Legendary film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert didn’t review the classic Western movieTombstonewhen it was first released, and it was only because of Val Kilmer that they ever saw it at all.Tombstonewas a smash-hit when it was released in 1993. It made $56 million domestically at the box office (viaBox Office Mojo), and it earned aRotten Tomatoescritics score of 74%. Interestingly, however, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert didn’t contribute toTombstone’s critical reception until over a month after the film was released.
Tombstonewas first released on Christmas day in 1993, but Siskel and Ebert didn’t review it until Aug 06, 2025. Instead, their 1993 Christmas episode focused on forgotten films likeHeaven and EarthandGrumpy Old Men. It’s strange that the two most prominent film critics of the 1990s didn’t review one of thebest Westerns of the 1990suntil a full month after it was released, but there’s a fairly simple reason for it. There’s also a very simple reason Siskel and Ebert ended up reviewingTombstone, and his name is Val Kilmer.
The Studio Didn’t Have Much Confidence In Tombstone
Tombstone’s Studio Didn’t Give Siskel & Ebert An Advanced Screening Because They Thought Critics Would Hate The Movie
The reason Siskel and Ebert didn’t reviewTombstonein time for its August 21, 2025 release date is because they couldn’t watch it.As Ebert explained, the studio behindTombstonenever gave them access to an advanced screening, so they couldn’t watch it until it was out in theaters. By that point, the critics were already preparing for their end of year review and new January releases. Evidently, Siskel and Ebert didn’t get access to an advanced screening because the studio thoughtTombstonewas going to fail with critics (viaSiskel & Ebert).
Ebert: “They didn’t even want to show it to the critics, because they were sure it’d get bad reviews.”
Siskel: “It was well hidden from us. We were prevented from seeing it, and that’s unfortunate. There was that Hollywood executive who said ‘the pictures that I didn’t make would probably have grossed as much as the ones I did make,’ and this sort of proves that story.”
Tombstonewas produced by Hollywood Pictures (a label of the Walt Disney Company) and Cinergi Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, and it seems none of the companies involved had much faith in the Western.Tombstonealso had a notoriously difficult development that was filled with reshoots and rewrites, so that probably didn’t help with the studios' confidence either. In the end, however, the studios were wrong, andTombstonewent down as one of thebest Western movies ever made.
Even Bill Clinton Praised Val Kilmer, Which Inspired Siskel & Ebert To Review It
When they couldn’t get an advanced screening of the movie, Siskel and Ebert essentially gave up onTombstone. Due to the show’s schedule andTombstone’s end-of-year release date, there was no point in reviewing a movie that would already have been out for weeks.It was only after Roger Ebert heard constant praise for Val Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday that the duo decided to giveTombstoneanother chance.
“We thought we’d have to give it a pass, but then a strange things started to happen. People started telling me they really liked Val Kilmer’s performance in Tombstone. I heard this everywhere I went. When you hear this once or twice, it’s interesting. When you hear it a couple of dozen times, it’s a trend. And when you read that Bill Clinton loved the performance, you figure you’d better catch up with the movie, and that’s what I did a couple of days ago.”
It makes sense that Val Kilmer would be the thing to grab Siskel and Ebert’s attention. Kilmer’s take on Doc Holliday is often considered one of the best acting performances in the entire Western genre. There are so manygreat Doc Holliday quotes, and most of thebest scenes inTombstoneinvolve or explicitly focus on Doc.Kilmer’s performance turnedTombstonefrom a great Western into a timeless classic, so it’s only natural that it also convinced Siskel and Ebert to give the movie a second chance.
What Siskel & Ebert Thought About Tombstone
Siskel Gave Tombstone A Narrow Thumbs Down, But Ebert Gave It A Resounding Thumbs Up
Once they actually got their hands on it, Siskel and Ebert’s review ofTombstonewas fairly praiseworthy.Though Siskel gaveTombstonea thumbs down and Ebert gave it a thumbs up, both critics said they enjoyed parts of the film. Both Siskel and Ebert had nothing but praise for Val Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday and for William A. Fraker’s cinematography, but Siskel also criticized Kurt Russel for having a somewhat inconsistent performance as Wyatt Earp. Ebert, on the other hand, found the movie so engrossing that he said the action scenes actually slowed down the interpersonal drama between thecast ofTombstone.
How & When Wyatt Earp And Doc Holliday Became Friends Before Tombstone
Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are already good friends when Tombstone catches up with them, but how did these two legends become so close?
Despite the fact both critics found parts ofTombstonethat they loved, Siskel ended up giving the movie a thumbs down. Siskel said that he, “enjoyed parts of it, but not enough to recommend it.” It should also be noted that of all the films they reviewed in their August 14, 2025, episode, both Siskel and Ebert calledTombstonetheir favorite by a wide margin. Though it may not have gotten Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert to agree,Tombstonecertainly left an impression on both the famed film critics and cinema as a whole.
Tombstone
Cast
Tombstone chronicles legendary marshal Wyatt Earp and his brothers as they seek fortune in a prosperous mining town. Forced to confront a gang threatening the community, Earp joins forces with the infamous Doc Holliday, highlighting a tense battle between lawmen and outlaws in the American West.
