Tombstone (1993)

hiker

Jedi Council Member
FOTCM Member
I didn't notice a thread dedicated to Tombstone and thought that it could deserve one. It's a very entertaining and all-around great western, filled with stellar acting (from e.g. Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Billy Bob Thornton, etc), but Val Kilmer's outstanding portrayal of Doc Holliday has to be picked out; he steals every scene he is in:


(A tidbit: "I'm your huckleberry" is a Southern US expression from the 19th century, meaning "I'm your man/ you've met your match.")

As everyone probably knows, Val Kilmer passed away earlier this week from pneumonia. He was diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2014, and after the treatments, his condition gradually worsened so that he was apparently bedbound for some years before his passing.

Hearing the news and thinking about the movies of his that I had seen, it appeared that he always gave a dedicated and excellent performance. He also had a wide range, seemingly being able to do any genre, from comedy to action and drama. (As an example of his versatility, he was intrigued by the life of Mark Twain, and did a one-man theater tour playing him, as can be seen in this clip.)

Evidently, he didn't make many compromises when doing a project, and some viewed him as difficult to work with. (It likely cost him Oscar nominations/ wins for The Doors (1991) and Tombstone.) In a 2017 reddit "ask me anything" interview, Val regretted this attitude:

Kilmer said he liked to “take risks” when working on a movie. In his mind, these risks were meant to secure the artistic integrity of the project, but they were seen as financially irresponsible by those who were putting up the money for the films. Kilmer admitted this behavior “was foolish” of him.

“I understand that now,” he added. “And sometimes when you are the head of a project and the lead actor is usually the reason a film is being made, unless it’s a superstar director, then it’s only fair to make people feel good and happy they are at work. I was often unhappy trying to make pictures better.”

Looks like he learned from his past mistakes. Gary Buechler (Nerdrotic) mentioned how Val Kilmer was one of the greatest actors of our generation, and if it wasn't for the cancer, his career would have rejuvenated big time. (He also funnily quipped that when Val started his career, he was like "a Ryan Reynolds who could actually act".)

At least his last screen appearance in Top Gun: Maverick was meaningful and poignant.
 
Thanks for this thread hiker- have seen Tombstone on many social media posts as being one of Val Kilmer’s best performances. I’ve not seen it yet and looking forward to watching it. Loved him as Ice Man in both Top Gun movies and was very sad to hear of his passing. May he rest in peace.
 
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