There’s a Tombstone shootout that’s so far-fetched that it feels completely made up – but it actually happened. This Kurt Russell Western has come to be considered a classic in the years since it arrived, and it’s easy to see why. Right from Wyatt Earp’s Tombstone introduction scene to the tearjerking ending between Earp and dying pal Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), it’s an unforgettable ride. The film is largely true to Earp’s time in the titular boomtown, where he and his brothers made enemies of outlaw gang the Cowboys, leading to much bloodshed and the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Like pretty much every film based on historical events, Tombstone takes some liberties with reality, either wildly exaggerating what happened or condensing events and characters. One example is the assassination attempt on Virgil Earp (Sam Elliott) and the death of Morgan Earp (Bill Paxton); in the movie, these happen on the same night, but in reality, they were months apart. The death of Curly Bill (Powers Boothe) is another key moment, and despite how ridiculous it appears, it’s not far from the truth.
Wyatt Earp Really Did Kill Curly Bill As Seen In Tombstone’s Ambush Scene
Either Wyatt Earp is really lucky or Curly Bill was just a terrible shot
The second half of Tombstone sees Earp and his allies unleash a wave of vengeance against the Cowboys gang and their leader, William Brocius (AKA “Curly Bill”). The film depicts Bill and his men surprising Earp with an ambush in a riverside forest, with the latter pinned down by gunfire. Against all logic, Earp just walks out into the middle of the river as Bill and his men open fire, before taking aim and emptying a double-barrel shotgun into Bill.
Now, it should be noted that the way Tombstone depicts this raging battle fudges many details; for example, it wasn’t an ambush at all, as Wyatt and his men just accidentally came across Bill and his men at a watering hole (via True West Magazine). One fact Tombstone sticks with is that Curly Bill opened fire on Wyatt and somehow missed before Earp killed him with two blasts to the chest. According to Earp’s own account, these shots practically cut the outlaw in half too.
Tombstone Dropped The Awkward Comedy Of The Curly Bill Shootout
It’s for the best that Tombstone made this battle feel more mythic
The early 1990s saw dueling biopics with Tombstone and Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp, with the former becoming a major success while the latter was a critical and financial dud. Both Earp films depict the death of Curly Bill in similar ways, with the outlaw unleashing a volley of gunfire before he gets cut down by Earp’s shotgun. Both scenes make Earp appear like the ultimate badass – but the real battle was far less graceful.
The fact Wyatt Earp was unhurt despite his coat almost being torn to shreds by gunfire only added to the lawman’s mystique.
Before happening across Curly Bill, Earp had loosened his gunbelt, which was already sliding down his legs after he killed the Cowboys leader. When the rest of the outlaws opened fire, Earp had to awkwardly fumble to reach for his pistol, with the holster being down by his knees. During his attempts to shoot back, he somehow dodged more bullets that hit his coat and they even shot off this boot heel.
The film also depicts all Earp’s men standing by his side during the ambush, but Sherman McMaster (played in Tombstone by the great Michael Rooker) actually fled when the battle broke out. Despite this, McMaster was hit in the side during his retreat and the binoculars he wore were shot off. Despite the fumbling, Earp did manage to fire back and even hit some of the Cowboys, including Johnny Barnes, before he beat a hasty retreat.
The fact Earp was unhurt despite his coat almost being torn to shreds by gunfire only added to the lawman’s mystique. Accounts of this firefight have varied over the years, with the Cowboys even claiming Curly Bill hadn’t died at all and instead fled to Mexico. Of course, they wouldn’t want to give Earp credit for killing their leader, so the way Curly Bill’s death is depicted in Tombstone is almost universally accepted as what really happened.