I Finally Watched Tombstone For The First Time, And Here's Why It's Val Kilmer's Best Role

I am ashamed to admit that it took me until after Val Kilmer's passing to finally watch 1993’s Tombstone. I had long been meaning to watch director George Cosmatos’ classic Western movie inspired by the infamous O.K. Corral shootout, mostly as a fan of Wyatt Earp actor Kurt Russell and his badass roles.

However, the news that Kilmer died at 65 on April 1st finally gave me the right push to see what is widely considered to be one of his best movies, and I can certainly understand why. Tombstone is now easily one of my favorite Westerns, and it might even be my all-time favorite, which makes me want to kick myself even harder for taking so long to finally see it. On top of that, I believe that Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday is the absolute greatest I have personally seen from him.

Doc Holliday Is Val Kilmer's Ultimate Role

Serving as the show-stealing co-lead in the already stacked Tombstone ensemble is Val Kilmer as John “Doc” Holliday. The film depicts the 19th-century legend’s reputation as an expert gambler, a lightning-fast sharpshooter, and an enduringly loyal friend to Wyatt Earp in his crusade for justice, all the while suffering from tuberculosis.

Kilmer played many memorable and diverse characters throughout his career, having even started out in comedies before becoming an action star (his earliest film credits in the mid-1980s were the hilarious parody movie Top Secret!, and Real Genius, which has an incredible finale involving a massive amount of popcorn). However, I think his portrayal of Doc should be recognized as his ultimate work and a representation of his strongest and most definitive talents. The role allows him to be funny, intimidating, and, quite frankly, one badass action hero. Yet, that’s only the tip of the iceberg for me.

Tombstone Made Me Better Appreciate Val Kilmer's Acting Ability

I have always enjoyed Val Kilmer as a performer, having first discovered him as a live-action Batman actor in 1995’s Batman Forever before later discovering his roles in classic ‘80s movies like Ice Man in Top Gun. However, I have a whole new perspective on his talent after witnessing what he does as Doc in Tombstone, which I believe deserves far more recognition than it has already received.

In addition to utilizing what he does best as an actor, the character also allows him to completely disappear, not visually, but with a deep, transformative Southern drawl that never feels forced or cheesy, which it easily could have been. Kilmer assumes full autonomy of the calm, cool, collected persona that drives Doc’s entire arc as a man who is constantly brimming with confidence and never one to quit up until the heartbreaking ending of Tombstone when he succumbs to his illness, which the actor performed on a bed of ice, according to The New York Times.

One other interesting behind-the-scenes fact about Tombstone is that Willem Dafoe was one of the first choices to play Doc Holliday. With all due respect to Mr. Dafoe, I believe Val Kilmer was born for this role, and any subsequent portrayals will forever be compared to his. I now miss the actor more after finally witnessing this performance than I initially imagined I would.