1993 Classic 'Tombstone' Ranked 'Best Western Movie of All Time' by Film Experts

Opinions on which movies are "best" will always differ, but Center of the West has pulled together a team to accomplish exactly that. With votes cast by museum curators, history experts, and dedicated film buffs, they determined that Tombstone is the greatest Western movie ever made.

Directed by George P. Cosmatos and starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, and Sam Elliot, the movie tells the story of real-life lawman Wyatt Earp and his vendetta against the outlaw gang that terrorized the small town of Tombstone, Arizona.

The film depicts the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which has become one of the most well-known conflicts of the American Wild West over the years. Tombstone is a traditional story of good fighting against evil, with a huge ensemble cast and several compelling subplots to keep the world feeling rich and lived-in.

The movie was released on Christmas Day in 1993, and immediately became one of the highest-grossing Western films ever made. It pulled in an incredible $73.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $25 million, making it one of the most profitable Westerns in decades (via IMDb).

The success of Tombstone essentially triggered a revival of the Western genre, which had largely fallen out of favor with general audiences since the heights of the '60 and '70s, when classic Hollywood productions were replaced by "Spaghetti Westerns" that totally reformed the genre.

Movies like Unforgiven, Dances with Wolves, and The Quick and the Dead also deserve credit for sparking this Western revival, but Tombstone is undoubtedly the one that feels the most like a traditional Hollywood Western. With enough time separated from the genre's heyday, audiences were more than ready to rally around a great Wild West story again.

Critics also praised the movie for its historical accuracy and compelling story, with particular praise going towards Val Kilmer for his brilliant portrayal of Doc Holliday. Many experts even predicted that he would receive an Oscar nomination for his role, but he ultimately missed out, in what's generally considered a big mistake by the Academy.

Today, Tombstone is remembered not only as one of the most important Western movies ever made, but simply as one of the most entertaining. Its fast-paced story, complex characters, and brutal action sequences represented everything that's so great about the genre, revived for an entirely new generation of film fans.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:47 AM.