If you’ve seen the movie, then you’ll know there is a scene where Doc Holliday, who is played by Val Kilmer, shoots Jonny Ringo, played by Michael Biehn. Many fans didn’t want this to happen, but Biehn gave an interview where he revealed: “I wanted him to shoot me!”. This may seem strange to viewers and fans, but this just showed how invested in the movie the actors were. Very impressive!
During the interview, he mentioned how he still feels that “Tombstone” has one of the greatest moments on film and stated, “Yeah, that’s what I was trying to do, and that’s what I got.” Clearly, Biehn saw the acting as a success.
Financial Success
Tombstone may have been released at a time when interest in Western films was low, but despite this, it managed to pull in over $56,500,000 in domestic ticket sales. To all those who thought Westerns had passed their sell-by date and could no longer draw a crowd, "Tombstone" proved them wrong. The movie was released on Christmas Eve of 1993 and won over audiences.
It wasn’t just the fans who loved the movie. The critics also gave it positive reviews which probably encouraged some of the more skeptical viewers to go and see it. Ranking at number 14 of the highest-grossing Western movies since 1979 is a fantastic achievement, especially considering that so many people doubted its success.
Bob Dylan’s Obsession
"Tombstone" also had a celebrity following. Among them was music star, Bob Dylan. The feeling was clearly mutual as Val Kilmer was once quoted as saying, “One of my favorites was Bob Dylan, who was obsessed with Tombstone.”
Val Kilmer recounts how much of an honor it was that Bob Dylan came to see him at his hotel. During their conversation, he remembers that Dylan eventually said, “Ain’t you gonna say anything about that movie?”. Kilmer was pretty starstruck over the encounter and felt extremely flattered over the fact that all Dylan wanted to do was discuss the film.
A Legendary Scene
The scene where Jonny Ringo is shot by Doc Holliday is one of the favorites among the cast and crew of "Tombstone". Speaking about the impact of the scene, Sam Elliott described the acting as “incredible.” He was quoted in an interview saying that they were both so good and that he knew the moment was going to go all the way through the movie.
The dramatic tension was fitting for such a movie, adding to the atmosphere and bringing the story together in a climactic moment. It certainly left fans entertained and encouraged them to give the film the great reviews it deserved.
That Adrenaline Rush
Holliday was not the only one to enjoy the thrills in life. As Biehn said of his character, Johnny Ringo, he liked to live on the edge from which he would get an adrenaline rush, especially if his life was in danger. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to do in the Old West except sit around and drink, so for Johnny, who sought out the thrills in life, things could get a little dull.
Biehn explains Johnny’s day-to-day was made mostly up of sitting around in hot and stuffy saloons and drinking warm beers (there was no air conditioning back then). In an interview, Biehn said that his character was just a guy who had a real thirst for adventure. Biehn continued saying “and it’s Tombstone, and if you’ve ever been down there, it’s hot all the time, so it would be pretty miserable if you ask me.” We don’t think it’s surprising that Johnny got himself into sticky situations all the time, but then again, he lived for them!