Wyatt Earp
Studio: Warner Brothers Year: 1994 Film Length: 190 minutes Rating: PG-13 Aspect Ratio: 2.4:1 Languages: English Dolby Digital Plus, English 5.1, French 2.0, Spanish 1.0 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish MSRP: $28.99 Cast: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Jeff Fahey, Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Pullman, Isabella Rossellini, Tom Sizemore, JoBeth Wiliams, Mare Winningham |
The Film
The wide open ranges of the historic west have been the landscape for many films throughout motion picture history. “Wyatt Earp” brings us this picturesque motif again in an attempt to tell the story of the man in the title. It begins with a teenage Wyatt running off to enlist to fight the rebels. On his way out, his father (Gene Hackman) stops him and brings him back home. The entire Earp family then moves to California in order to make a more successful life for themselves.
The film then moves ahead seven years to an older Wyatt trying to court Urilla Sutherland (Annabeth Gish). After some tragic events in his life with her, Wyatt begins a nomadic life that eventually leads to him being imprisoned. His father bails him out of jail and helps him leave Arkansas. He finds his way to Dodge City, where he literally stumbles into his new life as a lawman. Two of his brothers, Morgan (Linden Ashby) and Virgil (Michael Madsen) join Wyatt as lawmen in Dodge.
As the film heads toward the confrontation at the OK Corral, Doc Holliday (Dennis Quaid) becomes the final member of the Earp entourage. This is the point that the film truly finds it’s footing. Quaid’s performance is so commanding and engaging that he becomes the most interesting character for the rest of the movie.
Oddly enough, the shootout at the OK Corral is not made to be the focal point of the film. Instead it is treated as a significant encounter, but is over very quickly. The fallout from that gunfight is given far more time in the last third of the movie as both families involved in the shootout vie for retribution for those killed.
Picture Quality
The scenic west is a fantastic canvas to demonstrate the capabilities of HD-DVD, and it does not disappoint. Colors are bright, vibrant, extremely life-like, and there were many instances where I found myself hitting the pause button just to soak in the beautiful surroundings. I noticed details that I had never seen before, like the steaming cup of coffee sitting alone on the table as Earp and his brothers depart for the OK Corral. I didn’t notice much edge enhancement or macro blocking, and the resolution was sharp.
Audio Quality
The 5.1 track delivers a convincing portrayal of the sounds of the old west. The low frequency effect channel is used sparingly but when it does it adds more emphasis to on-screen activities, specifically horse chases and shotgun blasts. The surrounds are used to great effect in creating the feeling of space that the unpopulated western states possessed. I was also impressed by how well the gunfights were placed spatially by the use of the rear speakers. I would hear guns firing and bullets ricocheting in the exact place they were supposed to be.
Special Features
Included with the HD-DVD release are two documentaries and a host of deleted scenes. The lifted scenes were good, and most are better served being deleted. The real bonus I enjoyed was the “It Happened That Way” documentary. Lawrence Kasdan, Kevin Costner, and Dennis Quaid all sit and provide great insights into the intent and motivation for the movie as well as more history about Wyatt Earp. The second documentary is footage from a TV special hosted by Tom Skerritt, outlining classing moments from older epic movies as well as additional information about “Wyatt Earp”. Both supplements are entertaining and provide some good additional info about the film.
Summary
Some of this ground has been covered before, most notably by “Tombstone”. The primary difference here is that “Wyatt Earp” is meant to be a true biopic. The filmmakers did an excellent job of tracking the life of the title character from teenage boy to lawman, and eventually to legend. While I do feel Costner’s performance was a little flat and monotone at times, his supporting cast more than makes up for it, especially Dennis Quaid. I found myself wishing several times that Doc Holliday had been brought into the film far earlier than he was.
All in all, the movie was enjoyable and would be a good addition to any HD-DVD owner’s collection, but especially for western movie buffs.
