This is one of the best, and underrated, westerns ever made. It was a very intense, interesting character study of a famous lawman, showing flaws and all. In fact, this is the only version, I believe, that really shows the sadistic side of Wyatt Earp, and what made him a bitter man. To be fair, it also shows his good traits.

It also has a terrific, deep cast and features a good mix of drama, romance and action. Even the music grows on you after several viewings. There is no humor in here: this is a serious story. Unlike the more popular "Tombstone," this Earp story has a lot less profanity and almost no usage of the Lord's name in vain....but there is rough language and some crude sexual remarks, so don't watch it with the kiddies.

At rate, the movie is a lot better than the critics would have you believe. (All nationally-known critics but one panned this, as far as I know.)

Kevin Costner performed one of his better acting jobs. It was nice to see Michael Madsen and Tom Sizemore as good guys. That's not seen in too many films! They were low-key characters, too. Dennis Quaid did a nice job as the fascinating "Doc Holliday." It's generally conceded that Val Kilmer's "Doc" in "Tombstone" was the best-ever, but Quaid version is just fine, thank you, and gets better and better with each viewing.

This is a long movie, but it's never dull and it never overdoes the action, either. The cast is deep so you see a lot of familiar actors. As mentioned, this film is extremely underrated. I know most people prefer "Tombstone" but I'll take this version of the Earp saga any time!

This particular version of the Wyatt Earp story may be the definitive Wyatt Earp tale. Not that it's the best Wyatt Earp movie although an argument certainly could be made in its favor. It's because this film encompasses more of his life than any other film so far as I've seen.

I don't think any historical character even those out of the Bible have ever gotten better and more varied treatment with name stars playing the character. Most Earp films do center around the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone. There are some others like Wichita where Joel McCrea plays Wyatt Earp and the action centers around his first job as a marshal in Wichita. There are others like Hour Of The Gun where James Garner plays Earp and the action centers with the aftermath of the events at the OK Corral. A lot of that film is incorporated here. Garner played Earp again in Sunset which takes a look at Earp in the Roaring Twenties as a senior citizen in Hollywood. Wyatt was one tough dude in that one.

But Wyatt Earp as produced and starring Kevin Costner takes a long view of Earp from his childhood with an abolitionist family in Illinois with Gene Hackman as his father. The action goes to a coda where we see Costner and Joanna Going as his common-law wife as a middle-aged couple at the turn of the last century. Costner plays Earp as an upright man, but one who will not hesitate to back up his play with whatever is at hand. In one of his first encounters with a bad man, he nails him with a thrown wooden billiard ball.

It's almost like they were using the same acting coach, but Dennis Quaid in this film and Val Kilmer in Tombstone which came out roughly the same time turn in virtually identical performances as the murderous and tubercular Doc Holiday. You could transplant each other in the different film and not notice the difference. Here Quaid has around him Isabella Rosellini as Holiday's slattern mistress Big Nose Kate. The standard for that role was created in John Sturges's Gunfight At The OK Corral with Jo Van Fleet being abused and nursing Kirk Douglas as Holiday.

One performance in this film that set a standard in terms of how close to reality the character was is that of Jeff Fahey as Ike Clanton. By all accounts this one got it right, Clanton was a cowardly bully who usually let others do his fighting for him. He ran out on his pals at the OK Corral including brother Billy Clanton. And Ike preferred not to do his killing face to face. Fahey really hit the mark in a small but well written role.

Something tells me we've not exhausted Wyatt Earp as a film subject. Within the next decade and a half, I predict one if not more films will be made to once again interpret the character and events of the life and legend of Wyatt Earp.

Nicholas Earp (Gene Hackman) is the patriarch of the family. To him, only blood matters and everybody else is just a stranger. The family including Wyatt Earp (Kevin Costner) goes out west after the end of the civil war. Years later, he goes back to Missouri and marries Urilla Sutherland (Annabeth Gish). When she dies, he is depressed and aimlessly roams the country. Eventually it culminates into the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral with Doc Holliday (Dennis Quaid).

Kevin Costner is fine as a younger Wyatt still searching for a direction. He's not so great as the drunken mess. Later he's OK as the lawman. He has the righteousness but not necessarily the gravitas. It's asking a lot to play this wide range for anybody.

The biggest problem is the general long winding life story. This is long, epic, and very long. It's like a biopic from a historian. It is too rambling and unfocused. Director Lawrence Kasdan does a good job filming the movie but this long biopic will always have problems. It's too rambling to create much tension or pick up any pacing. It's just overly ambitious.