I’ll never understand why the movie-going public has such a love/hate relationship with Kevin Costner. Sure, he’s had his share of flops and some might question some of his career choices, but what actor hasn’t? What sets Costner apart from most other actors, is that when his films are good, they’re great. “Dances with Wolves” and the recent “Open Range” come to mind immediately. I think a part of the problem is that Costner seems most at home with the western, and sometimes its hard for some to see him in other types of roles. Though I’m certainly a fan of even his lesser films, I do agree with the stereotype. A perfect example is 1994’s “Wyatt Earp” which was a stunning portrayal of the life and times of the infamous ‘lawman.’ With a running time of just over 3 hours, it painted as much of a complete picture of the man as is probably possible.

Now, there are those who preferred “Tombstone”, which came out around the same time, but I think that had a lot to do with the fact that the film was shorter and a bit more ‘Hollywood-ized.’ I’ll grant that it was a good film, but there is no question that “Wyatt Earp” was far superior in terms of… well, everything. The story was a more complete biographical account, the cinematography was captivating, and the over all performances were more realistic than those in “Tombstone.” But I guess it all comes down to personal preference and attention span.

Costner, as Earp, did a great job of making him a multi-dimensional figure. He was not the idealized lawman of history books, but rather a conflicted person, as flawed as he was upright. And as the tuberculosis ridden Doc Holiday, Dennis Quaid delivered one of the finest performances of his career. Lookin so much like a ‘dead man walking’, he made you feel his pain as each bloody cough brought him closer to his death. Not to sell anyone short, but “Wyatt Earp” is full of terrific performances by its high-profile cast. Each and every actor lost themselves so much in the characters as to disappear completely within them. You never saw the actor onscreen, only the character.

I loved “Wyatt Earp” when I first saw it in theatres, and wondered when it was ever going to be released on DVD. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen more and more of these Costner ‘epics’ coming out, so fortunately it was only a matter of time. This month, Warner gives us a 2-disc Special Edition set, complete with an all-new digital transfer of the film. The picture is near perfect, with the studio wisely spreading the film out over both discs to avoid compression issues. The colors and contrasts are beautiful, the image only hurt by the fact that I still don’t have a big-screen TV (hint, hint…). The sound is nothing short of amazing, which is most notable by the way the music fills the room without distracting from the action and dialogue.

The second disc of the set has a couple of extra features, both of which I enjoyed immensely being somewhat of a history nut. The first is a brand new 14 documentary that utilizes clips from the film and interviews to fill us in on some additional facts about Earp. The other is a 20 minute featurette on the film from 1994 hosted by Tom Skerrit. Though it is fairly short, you’ll find a lot of behind the scenes footage and interviews (a few you might recognize from the first documentary). It is well worth a look. These are followed up 11 deleted scenes (referred to here as ‘lifted’), that I’m sure would have still found their place in the film. Round this out with a trailer and you have pretty much found it all.

I have always considered “Wyatt Earp” to be one of those modern masterpieces, long overdue for a DVD release. I’m often chided by some of my movie buddies about it, since they seem to suffer from that anti-Costener-it is, but I stand by my opinion. I strongly urge you to check this move out and see if I’m right. If 3 hours is too long for you, cut it into two viewings, but watch it all the same. Is it historically accurate? Who really knows? Does it offer a great movie-watching experience? Absolutely.

Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Jeff Fahey, Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Pullman, Isabella Rosselini, Tom Sizemore, JoBeth Williams, Mare Winningham
Extras: Behind the Scenes Documentary – “It Happened That Way”, Vintage Making of TV Special – “Wyatt Earp: Walk with a Legend”, Lifted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 5/18/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Strong Gunfights, Some Language and Sensuality)
Website

We'll give Wyatt Earp an A.