MovieChat Forums > Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) Discussion > Best Western or Second Best Western Ever

Best Western or Second Best Western Ever

posted 16 years ago by Whiterim
17 replies | jump to latest

Before Tombstone came out, I always regarded Gunfight at the OK Corral to be the second best western ever made after John Wayne's The Alamo. Sure, historically it is wholly inaccurate except for the fact that there was a gunfight in Thombstone NEAR the OK Corral. However, this western was made the way Hollywood intended great westerns to be made. The Magnificent Seven came in a close third. And what took OK Corral from a very good movie to a truly great movie was the music of Dmitri Tiomkin. With the release of Tombstone with Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer, OK Corral has been relegated down a notch.

[–] hnt_dnl 16 years ago

GAOKC would definitely make my top 5 Westerns. In terms of entertainment value, it's probably my favorite. In terms of best, I'd put THE SEARCHERS, STAGECOACH, THE OX-BOW INCIDENT, and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS up there.

[–] CinemaBuff84 16 years ago

It wouldn't make my Top 10.

The Searchers, Stagecoach, Unforgiven, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, High Plains Drifter, Red River, High Noon, Shane, The Ox-Bow Incident

[–] another_boiling_frog 16 years ago

I know this comes down to strickly opinon but I have to agree with CinemaBuff84 this movie would not crack the top 10 in best westerns of all time...I agree that his 10 films were better and I could add a halve dozen more on top prior to Gunfight...it was a good movie but not an all time great

[–] screenman 15 years ago

Dunno about best or second best, but definitely top 5. The two leads of Lancaster and Douglas alone put it there.

I like `The Alamo' too: a top-five must have at least one John Wayne movie.
Trouble is; I also like `The Searchers' `True Grit' and `The Shootist'.

And something from Sergio Leone must also be included. I like `A Few Dollars More'. I also like `Fistful Of Dynamite', but seem to be on my own there.

After that; `The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance', `Paint Your Wagon', Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid', `Shane', `The Outlaw Josey Whales'. `The Searchers'.

And `Hombre' is pretty good too.

[–] SentenzaAliasAngelEyes 15 years ago

I guess some of you just happen to forget about "ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST" which in my opinion is the greatest film ever.

"Go on talking about Bill Carson." - Angel Eyes

[–] fugitive111 15 years ago

So what do true Western afficianados think of Tombstone in relation to this movie? Which one's better? Personally I don't think anyone can top Val Kilmer's role as Doc Holiday.

[–] SentenzaAliasAngelEyes 15 years ago

Tombstone may be a bit more historically accurate than this but I prefer "Gunfight" more. Yes, Val Kilmer's Doc Holiday is something brilliant but overall I think this is better from a movie-making standpoint.

"Go on talking about Bill Carson." - Angel Eyes

[–] stephen-morton 15 years ago

John Ford's "My Darling Clementine" is the best Wyatt Earp movie, hands down. (It's also probably the most inaccurate.)

Val Kilmer is excellent in Tombstone, definitely stealing the movie. However, the role is not especially deep, we only get a few hints at the man he truly is, and the screenplay gives him all the best lines. This isn't to say he didn't do well, just that people on these boards always seem to declare it one of the all-time great performances or something, when it's really not.

[–] jenniferles1000 15 years ago

I think this is way better than Tombstone defintely one of the best westerns ever.

[–] stringpickin1 13 years ago

Maybe I have seen too many movies. I watched this movie for the first time at a ripe old age of 54.. And I have to say,, some pretty poor acting from many in this film.. I liked some of the sound track but every time I heard.. OK CORAL I thought I was going to flip.. That was some of the sorriest music/word usage I have ever heard in my life. Actually made me fast forward through parts when it was being sung. I am just glad it wasn't catchy enough to get stuck in my head so I can't hear it again and again.. lol..

It takes all kinds to make the world do round so we all love what we love,, But Tombstone hands down in my liking was superior in all aspects.. And I have to agree with a few more on the board.. No way is this a top ten best western in my book either.. anyway,, just had to say that.. some people love toematers and some love tomatoes.. thats what makes the world go round eh,..

[–] guaili 13 years ago

I would go with "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" as the greatest western ever made.

[–] hnt_dnl 12 years ago

So what do true Western afficianados think of Tombstone in relation to this movie? Which one's better? Personally I don't think anyone can top Val Kilmer's role as Doc Holiday.

Without any hesitation or regrets, I can EASILY say that Gunfight is a better film than Tombstone. While Val Kilmer (should have been Oscar-nominated) was awesome as Doc Holliday and the film has a gritty appeal, Tombstone drags at times, has several useless characters, and the Wyatt-Josie relationship doesn't resonate with me at all. And while I'm definitely a Kurt Russell fan overall, I just don't think he was that great as Wyatt Earp. I just didn't buy him in that role.

Gunfight has a more deliberate and leisurely pacing, has smooth transitions from scene to scene, every character felt necessary to the plot, and Wyatt-Laura as a couple just plain captivates me! Lancaster subtly and confidently portrayed Earp in Gunfight.

[–] Spade_Weeks 10 years ago

Favourite American western though is Winchester '73. Once Upon A Time in The West
is my favourite of all time, in any genre.

My cousin's out fighting dragons, and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palookaville

[–] hobnob53 10 years ago

People usually conflate their favorite films with the best. I have lots of favorites in many movie genres that I would never claim to be among the best. It's just that don't like or enjoy some of those "best" ones as much.

So, my 2¢: taking a page from some other posters, my ten favorite westerns...most of which could also qualify as among the "best":

Rio Bravo
My Darling Clementine
Winchester '73
Gunfight at the OK Corral
Ride the High Country
Red River
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Stagecoach
The Tall T
The Comancheros

[–] Paris55 10 years ago

It's impossible to rate the Best Western Ever. Many westerns were pretty good. Many of them covered different eras of a western. Of course I expected most of the comments to leave out the good western films that featured WOMEN who were prominently cast. Of the westerns I've seen, my picks are:

Red River (although they should have kept the original ending)
Shane
The Magnificent Seven (the music and the end of the gunfighter)
Westward The Women
Gunfight at the OK Corral
Stagecoach
Johnny Guitar
My Darling Clementine
California
The Cowboys
The Wild Bunch
Jesse James (for Tyrone Power's looks alone)

[–] rex-sheldon 9 years ago

What about "Back To The Future III"! Lol! Actually, I definitely think Gunfight deserves to be in the top 10. Personally, my absolute favorite western is "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".