Overview
A legendary lawman navigates the tumultuous landscape of the Wild West, where justice is often a matter of personal honor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- somber
- ambitious
- reflective
- western marathon
- historical film night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the cast, ambition, production values, and visual scale but found the biographical treatment overlong, rambling, and insufficiently focused.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wyatt Earp's transformation from an awkward young man into a famous gunslinger and lawman is the film's central biographical arc.
The story explicitly frames Earp through his relationships with Nicholas, James, and Morgan Earp, alongside the family's good and bad times.
The 191-minute running time covers Earp's development from would-be lawyer to gunslinger and follows his career across multiple frontier episodes.
Critics specifically praised the production values and eye-catching direction, while the film's scale supports its broad historical portrait.
Films like Wyatt Earp, and why
Tombstone
shared western biopic subject matter, lawman protagonist, frontier violence, and historical treatment of the o k corral conflict
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
shared nineteenth century western setting, mythic lawman figure, family loyalty, and morally complicated frontier justice
The Long Riders
shared expansive western biography, historical outlaws and lawmen, and emphasis on character development over action spectacle
The Left Handed Gun
shared revisionist western atmosphere, historical violence, and portrait of a legendary frontier figure shaped by family and reputation
Movie Details
- Director
- Lawrence Kasdan
- Release Date
- 1994-06-24
- Runtime
- 191 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (977)
Cast
- Kevin Costner
- Dennis Quaid
- Gene Hackman
- David Andrews
- Linden Ashby
- Jeff Fahey
- Joanna Going
- Mark Harmon
- Michael Madsen
- Catherine O'Hara
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Wyatt Earp about?
- An expansive western biography traces Wyatt Earp’s rise from troubled family man to legendary lawman amid the violent mythology of the American frontier.
- What is Wyatt Earp like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wyatt Earp as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Wyatt Earp violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Wyatt Earp as moderate.
- What did critics think of Wyatt Earp?
- Critics broadly admired the cast, ambition, production values, and visual scale but found the biographical treatment overlong, rambling, and insufficiently focused.
- Which films are like Wyatt Earp?
- Films with a similar feel include Tombstone, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Long Riders, and The Left Handed Gun.
- How long is Wyatt Earp?
- Wyatt Earp runs 191 minutes.
- Where can I watch Wyatt Earp?
- In United States, Wyatt Earp is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
