The classic 90s western Tombstone is rated R, but why did it receive that rating and how does it compare to older classic westerns? There are many examples of R-rated Westerns, and some of the best Western films of all time are rated R. However, there are also some Westerns, especially from the 1960s and earlier, that are nowhere near as violent or mature. . Westerns can vary in their ratings and maturity levels as much as any other genre, from children’s films like Rank to ultraviolent films like Django Unchainedso the reason Tombstone is rated R is not immediately obvious.
Since Tombstone tells the true story of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the OK Corral shootout, it had to include some of the real-life deaths that happened at the time. It also came after Westerns had become unpopular in Hollywood, so there was some pressure to give the film more violence to convince viewers that the genre was not outdated. There are not many moments when Tombstone which feel especially mature, and the film doesn’t feel much more violent than other classic Westerns. Despite these facts, Tombstone it earned an R rating that seems somewhat out of place today.
Tombstone’s R Rating Explained – Is It Worth It?
Tombstone deserves an R rating, but not by today’s standards
Simply put, Tombstone It deserves its R rating, but that rating was partly due to the year it was released. Tombstone was released in 1993, but if it was released in 2024, it could have easily gotten a PG-13 rating by cutting out some swearing. There are several cases of violence, but most deaths in Tombstone depicts a character simply falling rather than featuring gore. Certain photos highlight bloodshed, such as during Morgan Earp’s death, but actual injuries are only shown briefly. In addition to some widespread swearing and the use of alcohol and tobacco, Tombstone is a fairly harmless R-rated film.
How Tombstone’s R Rating Compares to Classic Westerns
Tombstone is much more violent than the golden age of Westerns
However Tombstone is quite tame by modern standards, it’s much more deserving of its R rating than the older classic westerns. Despite being made in the 1990s, Tombstone is often considered a classic Western. However, Tombstone it also differs from classic westerns by showing more violence, swearing and substance use. When compared to a film like Midday or Rio Bravo, Tombstoneviolence is much more likely to show realistic blood, real wounds, overt references to sex and drunkenness. Many classic Westerns were required to adhere to the Hays Code from 1934 to 1968, and Tombstone would not have approved of his strict moral guidelines.
Westerns became more violent and gritty in the 1960s and early 1970s, largely due to the rise in popularity of Spaghetti Westerns, Clint Eastwood, and Sergio Leone. Eastwood and Leone’s films often presented a muddier version of morals than classic Westerns, and there were many more cold-blooded murders. There were also some instances of on-screen violence, such as when the Man with No Name was beaten in A handful of dollars or when Harmonica’s brother was hanged Once Upon a Time in the Westbut TombstoneStill’s violence was a little more visceral than that.
Tombstone’s R rating looks very different today
Modern Westerns took violence to a new extreme
Another reason Tombstone it seems like a very harmless example of an R-rated film because more recent R-rated westerns are much more violent. Since 1993, films such as The Return, Django Unchainedand especially Tomahawk Bone took western violence to the extreme. Though there will certainly be bloodshed and gore Tombstoneit doesn’t even come close to the bloody and visceral murders that these films present. From scalpings to scenes of torture and cannibalism, more recent Westerns feature a much higher level of violence than Tombstone it doesn’t come close, even with all its deaths and injuries.
From scalpings to scenes of torture and cannibalism, more recent Westerns feature a much higher level of violence than Tombstone it doesn’t come close, even with all its deaths and injuries.
Given the way modern Westerns have become more experimental and liberal in their use of violence, TombstoneThe R rating doesn’t seem quite right anymore. However, it serves as a middle ground between the smoke clouds of classic Westerns and the stylized, high-tech violence of the modern day. In a way, if films like Tombstone or some of the other best westerns of the 1990s hadn’t paved the way, the violence that the genre is capable of now wouldn’t have been possible. However Tombstone it’s not a terribly violent western, it was quite important for violence in westerns.