The perfect Tombstone follow-up is the unfairly overlooked 17-year-old western movie

George P. Kosmatos’ iconic western tombstone is considered one of the greatest westerns of all time by almost any metric, and there’s an underrated western from 2007 that acts as the ideal follow-up to it. The western adventure has developed into one of the most beloved genre films of the last few decades, thanks in large part to tombstones memorable quotes, all delivered by a star-studded cast of characters led by Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. The 1993 classic is loosely based on real-life events of the American West, including the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

tombstone is notable for its exceptional character development, as each of the Hollywood A-listers in the cast portrays a historical figure with gusto and charisma. Val Kilmer is usually singled out for his performance as the one-liner Doc Holliday, but Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton are all terrific too. Many believe that the quality of a western is defined by the quality of its villains, and both Powers Bothe and Michael Biehn shine in this regard as Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo. One modern western matches the tone of Tombstone and the quality of its villain.

3:10 to Yuma is a great further west to watch after Tombstone

It both matches the tone and complements its strengths

James Mangold’s 2007 Western 3:10 to Yuma is based on a 1953 short story by noted western, crime and thriller writer Elmore Leonard. like tombstone, 3:10 to YumaThe cast is quietly loaded with an incredible array of talent, led by Russell Crowe as the silky smooth gangster Ben Wade and Christian Bale as beleaguered farmer Dan Evans, who volunteers to help put the captured Wade on a train to Yuma Prison. . Many classic Western tropes are present, and rightly so tombstone, 3:10 to Yuma Revels in them, thanks largely to Mangold’s film-making talents.

Just like tombstone is defined by its memorable characters, 3:10 to Yuma allows the spotlight to shine on the entire cast while still never losing sight of its leads in Bale and Crowe. Crowe’s Ben Wade in particular is one of the more memorable villains in all of Western cinemaMostly because he doesn’t feel like a villain for much of the movie. He has no taste for murder and leads a gang of murderous outlaws, but is forever charming and believes in a certain measure of justice, even if it doesn’t result in his own crimes.

Why 3:10 to Yuma is often overlooked as a great modern western

It was initially overshadowed by another Russell Crowe movie

3:10 to Yuma was no box office smash, as despite opening at #1 in September 2007, It didn’t even earn double its $55 million budget back thenWhat is the traditional benchmark for a movie to achieve profitability. In fact, it was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast, so it’s sure to be a hit with critics. However, despite the acclaim and high visibility associated with an Oscar nomination, 3:10 to Yuma Tends to be overlooked when considering the best of the best in the western genre.

One important reason is because IThe release was followed shortly after by American gangsterRidley Scott’s star-studded Academy Award-nominated biographical crime drama That also featured Russell Crowe in a leading role. Disappearing from the public eye so rapidly hurt its overall visibility with fans of both the Western genre and general moviegoers. However, with the advent of streaming, 3:10 to Yuma has seen its popularity revitalized, as contemporary audiences have recognized the quality of both the story and the performances that drive it.