Tombstone could have come out over 30 years in the past, however followers of the acclaimed Western must be joyful to know that Hollywood hasn’t stopped inventing new methods to benefit from the ageing basic. Other than stars like Kurt Russell often dropping fascinating insights about Tombstone‘s artistic course of, this 12 months additionally noticed a renewed curiosity within the movie’s supply materials on Netflix.

The streamer’s newest go to to the lawless Arizona territory, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle, is ideal for Tombstone followers determined to be taught extra about the actual occasions that impressed one of many best westerns of all time.

What Is ‘Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle’ About?

Launched this previous August and narrated by Ed Harris, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle is a six-part documentary miniseries that presents itself as a devoted retelling of the true story behind Wyatt Earp and his vendetta experience, however in actuality, the challenge does greater than restate the historic file. Balancing professional interviews in opposition to a dramatized re-enactment of occasions that spans all the sequence, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle nearly seems like its personal film, however the documentary’s adherence to the info permits these components to mix properly into an thrilling and enriching viewing expertise.

The present’s runtime additionally permits the challenge to increase on the world of Tombstone in methods the movie merely by no means had the time to do, strolling viewers via the trigger, penalties, and infamous aftermath of the notorious taking pictures on the O.Okay. Corral.

‘Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle’ Deepens the Story Behind ‘Tombstone’

The best good thing about this expanded narrative focus is that followers of the 1993 movie can glean new details about the actual lives of their favourite characters. Not solely does the docuseries delve into the origins of Wyatt Earp’s (Tim Fellingham) friendship with Doc Holliday (Edward Franklin) — an origin story, which is sadly not proven in Tombstone — however Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle additionally drastically recontextualizes a few of Tombstone‘s supporting antagonists, reminiscent of Ike Clanton (Jack Gordon). Removed from the one-note gunslinger who terrorizes the city of Tombstone within the film, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle reveals the actual Clanton was a crafty, media-savvy mafia sort who swore revenge on the Earp household after surviving the gunfight on the O.Okay. Corral.

The miniseries additionally illuminates the compromising circumstances behind the early days of Wyatt’s relationship with Josephine Marcus (Christina Leonardi), in addition to the Earps’ clashes in opposition to the corrupt practices of Tombstone’s Sheriff Beehan (Alex Value). The documentary is destined to disappoint those that proceed to adore Michael Biehn‘s vicious flip as outlaw Johnny Ringo, nonetheless, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle‘s best sin is overlooking this significant part of Wyatt’s revenge experience in opposition to the cowboys. That mentioned, the miniseries greater than compensates for this inaccuracy by exploring how one man’s vendetta managed to affect the world stage.

‘Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle’ Expands on Perspective

For followers of the unique movie, one in every of Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle‘s most startling revelations needs to be that the occasions depicted in Tombstone had been way more central to American democracy than they appeared. Between marveling at Val Kilmer‘s stellar efficiency and observing Tombstone’s barren locale, it is easy to imagine the movie’s plot is remoted from the remainder of the nation. Not so. By linking Tombstone’s silver mining to the worldwide banking schemes of J.P. Morgan (Peter O’Mear a), the docuseries explores how Wyatt’s combat in opposition to the cowboys helped America to get out of debt incurred through the Civil Battle, in addition to how Ike’s grandstanding reignited regional tensions that hadn’t absolutely abated by the early Eighties.

By way of characters, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle supplies us with further perspective on Tombstone‘s leads, with the docuseries additionally delving into Doc’s historical past with the tuberculosis that plagues him all through Tombstone, however the challenge’s best focus stays its title character. On this regard, the miniseries deserves further reward for refusing to solely painting Earp as a romanticized, badass motion hero.

Simply as Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle goes to nice lengths to dispel fashionable myths concerning the cowboys, Netflix’s docuseries portrays Earp with the nuance he deserves, somebody who betrayed all the things he stood for and nonetheless fought vengefully for all the things he misplaced. The documentary’s conclusion additionally particulars the surprising significance of movie to the actual Earp’s legacy, making it important viewing for these thinking about honoring the legacy of one of many greatest names of the Previous West.

Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy Battle is obtainable to stream on Netflix within the U.S. Watch on Netflix