The gunfight only lasted 30 second. But the shootout at the O.K. Corral dug its way deep into American legend. Some 30 shots were exchanged with three killed and three wounded. The men involved became famous through the biography of Wyatt Earp by Stuart Lake and the many films that followed. Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Doc Holliday and the Clanton's. There is enough of the history that is murky so that the films were able to take different angles on it. How much any of it is true is hard to tell. This film begins by stating these are the facts. Well, yes to a large degree but not in its entirety. It took place in Tombstone 1881.


Wyatt Earp is played by James Garner who was to play a much older version of him 21 years later in Sunset. He plays him as a man of few words, tough and steely. In Sunset, he plays him very similarly.  Many of the O.K. Corral films take a slow lead up to it, but this begins with that and then focuses on the aftermath which is actually more interesting. In the fight Earp kills one of the Clanton brothers while Ike (Robert Ryan) just watches it. He then brings a murder case against Wyatt which is dismissed (true) and when that doesn't work, he has his killers shoot Morgan Earp in the back (true). Unable to get the law to bring in the murderers, Wyatt and Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) go on a vendetta and kill most of them (true). Wyatt gives them an equal chance in gun fights and then shoots them dead. The only major fabrication here is his showdown with Ike Clanton. That never happened. Ike was killed by another lawman six years later at the age of 40.



This is a solid Western - slow and patient punctuated by moments of death. I like my Westerns that way - take your time, build character, create tension, indulge in myth-making - Shane, High Noon and My Darling Clementine are some of my favorites. This is in good hands with director John Sturges who had a few Westerns under his belt - Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in fact with Burt Lancaster as Wyatt and of course The Magnificent Seven. This was shot in the rugged mountain ranges of Mexico and Arizona and is stunning. The music from Jerry Goldsmith is a great addition. Obviously, with Garner, Robards and Ryan you have top echelon acting. Ryan plays Ike Clanton different than I have seen him before - polished, managerial and quietly psychotic. Robards is stuck with the typical Holliday portrayal - a lot of drinking and the cough. Holliday was to die six years later at 36. Look for a young Jon Voight as Curly (a historical person) who gets gunned down by Earp and Holliday. Don't look for any females in the film. There are none of any note. Earp was actually with the same woman for over 40 years till he died in 1929. Outliving everyone else at the O.K. Corral.