Year: 1957
Country: United States
Language: English
Number: 323
Script: Leon Uris
Director: John Sturges
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet
Oscar nom: Best Editing, Best Sound
IMDb: 7.2
RT score: 82%
John Sturges' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is another film about the legendary western lawman Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) and his friend, the gambler and former dentist, Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas) who both goes to the town of Tombstone to track down the Clanton brothers. It all ends up with the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Having seen "My Darling Clementine" with Henry Fonda, I felt that this movie was quiet historical inaccurate, for instance, the actual battle was only 30 seconds, while in this movie it's goes on for eight minutes. This is a typical Hollywood film, where the actions scenes need to be boosted up in order to get people's attentions, and make a tough guy out of every character, like they did with Lancaster and Douglas in this film. And it doesn't help with the song playing in the background, which lyrics only pushing the words "O.K. Corral" to our faces. We get it, it's a gunfight at the O.K. Corral!
Least the Henry Fonda version was deeper incense of the characters, moral standards and weaknesses. This version chooses the simplest way, by use of alcohol, even Wyatt is a heavy drinker. There wasn't any romantic scenes, in Clementine, because the characters kept their feelings for themselves, which only made it more appealing. This movie is so superficial as it could have been. It's kind of weird that I keep comparing it to another movie, but speaking in an objective perspective this movie did drag, there was to many shootout and robbery scenes that doesn't have any relevance to the story.
But what I did like about this movie, was actually the gunfight, although it's inaccurate, there's pretty much excitement in it. And Kirk Douglas certainly give us a great sneaky and charismatic performance as the reckless, but loyal companion, he's simply cool. But Lancaster on the other hand doesn't not quiet fit in to this role, it's just to theatrical and his flashing physique does not fit into the western genre.
Grade: C-
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