Bill Pullman, Catherine O'Hara, David Andrews

This massive, in-depth study of the dark Western icon comes off with mixed results. Trying to capture the whole life, (warts and all) of the lawman-criminal-brother-fortune hunter, director Lawrence K...( read more  read more... )asdan gains points for sheer scale, giving us a rich epic painted in dark colors with gritty settings. But the visual poetry and extensive foreshadowing ruin the dramatic drive. Some scenes have as much impact as stalker movies; you're just waiting for someone to get knocked off. As Earp, Kevin Costner is not afraid to look rumpled and play colorlessly (as in The Bodyguard), but it saps the energy of this 3-hour-plus film. The only relief is Dennis Quaid as a droll Doc Holiday, a much more engaging character. New faces Linden Ashby and Joanna Going (as an Earp brother and a lover, respectively) are solid finds, though the remainder of the female cast is barely given anything to do. Best is the first half, with Costner, as hip as he was in his Silverado days, going through a series of ups and downs until he accidentally finds his profession. Great set design (Ida Random) utilizes dozens of similar settings that always look distinctive. Recommended to fans of the star and the genre, but the story never justifies its length. --Doug Thomas

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65% liked it

16,732 ratings

PG-13, 190 min.

Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan

Release Date: June 24, 1994

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DVD Release Date: May 18, 2004

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Flixster Reviews (1,309)


  • September 23, 2009
    I didn?t like it as much as Tombstone. I think, I get them mixed up! :o)
  • March 22, 2009
    An astonishing masterwork by Director, Lawereance Kasdan. A beautiful film in atmosphere and scope. We have returned to the freedom westerns were meant to have. A romantic, thrilling and action-packed epic. Dazzeling and outstanding. Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid are absolutely ...( read more)magnificent. Costner is riveting. Quaid is wickedly funny, deeply effectionate and wonderfully brilliant, one of the best performances of his career. A remarkable, dark, tremendous and outstanding western achivement.
  • September 4, 2008
    I'm not the largest fan of Westerns, but this was a pretty good movie. It's further proof Kevin Costner can't be in a short movie. :p This is also one of those movies of which the phrase "all-star cast" can be used.
  • January 31, 2008
    Kevin Costner once again projects his own self-image of the all-American hero, this time portraying legendary frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. And as usual, it's too self-important and FAR too bloody long. The first hour is especially tiresome, as the young Wyatt's life is a dreary c...( read more)ombination of sentimentality and melodrama but things do pick up once his father bails him out of jail. Even then however, the underused supporting cast seem far more interesting than the stone faced and characterless Costner; even the plum role of Doc Holliday (played by Dennis Quaid who is clearly enjoying himself) feels little more weighty than a cameo. The aspect of male bonding does work well though, making it all the more obvious that the relationships between the Earps and their other halves rarely exceeds the level of soap opera; Costner's relationship with his second wife is marked by some particularly cornball dialogue. The main drawback for this project is the fact that this story has been told so often that it would take something truly spectacular to make it worth it, and not only is this not the best version, it's not even in the top 3; it lacks the elegance of My Darling Clementine, the grittiness of Tombstone and the good natured humour of Gunfight At The OK Corral, making it a decent but unremarkable addition to the genre.
  • January 30, 2008
    For a decade or so, from the late-'80s to late-'90s, cardboard Kev Costner was Hollywood's everyman of choice, before a series of increasingly elephantine projects associated him in the public consciousness with an aching backside and a struggle to stay awake, allowing Tom Hanks ...( read more)to usurp his throne. "Wyatt Earp" is a marvellous film with a majestic sweep, but it marked the beginning of the end of Costner's popularity and, before long, "Waterworld" and "The Postman" would topple him off the A-list for good. What separates this film from the legion of other retellings of Earp's story is, not so much its greater claim to historical accuracy as its portrayal of the typically goody-goody Earp, as a deeply flawed individual whom it was almost impossible to like. There's genuine darkness here but, unfortunately, Costner hasn't quite got the acting ability to nail it. The rest of the cast is great but a skeletal Dennis Quaid walks away with the movie as Doc Holiday, his performance infinitely preferable to Val Kilmer's self-consciously showy turn in "Tombstone", which was an enthusiastic B-movie but nothing more. Excepting some bluish day-for-night that I don't much care for, the film looks terrific, too.
  • November 9, 2009
    ésta película tiene opiniones muy divididas pero a mí si me gustó, está mucho mejor que la otra versión que hizo Kurt Russell y Val Kilmer
  • September 26, 2009
    This is a great film, and imho a better and more believable telling of the Earp tale than the more well-known "Tombstone". The power of the film is part material, but a greater part the fine cast involved. Every role is filled with a well-known actor you probably like from some o...( read more)ther film. This film, ultimately, is well told with a strong mix of drama, emotional turmoil, and good ol' fashioned western shootouts.
  • September 24, 2009
    This is a western about the life of famous gun slinger/lawman Wyatt Earp. I am not sure how accurate it is in his depiction but I found this to be a interesting western. Stars Kevin Costner as Wyatt Earp. He does a solid job in that role. Plus the film has a great supporting cast...( read more) to fill the rest of the roles. The story of his life and family and friends is quite interesting. A worthy western to watch. If you end up liking this film then check out Tombstone as well. It came out around the same time. Another take on the Wyatt Earp story.
  • August 20, 2009
    Very long, but well acted and the attention to detail is excellent. The cinematography is fantastic. Kevin Costner doesn't exactly give a powerful performance, but he pulls this off nonetheless. I thought Dennis Quaid as Doc Holiday was great and stole every scene he was in. Not ...( read more)exactly action packed, but its still entertaining and well acted.
  • July 29, 2009
    Although it was long, it was wonderful.

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