
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 25, 1993                   TAG: 9312280078
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`TOMBSTONE' IS A `HOLLIDAY' TREAT

Despite dozens of flaws, "Tombstone" is surprisingly enjoyable and easy to like. Western purists may be horrified at this revisionist take on one of the genre's central events - the shootout at the O.K. corral. But audiences in the mood for fast-paced, sometimes tongue-in-cheek adventure will be richly entertained.

The main reason is Doc Holliday, always the most interesting character in this story. Here he's portrayed by Val Kilmer as a Byronic combination of Edgar Allan Poe and Billy the Kid. It's the kind of bravura performance that ought to be nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar but probably won't be.

As for the story itself, writer Kevin Jarre and director George P. Cosmatos have taken many, many liberties. For openers, as Robert Mitchum explains in voice-over narration, the bad guys are the cowboys, not generic cowpokes but a specific gang called cowboys who all wear red sashes to identify themselves. Yes, these guys are vicious killers who really know how to accessorize.

Under the leadership of Curly Bill (Powers Booth), Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) and Ike Clanton (Stephen Lang) they run wild in Tombstone, Arizona. That's also where the Earp brothers - Wyatt (Kurt Russell), Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) - and their wives have come for a fresh start. No longer interested in being peace officers, they're going to settle down as businessmen. Right.

Just to keep the pot boiling, Wyatt's wife Mattie (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) is much too fond of laudanum (tincture of opium), and a dazzling actress named Josephine (Dana Delaney) has just hit town. She's a brazen woman who makes no secret of her attraction to Wyatt. Another dozen or so minor characters are on hand, too, giving this long (two hours plus) movie more than enough story.

The famous gunfight itself takes place near the middle. After it, the pace and ferocity of the action pick up considerably. Some of the big scenes work well; others are too hurried. On balance, though, director Cosmatos delivers the goods. He made excellent use of the Arizona locations, giving the film the strong sense of place that's so important in any western.

The characters are believable, though there are so many of them that they can't have much depth. That's where Val Kilmer picks up the slack. Whenever he's on screen, he takes over the film with humor and an imposing if consumptive physical presence. He and Kurt Russell make the unlikely friendship between the two characters seem genuine.

In the end, "Tombstone" may not be another "My Darling Clementine," John Ford's version of the story, but it's a seasonal treat for western fans who were disappointed by "Geronimo."

Tombstone: ***

A Hollywood Pictures release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Mall 6. 135 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language.

by CNB