rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1957
Directed by John Sturges; produced by Hal B. Wallis; written by Leon Uris; based on the article by George Scullin
Starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Lyle Bettger, Dennis Hopper
'Tombstone' (1993) stays my favorite film about Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and their gunfight with the Clanton gang at the O.K. Corral, but this film, conveniently titles 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' comes close. It takes a slightly different approach, focusing on the time before Earp and Holliday were getting along. It tells an engaging story, based on an article by George Scullin, before it reaches more familiar ground in Tombstone, Arizona. The finale is more of the same, but here that is not necessarily a bad thing.
The viewer meets Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) as a Marshal in Fort Griffin. He saves the notorious outlaw Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas) from a lynching, before going to Dodge City where he encounters Holliday again, even though he told him to stay out. In between we see Holliday rejecting a woman named Kate (Jo Van Fleet), and Earp falling for a woman-gambler named Laura (Rhonda Fleming). Kate tries to make Holliday jealous by giving herself to Johnny Ringo (John Ireland), who happens to be in the gang of Ike Clanton (Lyle Bettger), the reason Earp, his brothers and Holliday end up in Tombstone.
In a nutshell this is the story of the film, although smaller scenes, especially between Lancaster and Douglas, make the film entertaining. There is not that much action, but when it comes it's done fairly good. The insights in Holliday's life are interesting. As a terminally ill man we see him change from a gambling crook into a loyal friend. The scenes with Kate could hint at his homosexuality, although this is never really explored.
The Western is easily loved. Most of the time it needs a real hero, an interesting villain, some action scenes and a woman for romantic relieve. Good Westerns often follow this pattern, but great Westerns add some changes. Admittedly, the villains are more of the same here. The hero is Wyatt Earp, but the change is Doc Holliday, who is seen as a hero, but presented as something else. In the end he may be loyal, you never really understand his reasons for doing the things he does. Kate deepens his character even further, while Laura provides the romance.
Even though it is not perfect, 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' belongs to the more entertaining Westerns I have seen.