A Disappointing Continuation

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I've seen my fair share, but the western film genre isn't my favorite. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is one of the best, so if you're like me and need good acting and an exciting story amidst the horses and rifles, add this one to your list!Burt Lancaster plays Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas plays Doc Holliday in this version of the famed shootout in Tombstone, Arizona. If you've never seen a Wyatt Earp movie-yes, there are plenty to choose from-this is a great one to start with. You might want to end with this one, too, to quit while you're ahead. The chemistry between the two leads is dynamite, and the story is extremely exciting, which is a credit to Leon Uris's script and John Sturges's directing. It takes a great talent to make a film thrilling when the entire premise is a countdown to a very brief event that's already been recorded in history books. High Noon tried to hold audience's attentions by counting down the time to a shootout, but I found it incredibly boring and poorly acted. Be on the lookout for several familiar faces among the cast, including Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Earl Holliman, Dennis Hopper, DeForest Kelley, and Martin Milner. For a fantastic western with two classy and wonderful actors, rent Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

In the dusty town of Fort Griffin, Texas, Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas) is hounded by Ed Bailey and his two friends looking for revenge. Kate Fisher (Jo Van Fleet) begs him to run away. Marshal Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) arrives looking to take two prisoners but the local sheriff had already released them. Doc was previously Wyatt's dentist and not that friendly. Doc is arrested for killing Ed with a knife throw. Wyatt and Kate help Doc escape from an approaching lynch mob. Back in Dodge City, Kansas, Wyatt leads his brothers as the town's law. He tries to send newly arrived Doc away. Wyatt arrests Laura Denbow (Rhonda Fleming) for being a female gambler.This old fashion western directed by legendary John Sturges is led by two top level Hollywood stars. They are able to drive the story through its long winding road. Along with the old stars, there are younger actors like Dennis Hopper and DeForest Kelley. It's not necessarily breaking the mold. The action is mostly straight forward. The running time is a little long but it does end with a solid gun fight at the O.K. Corral.

Burt Lancaster plays real-life western lawman Wyatt Earp, who travels to Tombstone, Arizona to join his brothers in their business, only to be called upon to serve after learning about a rival family, the Clantons, who are portrayed as thugs and cattle thieves. He enlists the help of old friend(but outlaw gunfighter) Doc Holliday(Kirk Douglas) to do battle with the Clantons after personal tragedy leads to that famous gunfight.Surprisingly dull western has a good cast but a slow pace, with an awkward and mawkish love story that drags it down even more. Climatic showdown is reasonably exciting, but not enough to save otherwise disappointing film.

If all of a sudden, the "Road" movies usually with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were taken over by Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, the film would still be a success even if they weren't comics or singers. These two have great chemistry, and in a beautiful, Technicolor western, it makes no difference that the real-life incident they dramatize here is totally changed to fit the star's personalities, so I simply look on it as an entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.In this variation of the classic western gun battle that took place in 1881, dentist Doc Holliday (Douglas) and Wyatt Earp (Lancaster) are two total opposites who strike up a reluctant friendship even though Wyatt is annoyed by the Doc at first. But every time Earp gets into a jam, Doc is there, and even when Earp warns the Doc to stay out of Dodge City, he doesn't heed the warning. It's a good thing, too, because they seem to suit each other, even as opposites, and when the men take off for Tombstone to fight the notorious Clanton gang. Jo Van Fleet chews the scenery as Doc's drunken mistress who betrays him with the gang yet never gives up hope they'll get back together, and Earp finds himself enamored of a beautiful red-headed gambling lady (Rhonda Fleming). The actual gunfight is strikingly filmed and sticks to some, if not all, the facts.Any movie which opens up and continues playing a Frankie Laine song will be as equally dramatic as it is action packed, and Laine's singing of the title song all throughout the film, ties everything together. Some future TV stars (Earl Holliman of "Police Woman", DeForrest Kelley of "Star Trek" and Martin Milner of "Adam-12" fame) appear, and are surrounded by some great character players like Frank Faylen, Dennis Hopper, Lee Van Cleef and Lyle Bettger. As Hollywood got away from the second feature, the westerns began to improve, and classics like this, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Ride the High Country" were made on a more epic scale.