Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is garbage except for a great performance by a young Dennis Hopper and an attempt at something (but a fail) by the genius Kirk Douglas. Oh I like John Ireland too, as always. But this is just nonsense through and through. Its politics are actually insane. It’s edited well and shot beautifully, but the art direction is a mess. More important is the propaganda this film is selling – which is some kind of pro-police thing, even though it is very clear throughout the whole film that the police are out of control, that Wyatt Earp has severely overreached his own jurisdiction, and is even overreaching in his own jurisdiction. He imprisons a woman playing cards – which everyone agrees is perfectly legal – because a woman playing cards might cause more women to play cards. He calls this disturbing the peace. But seriously. Why are these guys with guns better than those guys with guns? And why do these ones deserve to die and the others don’t? The film actually doesn't do a very good job of making any of it make sense.

I suppose there is an interesting reading of this film as a love relationship between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and the film is definitely invested in their affection for one another, but I don't even think homosexuality could make this better.