On D List of Movie Reviews

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Doc (1971)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 9/25

9/25: It's hard to watch Doc without thinking of Tombstone.

The movie goes in a different direction by looking at the events from Doc Holliday's perspective. Its success largely rests on three thespians: Stacy Keach, Harris Yulin, and Faye Dunaway. All do well by focusing on long stares, depth of their characters, and saying as little as possible.

It helps to see the gritty realism of the Old West with everybody dirty. However, the filmmakers make the mistake of not involving the people of Tombstone enough. This is where Tombstone wins a lot of points. As for the role of Doc Holliday, it's impossible to beat Val Kilmer's performance. That's not to say Stacy Keach failed. He just played the character in a different way.

If there's a negative that hurts Doc a lot, it's the editing. There are many shots that have been abruptly cut off. The story doesn't flow well at times, too. I began to lose interest about three-quarters of the way, but it's easily remedied by staging the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

All in all, Doc may be the seventh film about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday in Tombstone, but it's not bad.

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