Kurt Russell’s 7 Greatest Tombstone Scenes As Wyatt Earp

Kurt Russell had quite a few great moments as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, and these seven are the absolute best of his performance in the classic Western. Though Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holliday is often called the best performance in Tombstone, Kurt Russell also gave a rousing performance as real-life lawman Wyatt Earp. It’s true that Kilmer had some great moments as Doc Holliday, and he’s responsible for some of the best scenes in Tombstone as a whole, but Russell also put himself on that list several times, and without him, it wouldn’t be one of the best Westerns ever made.

Wyatt Earp was a real lawman who captured the attention of novels, movies, and America as a whole for over a century. Some notable people have played him, including Kevin Costner in his failed Wyatt Earp biopic, but Kurt Russell is still the best to ever do it. Even though Russell essentially wrote himself out of Tombstone, there were still plenty of chances to show just how good he was at playing Wyatt Earp. These seven moments are Russell’s absolute best in Tombstone.

7

Wyatt Earp & Josephine Marcus Meet On The Road Outside Tombstone

Kurt Russell & Dana Delany’s Acting Made Wyatt & Josephine’s Romance Sympathetic & Believable

Wyatt and Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany) had a romantic relationship brewing throughout Tombstone, but one moment in their love affair stood out among the rest. After Wyatt began taking his revenge against Tombstone‘s Cowboys gang, he met Josephine out on the road as she was fleeing the city. The two wanted nothing more than to be together, but Wyatt had to get his vengeance for Morgan Earp’s (Bill Paxton) death, and Josephine had to find safety, so the two had to be apart. Though they did end up together at the end of Tombstone, this scene was still tragically beautiful.

A big reason the tragedy of star-crossed lovers being separated by circumstance worked so well for Tombstone and didn’t distract from the high-stakes action is because of Russell and Delany’s acting. Throughout their meeting on the road, both Delany and Russell used mostly just their eyes to show the intense longing they had for one another and for a better tomorrow, which only made the fact that their words betrayed them even more heartbreaking. That scene shouldn’t have worked – it should have been an unnecessary distraction in the climax of Tombstone – but Russell and Delany made it work.

6

Wyatt Earp’s Tombstone Introduction & Protecting The Horse

Wyatt’s First Scene In Tombstone Showed His Sense Of Justice & Is One Of The Western Genre’s Best Introductions

The first time viewers met Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp saw him stepping off the train in Tombstone and getting into a heated scuffle defending a horse. It’s one of the best character introductions in Western history, and certainly one of Wyatt’s best scenes. As soon as Wyatt starts beating the abusive horse owner and says “Hurts, don’t it?” the audience has everything they need to know about the character. Wyatt was a mean and intimidating man, but underneath it all, he had a caring heart and a strong sense of justice.

On top of how efficient Tombstone‘s introduction to Wyatt is, the scene is also just fun to watch. Kurt Russell is instantly magnetic as Wyatt, and even just watching him walk off the train is entertaining. Then, there’s the immediate satisfaction of an abusive animal owner getting what was coming to him, and Wyatt’s patented brand of rage. The intro to Tombstone really has it all.

5

Wyatt Earp Walks Through Bullets To Kill Curly Bill Brocius

Wyatt’s Daring Walk Actually Happened In Real Life

After setting out on his quest for revenge, Wyatt Earp and company had a massive shootout with Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) and the rest of the Cowboys in a creek. At one point in the gunfight, Wyatt simply walks through the water, directly at Curly Bill, while gunfire misses all around him. After seemingly deflecting bullets, Wyatt simply shoots the leader of the Cowboys dead. It’s a tremendously cool scene for Wyatt, and the fact that Tombstone‘s most outrageous shootout actually happened only makes it cooler.

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One of the best parts of Tombstone – and a big reason it beat out Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp – is the almost mythological feel to the movie. Nothing shows how legendary these historical figures became in Tombstone better than Wyatt’s walk through bullets. That moment alone showed that Wyatt wasn’t just some lawman caught up in a gang war, he was a legend of the West, and Russell was more than up to the task of portraying such a hero.

4

Wyatt Earp Throws Johnny Tyler Out Of The Saloon

Wyatt’s Verbal Abuse Of Johnny Is Almost As Satisfying As Any Gunfight

In a scene eerily reminiscent to his horse-whipping introduction, Wyatt Earp threw Johnny Tyler (played by a young Billy Bob Thornton) out of a saloon after watching him abuse his players. There’s so much to love about that scene, from Russell’s enthralling insults – like “get the bulge on a dub like you” – to Thornton’s smarmy character and the purely comedic way he eats crow after learning that he was, in fact, dealing with Wyatt Earp. It’s an expertly written interaction, and both Russell and Thornton put the script into practice flawlessly.

Wyatt throwing Johnny Tyler out of the bar is one of Kurt Russell’s best scenes in Tombstone because it shows just how effective he was at keeping the peace by any means necessary. He may have been trying to get a job when he threw Johnny out, but Russell is so good at the nuances of Wyatt’s character that it’s clear he’s mostly doing it because Johnny is a bully who needs to learn some manners.

3

Doc Holliday & Wyatt Earp’s Final Conversation In Tombstone

Doc & Wyatt’s Friendship Is One Of The Best Parts Of Tombstone, & Their Farewell Was Heartbreaking

Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp’s friendship was one of the best things about Tombstone, and the culmination of their relationship was one of Kurt Russell’s best scenes. As Doc was finally succumbing to his tuberculosis and laid up in a hospital bed, Wyatt came to visit him and play cards one last time. Val Kilmer mostly carries the scene with his feeble but still feisty performance, but Russell served as the perfect scene partner.

There’s a deep, silent sadness in Wyatt’s face as he listens to Doc begging him to live his life, and though it went unsaid, there’s clearly quite a bit of love in his heart for his oldest friend. One of the hardest parts of playing a role like Wyatt Earp is figuring out how much is too much, but Kurt Russell understood it instinctually. He gave exactly the right amount of fire in Wyatt’s final meeting with Doc, and he let the audience soak up every morsel of tragedy in the conversation. If Russell had done more theatrical waterworks, it would have ruined the scene.

2

Wyatt Earp’s Reaction To Morgan’s Death

Kurt Russell Was Great At Showing How Devastated Wyatt Was After Morgan’s Death

Part of the reason Kurt Russell could leave the tragedy of Doc Holliday’s death implied is because he got a chance to do some theatrics earlier in Tombstone. After Morgan Earp (Bill Paxton) was shot and killed, Wyatt walked out into the rain to lament his role in his brother’s death. It may be a bit melodramatic, but Russell fully leaned into the tragedy of the moment, and it turned what could have been a corny bit of acting into a moving display of emotion. Wyatt’s wailing feels real because Kurt Russell made it feel real.

Morgan’s death is also, arguably, one of the most important moments in Tombstone. His death gave Wyatt the rage he needed to go after the Cowboys in full force, and the entire third act of the film hinges on the grief Wyatt was working through. Morgan’s death and Wyatt’s reaction to it is a crucial part of Tombstone, and Kurt Russell gave the moment an appropriate level of gravitas and melodrama. It’s yet more proof that Russell is an expert at knowing how much or how little a scene needs and delivering it perfectly.

1

Wyatt Earp’s “Hell’s Coming With Me” Scene

Wyatt Screaming “Hell’s Coming With Me” Still Sends A Chill Down Viewers’ Spines

Easily Kurt Russell’s best scene as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone is the famous “Hell’s coming with me!” scene. Building off of Morgan’s death, Wyatt came to alert the Cowboys that he was going to kill them all by shooting Ike Clanton (Stephen Lang) and shouting in a blind fury that he was coming for all of them. It’s an electric moment that Kurt Russell absolutely nailed, and Wyatt’s pure rage is palpable through it all. Russell delivered a few lines of dialogue so impeccably that it was almost as climactic as any shootout.

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For most of Tombstone, Kurt Russell had to give a very moderated and nuanced performance and let other actors, like Val Kilmer, take the lead. In the “Hell’s coming with me” scene, however, Russell proved that he could have led Tombstone all by himself, even without its star-studded cast. If anything proves that Kurt Russell’s performance as Wyatt Earp was an undervalued part of Tombstone, it’s the “Hell’s coming with me” scene.

Movie

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Tombstone

8/10

Release Date

December 25, 1993

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre

Writers

Kevin Jarre

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