The Gunfight at the OK Corral Review

The Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957)

Directed by John Sturges, this is the greatest of Hollywood's tributes to the legendary gunfight between the Earps and the Clantons.

Legendary superstars Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas play larger than life versions of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, grudging allies in the war against crime in Tombstone, the town too tough to die.

Wyatt and Doc start out on the wrong foot but soon realize they can extend their lifespans by joining forces and so put their differences aside. From this beginning the two men begin a friendship that ripens to a point where either man is willing to risk his life for the other.

Wyatt is ready to retire but gets a telegram from his brother Virgil which brings him riding to Tombstone to help him clean up the town.  Along the trail he meets up with Doc Holliday, fresh from a run of busted luck at the poker tables of Wichita. As they stop to camp for the night Wyatt waxes poetic on the virtues of clean mountain air over the stinking saloons that Doc usually inhabits. While they sleep, three villains attempt to assassinate them, but Doc's ready Colt makes short work of the trio. "Clean mountain air, indeed," fumes Doc.

At Tombstone we are introduced to the rest of the Earp clan, played by familiar faces Deforrest Kelly and  Martin Milner. The homey atmosphere is good for Wyatt and Doc but the problem is cattle rustling by the Clanton family and their gang of cowboys, who are not going to let the law stand in their way.

The Clantons back shoot younger brother James and the Earp brothers resolve to settle it the only way the Clantons will understand. The three brothers set off on that October morning at sunrise, along with Doc Holliday on shotgun. The odds are  6 to 4 in the Clanton's favor.

The Clantons are already at the Corral, hiding behind a wagon, when the Earps and Holliday arrive. The Earps scatter and hit the dirt. The gunfight consists of fire and maneuver with the Earps prevailing against the more numerous foes.

The Gunfight at OK Corral has great casting  with Burt Lancaster as the upright Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as the colorful, rum-soaked Doc Holliday. Director John Sturges eschewed handlebar mustaches in favor of clean shaven Earps, but the power of the leading actors' performances overshadowed that of later versions. The secondary roles were played by well chosen actors like Earl Holliman, John Ireland, Jo Van Fleet, Jack Elam, and Dennis Hopper.

The story was accurate as far as the general reasons why the two sides squared off. The dialog was witty, well-written and did not require strings of four letter words to get its point across. The sets were more accurate than those in other versions, and the geographic location looked like Tombstone. The photography and direction was brilliant with a big blue sky and plenty of interesting camera angles. The weapons sequences were well done and credible. The newer interpretations show a closer affinity to John Woo gun fu with zero recoil and 30 shot six shooters! The music by Dimitri Tiompkin is perfectly suited to the action, even though the Frankie Laine theme song is a little trying at times.

The Paramount DVD is presented in color and lasts 122 minutes. The Gunfight at OK Corral is one of the westerns on my top ten best westerns list.