Plot: What’s it about?
Hollywood’s love affair with Wyatt Earp continues with this latest re-telling of the Earp brothers and their confrontations out in the Old West. From the very dawn of movies, this has been one of the most frequently told stories and sometimes good (“My Darling Clementine”, “Gunfight at the OK Corral”, “Tombstone”), there seems to be some dispute as to what really happened. Released back in 1994, the Western was still all but gone from mainstream movies, though with “Tombstone” coming out the Christmas of 1993 and “Maverick” being released earlier that year, it was a good time to be in a Western. Hollywood has always seemed to make similar movies at the same time: “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Thin Red Line”; “Twister” and “Volcano” and with “Tombstone” and “Wyatt Earp” out as well, the two seemed to be competing against each other. “Tombstone” has long been a fan favorite (and a personal favorite of mine) and though it’s not as historically accurate as “Wyatt Earp”, I felt it was certainly a lot more entertaining. Where “Tombstone” went for the fake mustaches and good-looking women, Earp went for the sweeping epic saga. It’s an endless debate, suffice it to say either one is a great movie in its own right.
That being said, “Wyatt Earp” certainly doesn’t break any new ground. It tells the same story we all know, though it tells the “whole” story…yes, that 190 minutes is there for a reason. Opening when Wyatt is a child, his father (Gene Hackman) instills virtues in him that stay with Wyatt until his death. As he grows up, we see him progress from a burgeoning lawyer, to his days with Wells Fargo and as the infamous lawman where he made his name in Dodge City, Kansas. Earp wasn’t alone, though, his brothers (played more prominently in “Tombstone” by Bill Paxton, Sam Elliott) take a back seat here. The character that gets most of the screen time, and rightfully so, is none other than Doc Holliday (Dennis Quaid). Quaid lost some 40 pounds for the role and plays it to near perfection; the only problem with his role is that it was compared to the role that Val Kilmer played in “Tombstone” just a few months before. Kilmer’s was great as well which probably hurt both of them when the Academy Awards rolled around. We see Earp love and lose his wife, going through various stages and indeed the OK Corral scene is included, as it’s supposed to be in every movie about Wyatt Earp.
Ultimately, the movie loses focus and it’s quite possible that it tries to tell too much. I’m all for the sweeping epics and it worked well in Costner’s own “Dances With Wolves”; but this movie lacks the depth and intensity of that one. Director and Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan tries his best here and we all know that he’s capable of better movies (“The Accidental Tourist”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) from the writing side of things. Costner is one of the few modern-day actors that can pull off a decent Western and his recent “Open Range” is a cry back to some of his better work. While the Western isn’t on Hollywood’s “A” list these days, there will always be a spot for Wyatt Earp in a future Hollywood movie. HBO recently launched a series called “Deadwood” that is set in the West and with good reviews so far, we’ll likely see some more Westerns. Though the genre isn’t dead, it’s certainly ailing. If you’re a fan of this movie, then the long wait is finally over. If not, then there’s a more robust movie in terms of supplements in “Tombstone” and a similar storyline, and for my part; a much better film.
Video: How does it look?
“Wyatt Earp” is shown in its scope aspect ratio; the 2.35:1 image has some of the most beautiful shots that we only get in Westerns. Also, the movie is rather long, running about 190 minutes, and is split over two discs. Since this isn’t a “re-master”, there was no basis for comparison except for the old Laser Disc and the VHS from the old days and, suffice it to say, this blows both of them out of the water. While I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I’d be, the images here do seem razor sharp and colors seem warm and natural (movies of this genre are usually dominated by browns and other “natural” colors). There seems to be the tiniest bit of artifacting and a bit of grain on some of the lighter scenes, but nothing that distracts too much from the overall image. For those of you who have gotten used to watching three hour movies in one sitting, sorry…you’ll have to insert the second disc to finish up the movie (or have one of those multi-disc changers). At any rate, “Wyatt Earp” looks great on DVD.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack does more than just provide audio; it sets the stage and the mood for the three hour epic. James Newton Howard’s score sounds excellent booming over all 5.1 channels and though this isn’t the most audio-heavy movie out there, it does have moments…Dialogue is very clean and clear as we might expect for a relatively recent movie and though the surrounds aren’t used too often, when they do kick in they sound great. Most of the action takes place in the front stage and as such, it’s a pretty active soundtrack. This is on par with other westerns (think “Tombstone”) and no one should be too disappointed with how this sounds.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Though the supplements on “Wyatt Earp” aren’t as plentiful as some of Warner’s other Two-Discers, there are more than enough to keep us busy; for a little while anyway. The remainder of the movie is on the second disc as are the supplements. We start off with a documentary entitled “It Happened That Way”. In it we get interviews from Kasdan and Coster among others telling of the tale of Wyatt Earp and almost arguing for the validity of what they were trying to say. It runs twelve minutes. Next up is a featurette from 1994 (when the movie came out) hosted by Tom Skerritt. This is called “Wyatt Earp: Walk With a Legend”. This is your typical “Making of…” featurette before they were really mainstream. Interviews with the cast and crew are shown and clips from the movie as well. Running at 21 minutes, we get more here than the documentary. Also included are some “Lifted Scenes” which is a new term for deleted scenes, I guess. Eleven are included and some text sets up the shot before we watch it, so as to get the context. These are shown in non-anamorphic widescreen and can be played individually or all at once. Lastly, the theatrical trailer is included. The wait is finally over and “Wyatt Earp” is delivered in splendid fashion, if it’s your cup of tea then Warner has done a great job with this DVD.
