt Earp" was a lot more accurate in that regard.

I agree with you, Tombstone is in my eye's more westernaction with some historical parts , but Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp is mabye more realistic, and yes, little more boring, but it has taken the life of wyatt in short terms to the movie......... but i like them both....can't live without them


BR
Smokey Lonesome.

[B. Butch Cavendish]

 I think that the Josie in "Wyatt Earp was the hotter one." I'm suprise she has no done more films.

[RRio]

I think that the Josie in "Wyatt Earp was the hotter one." I'm suprise she has no done more films.

Yep! Yep! No argument there.

[Mogorilla]

I think deep inside most 3 hour Kevin Costner movies is a great 2 hour movie waiting to be found.  He needs to edit better.

[Dakota Widowmaker]

Tombstone was much better as far as storyline and pace of the movie. Val Kilmer was a far better "Doc".

Costner just is not a good Earp...Russel did a much better job playing a man who is torn between what he wants, what he should do, and what is happening all around him.

costner just looks frazzled...never really able to overcome anything.

Costner is the king of 3hr butt sleepers. Waterworld and The Postman ruined his ability to make it into my DVD collection.

[Iowa Wiley Stafford]

I enjoyed Tombstone much more just for the guns, gear, and clothes seemed to be much more historically correct compared to Costner's Wyatt Earp.  Just don't think there were a lot of buscadero holster rigs in 1880's Tombstone.  Also, it seemed like everyone in Costner's movie were set on making a black and white movie, just absolutely no color in any of the clothes.  On a whole tho, I think both movies missed many marks that would have made for a more accurate portail of Wyatt.  Just don't know why Hollyweird always thinks they have to rewrite history.  The true story is usually alot more interesting that all that hollywood writer BS.  Still, both movies are great westerns and I own both on DVD, and if I had to pick which I am more entertained by it would be Tombstone.

[The Arapaho Kid]

Well I gotta add my two bits worth on this.  Costner did a better job with the Earp character than Hugh O'Brien did in that old TV show "Wyatt Earp".  In that show, O'Brien, playing Earp, was seen carrying a Buntline.  To my knowledge, Earp never carried one of those.  In the TV show, the Earp character was dressed a little too fancy and never seen wearing a coat of any type.  In the show, Earp was clean shaven.  The real Earp had a big, handlebar mustache.  In the TV show the Earp character was portrayed as squeaky clean.  The real Earp was far from that!  So I think Costner did a better job with the Earp character.

[Scattered Thumbs]

The real Earp had a big, handlebar mustache. 

Hey Arapaho don't forget mustaches come and go (and grow  ). There's a picture of a 20-30 year old Wyatt Earp with a mustache but not a big handlebar mustache. In the Tombstone time frame Wyatt was on his early 30s. The famous picture with the Handlebar mustache portrays a man in his 40s That would be long after the Tombstone shootout. I also remember a picture of Wyatt taken in 1902 in Alaska where he wears a very small mustache.

[The Arapaho Kid]

The real Earp had a big, handlebar mustache. 

Hey Arapaho don't forget mustaches come and go (and grow  ). There's a picture of a 20-30 year old Wyatt Earp with a mustache but not a big handlebar mustache. In the Tombstone time frame Wyatt was on his early 30s. The famous picture with the Handlebar mustache portrays a man in his 40s That would be long after the Tombstone shootout. I also remember a picture of Wyatt taken in 1902 in Alaska where he wears a very small mustache.

HEY!  I LIKE YOUR NEW AVATAR!

Most of the pictures of Wyatt that I have seen, showed him with the rangy handlebar mustache, however I did see one picture of him in his late years with a small business, almost military looking mustache.  Back in the "olden days"  it was the "manly thing" to grow a mustache and the handlebar was the most popular.  Some guys waxed them...some didn't.  I have a handlebar, but I never wax it.  Too much futzin around!

[The Arapaho Kid]

Two pictures of Wyatt Earp.  Picture one taken in the late 19th. centruy.  Picture two taken two weeks before he died in 1929.
http://ferncanyonpress.com/tombston/wyatt/photos.shtml  Good website for more pictures