The physical media 4K UHD release of Tombstone was announced before Val Kilmer died. But now it is an especially poignant tribute to one of his best performances as Doc Holliday, loyal gunman to Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell).
Riding off the heat of Unforgiven the year before, Tombstone continued a brief western revival. It even stole the thunder of Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp, largely for being an hour shorter and action-packed.
So on 4K, those bright, dusty western streets set a vivid backdrop for the deep black suits and fedoras the heroes wear. Powers Boothe’s red shirt and his gang’s red sashes stand out even more.
There are some beautiful shots like a caravan at sunset, and Boothe’s silhouette in a dark opium tent.
I’m a little surprised the surround sound is mostly for the score. There aren’t a lot of bullet richochets in the rears but the rear effects pick up in the third act outside of town.
Extras from the original DVD release are still included on the Blu-ray disc if you want to revisit them. It was already a retrospective but less than 10 years later.