Wyatt Earp [HD DVD] starring Kevin
Costner
Entertaining
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 Kasdan 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;
youre 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
Personal Review: Wyatt Earp [HD DVD] starring Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner does a good job as Wyatt Earp. According to historical
records, Wyatt was fearless and humorless. He also does a good job of
aging through the film.
A minor problem with this film is that there are photographs from the 1880s
of the Clantons and the Lowerys, and the actors in this film look nothing
like these guys. If the historical character was fat, why make him skinny in
the film? There are other historical inaccuracies in the film but not so
gross as to ruin the entertainment value.
This is a movie for lovers of Westerns, and the Wyatt Earp saga.
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