WYATT EARP
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (Linear 0 to 10): 6.5
Date Released: 6/24/94 Running Length: 3:09 Rated: PG-13 (Violence, mature themes, language, sexual situations)
Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Annabeth Gish, Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Bill Pullman, Joanna Going, Jeff Fahey, Tome Sizemore, JoBeth Williams, Mare Winningham, Catherine O'Hara Director: Lawrence Kasdan Producers: Jim Wilson, Kevin Costner, and Lawrence Kasdan Screenplay: Dan Gordon and Lawrence Kasdan Cinematography: Owen Roizman Music: James Newton Howard Released by Warner Brothers
Kevin Costner is fast becoming Hollywood's "three-plus hour" actor. This is his third film in the nineties to reach or exceed the one-hundred eighty minute mark (the other two being DANCES WITH WOLVES and JFK). Not many movies these days have close to that sort of running time, and WYATT EARP shows why. Although epic in length and scope, it is not epic in depth and, upon occasion, that can make this a tedious experience.
WYATT EARP has a brief opening scene in 1881 Tombstone, then backtracks seventeen years to a midwestern cornfield where a young Wyatt is considering running away from home to join his older brothers in the Union army. From there, the film follows the experiences of the most famous member of the Earp clan through thirty-five years of his life. His tragic marriage to Urilla is chronicled, as are his experiences as a lawman (and sometimes vigilante) in Dodge City and Tombstone. WYATT EARP ends off the coast of turn-of-the-century Alaska with a vignette about how historical figures become legends.
The historical accuracy of Lawrence Kasdan's film isn't much of an issue, at least as far as I'm concerned. The writer/director intertwines fact with myth to create what is, for the most part, a reasonably entertaining story, and freely admits a certain degree of "fictionalization" where his characters and situations are concerned.
At times, WYATT EARP seems to drag on forever. There's a lot of apparently unnecessary padding that might have looked good on the scripted page, but doesn't come across nearly as well on the big screen. The first hour rambles, presenting disjointed scenes that fail to add much depth to any of the characters. Wyatt's courting of and marriage to Urilla (Annabeth Gish) happens so quickly that it fails to provoke much emotional reaction.
For the early portions of the movie, Wyatt is not an especially interesting person. First, he's a noble, upstanding man who loves his wife, can't stand the sight of death, and is as honest as they come. Then, following the first great tragedy of his life, he turns into a drunken lout who steals horses and beats up people. Only after establishing Wyatt's "good" and "evil" sides in this obvious and time- consuming manner does Kasdan allow the two to merge into the more complex and interesting character who arrives to clean up Dodge City.
Tombstone is rightfully at the center of WYATT EARP, and it isn't surprising that it's the most interesting segment of the film. The buildup to the gunfight at the OK Corral is intense and energetic, and the execution isn't a letdown. Subsequent events are handled with equal flair and, although the ending is muddled, there's a wonderfully tense and atmospheric sequence involving a nighttime shoot-out around a stopped train.
Following an impressive performance in A PERFECT WORLD, Kevin Costner is back to merely "adequate." Most of the time, Costner's attempts to present Wyatt's icy demeanor make the character flat and uninteresting. Some of the dumb dialogue doesn't help, but he's not the only actor saddled with occasionally-stilted lines.
As Wyatt's father Nicholas, Gene Hackman doesn't have much screen time, and he appears to be on hand mostly to pick up a paycheck - this is easily the actor's least-inspired performance in years. Dennis Quaid delivers a delightful turn as Doc Holliday. This incarnation of the consumption-stricken dentist mixes a sly, self-deprecating wit with a cold, calculated viciousness.
Most of the other cast members are fine in their roles. There are certainly a number of well-known faces (Bill Pullman, Isabella Rossellini, Mare Winningham, and Mark Harmon all make appearances), but few standouts.
WYATT EARP is visually impressive, but that's no big surprise. Any western, and certainly any would-be epic, has to boast a good cinematographer (in this case, it's Owen Roizman). The musical score is marginally less effective. Although composer James Newton Howard seemingly attempts to recapture the mood of DANCES WITH WOLVES, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, and GETTYSBURG, his themes aren't as memorable.
Because of its recent release, TOMBSTONE comparisons are inevitable. The biggest advantage the late-1993 film has over this one is length (TOMBSTONE clocks in at 2:08), but that's about it. WYATT EARP's script is less confusing, the characters are better developed, and the acting is a notch higher. Despite his two-note performance, Costner is more believable as the title character than Kurt Russell, and Quaid's version of Doc Holliday is more chilling than Val Kilmer's. Joanna Going manages to bring a certain sparkle to Josie Marcus that is missing from Dana Delaney's interpretation.
In much the same way that CHAPLIN overextends itself by trying to present a complete picture of the actor's life, WYATT EARP's attempts to cover so many years lead to too many scenes with little emotional power. The film doesn't shoot blanks, and it is better than TOMBSTONE but, considering the names involved, a little disappointment isn't out of the question.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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