Tombstone-Rashomon is a mash up film that tells a western story while using documentary narrative techniques. It was written and directed by Alex Cox. The premise allows for the examination of the famed shootout at the O.K. Corral that took place on the American frontier back in 1881. A crew of unseen documentary filmmakers traveled back in time to record the infamous gunfight but arrived a day late, so they instead interview the survivors and witnesses and stage re-enactments of the events. This allows for the incident to get the Rashomon treatment.
For those unfamiliar with the 1951 film called Rashomon. The film is largely regarded as a cinematic masterpiece, it tells the tale of a murder and rape from the perspective of four different individuals. Each version varies in detail even though the end results remain the same. Thus, the film brings into question what is truth and draws attention to the lies we tell ourselves.
Tombstone-Rashomon does seem to aspire to that but never quite as artfully. Instead it appears to use the Rashomon framework to deliver a political message rather than a broader human message. As we watch said interviews and events unfold the whole narrative depicts that this incident amounted to a bunch of questionable lawmen confronting a group of individuals that may or may not have been in violation of the law. The group of people that were gunned down claim they raised their hands up and the law men opened fire on them. While the lawmen claim that they were shot upon first. Many movies aspire to deliver political messages so there is nothing wrong with that. It just sets it apart from its predecessor.
The narrative was difficult for me to follow. It took some time for me to get a handle on what exactly was going on and who was who. I didn’t know anything about the history of the O.K. Corral conflict going into this film. I think if I knew more about the events portrayed, I would have had an easier time following things. The performances were consistent throughout but due to the documentary style it felt like I was watching re-enactors. Although some like Eric Schumacher and Christine Doidge who played Doc Holliday and, his lady friend, Kate respectively did add a good deal of flare to make their characters stand out. But even with their zest it still felt like they were putting on a show rather than inhabiting the characters.
I don’t particularly care for political laden cinema and I also personally have always had little interest in the history of the American west, so this movie was not my cup of tea per se. But even with those things I found little to compel me to the characters or story. The movie did examine quite thoroughly the events of October 26, 1881. For what amounted to about thirty seconds of supposed shooting there was a lot going on leading up to it. So, history buffs, especially those who like American frontier history, may find this a fascinating film examining an occurrence at a volatile time in America's formation. But based on my own experience I found the narrative failing to grab my full attention.
RORSCACH RATING: 2.5 / 5
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