Val Kilmer's 10 Best Doc Holliday Moments In Tombstone

Val Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday in Tombstone was filled with classic moments, but these 10 are the absolute best. Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holliday has gone down as one of the best performances in Tombstone, and one of the best performances in any Western, for good reason. Many of Doc Holliday’s scenes are also among the best scenes in Tombstone, and he basically commanded every sequence he was in. As such, none of Doc Holliday’s moments were bad, but there were still 10 that were better than the rest.

Doc Holliday was one of the central characters of Tombstone, and he got to interact with almost everyone else. From his rivalry with Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) to his friendship with Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), Doc was involved in almost everything going on in Tombstone. That also means that Doc had a lot of chances to shine, and several different moments where he showed why he’s such a popular character. There are plenty of great Doc Holliday moments in Tombstone, but these 10 are the best.

10 Doc Holliday’s Taunts At The Gunfight At The OK Corral

Holliday Played With His Opponents Even In The Face Of Grave Danger

The most notable moment in the true story of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp was the Gunfight at the OK Corral, and Tombstone nailed its adaptation of the event. The scene mostly focuses on the Earp brothers, and Doc only joins in as they’re approaching the Cowboys, but he still managed to shine the brightest. Towards the end of the shooting, one of the Cowboys said he was going to kill Doc, and the gunslinger replied with “You’re a daisy if you do.” It was the perfect way to cap off the Gunfight at the OK Corral, and it was one of Doc Holliday’s best moments.

Part of the reason Doc Holliday’s taunts during the Gunfight at the OK Corral were such a great moment is because it perfectly encapsulated a big part of his character. Even after mowing down Cowboys and being faced with an extremely dangerous situation where his gun was unloaded, Doc was still making jokes. He took almost nothing seriously, and it was mainly because he was so much better than everyone he fought that he didn’t need to. Even with only one gun loaded, Doc knew he could handle the Cowboy, so he decided to play with him before killing him.

9 Doc Holliday Calls Himself Johnny Ringo’s Huckleberry

“I’m Your Huckleberry” Is An Iconic Line For A Reason

Doc Holliday’s rivalry with Johnny Ringo was one of the best parts of Tombstone, and even the middle stages of their “game” were extremely tense. After the Gunfight at the OK Corral, Johnny Ringo drunkenly challenged the Earp brothers to a duel, but Doc Holliday stepped in with his iconic line, “I’m your huckleberry” instead. Doc’s huckleberry line is iconic for a reason, as it essentially stabbed a knife through the scene and immediately turned it into a great moment in Tombstone.

Doc’s huckleberry line also highlights something that only Val Kilmer was capable of in Tombstone: immediately stealing a scene. Up to that point, Wyatt was the focus of Johnny Ringo’s rage, but Doc immediately stole his attention, as well as the audience’s, with three words. Kilmer had an incredible screen presence while he was playing Doc Holliday, and it was so powerful that it even seeped into the plot of the movie itself. It’s a great showcase of why Kilmer was perfect as Doc Holliday, and why he’s still the best character in Tombstone to this day.

8 Doc Holliday Calls Wyatt Earp His Friend

It’s Not Val Kilmer’s Most Memorable Quote, But His Delivery Was Utterly Perfect

Many of Doc Holliday’s best quotes in Tombstone make their respective scenes classic, but Val Kilmer was even capable of delivering ordinary dialog perfectly. After Wyatt started hunting down the Cowboys, Turkey Creek Jack Johnson (Buck Taylor) asked Doc why he was riding with them instead of recovering from his tuberculosis. Doc replied by saying that Wyatt was his friend, and when Turkey Creek said he had lots of friends, Doc gave a melancholy reply of “I don’t.” None of the words Doc said were particularly memorable, but Kilmer’s delivery was absolutely perfect.

Doc Holliday’s simple words don’t seem like much on paper, but his voice told an entire story. In just a few words, Kilmer showed all the regrets Doc had with his life and the loneliness he was experiencing. But, he also showed just how highly Doc thought of Wyatt, and mixing those two messages together was an impressive bit of acting. Aside from Kilmer’s performance, Doc’s words also deconstructed the persona he had throughout the movie, and showed that under all his sarcasm and bravado, he was a vulnerable man. It’s hard to imagine Doc being as iconic as he is without that sympathetic core.

7 Doc Holliday Robs The Bar At The Beginning Of Tombstone

Tombstone Made The Perfect Introduction To Doc Holliday’s Character

Doc Holliday is a legendary character, and he proved just how big of a figure he could be in his very first scene in Tombstone. Doc’s first scene saw him win a poker gang and subsequently rob all the bar’s patrons with the help of his lover, Kate (Joanna Pacula). The scene is filled with great lines like “You’re not wearing a bustle. How lewd,” quips and taunts from Doc, and his trademark laissez-faire attitude to everything, even a robbery.

What makes the robbery such a great Doc Holliday scene is how well it introduces his character. In just a few minutes, Tombstone showed the audience that Doc was a lovable, playful gunslinger with a quick draw and a quicker tongue. It’s incredibly efficient and effective, and it instantly hooks the viewer into Doc’s story for the rest of the film. The start of a character’s story is almost more important than its ending, and Tombstone nailed the start of Doc Holliday’s tale.

6 Doc Holliday Meeting Wyatt Earp In Tombstone

Doc’s Dismissal Of Johnny Tyler Is So Perfectly Condescending & Biting

The first time Doc Holliday actually interacted with Wyatt Earp in Tombstone is also one of his best moments. The scene instantly established Doc and Wyatt’s friendship, which is a cornerstone of Tombstone, but it also gave the gunslinger one of his best put-downs in the whole film. When Johnny Tyler (Billy Bob Thornton) tried to confront Wyatt, Doc handily dismissed him by simply saying “Johnny, I apologize. I forgot you were there. You may go now.”

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Doc Holliday’s encounter with Johnny Tyler is yet another example of how well he could cut someone down with nothing more than his words. What makes it really memorable among Doc’s countless iconic insults, however, is Kilmer’s performance. He effortlessly dismissed Johnny, and his delivery of Doc’s lines made it clear that he didn’t think of the man holding a loaded shotgun as even the slightest threat. Kilmer really sold the idea that Doc saw Johnny as no more harmful than a fly, and equally as bothersome.

5 Johnny Ringo Trades Latin Insults With Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday Was As Quick With His Words As He Was With His Guns

Johnny Ringo was nearly Doc Holliday’s match in gunfighting, but he also put up quite a fight in wordplay. When the two first met, they exchanged a number of insults and taunts entirely in Latin. Even though most viewers couldn’t understand what Doc and Johnny were saying to each other, their verbal showdown was still one of Doc Holliday’s best scenes. Val Kilmer’s demeanor and inflection carried the entire exchange, and even though all the words were in Latin, Kilmer’s acting ensured the scene still worked.

There were also so many great details that added to the flavor of Johnny and Doc’s Latin showdown. From Doc’s asides to Kate to Wyatt reaching for the shotgun hidden under the table, the entire scene was dripping in suspense. Doc trying to decide whether he hated Johnny or not was also the perfect way to inject humor into the scene, and it didn’t diminish the tension of their exchange at all. Basically, everything that makes Doc Holliday an endearing character was on full display during his argument with Johnny Ringo.

4 Doc Holliday’s Final Words To Wyatt Earp

Doc Holliday’s Final Words Cemented His Friendship With Wyatt As One Of The Best

Doc Holliday’s friendship with Wyatt Earp gives Tombstone its emotional heart, and the end of their relationship gave the film its most bittersweet moment. On Doc’s deathbed, he asked Wyatt to leave him behind and go on living, and the two friends parted ways for the last time in a tear-jerking exchange. Everything about the scene, from Doc using some of his final breaths to tell more jokes to Wyatt’s reluctant granting of his wish to go away, made for a truly great moment in Tombstone.

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Doc’s death scene in Tombstone also proves why the Western has become a classic since it was first released. For all the gunfights and tough guy moments in Tombstone, the movie also has a tremendous amount of heart. The ending of Tombstone is as much about Wyatt saying goodbye to an old friend and listening to his advice to move on as it is about getting revenge for his brothers. Without those deeply emotional scenes, Tombstone wouldn’t have had nearly as much staying power, and Doc Holliday is responsible for it.

3 Curly Bill’s Arrest & Doc Holliday’s Two Guns

Even When Drunk, Doc Holliday Could Put Down Anybody

Even after a day and night of heavy drinking, Doc Holliday was capable of going toe to toe with anybody. One scene proved that outright, when Wyatt arrested Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) for shooting Tombstone’s marshal. Doc came to Wyatt’s aid, and when Billy Clanton (Thomas Haden Church) said he was seeing double because of his intoxication, Doc simply replied with “I’ve got two guns. One for each of you.” Even when he was heavily drunk, Doc Holliday was just as quick and sharp as he ever was.

One of the more underrated parts of Doc Holliday’s character in Tombstone is what he can do for a scene when he isn’t stealing the show. Doc wasn’t the main figure in the arrest of Curly Bill, as Wyatt was still the central focus of the scene. Doc did, however, add quite a bit to the scene, from tension to comedy, and he made it better just by being there. He had a tendency to overshadow other characters, but his confrontation with Billy Clanton proved that Doc could just as easily enhance the other characters of Tombstone.

2 Doc Holliday Matching Johnny Ringo’s Gun Tricks With A Cup

Doc’s Cup Tricks Both Defused The Standoff & Brutally Insulted Johnny Ringo

When they first met and just after they exchanged insults in Latin, Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo also exchanged a few tricks. Johnny spun and twirled his revolver around in an impressive display of finesse, but Doc responded by performing the same tricks with his tin cup instead. Doc’s cup tricks are a classic moment in Tombstone, partly because it was the perfect joke to break up the tension that the scene had been building. The tricks were even more impressive than that, however, and there’s a good reason they’re so memorable.

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Doc’s cup tricks are so special because the moment is so deeply layered. At surface level, it is a funny moment, and it shows Doc’s playful side yet again. Going deeper, however, it becomes clear that it was the perfect – and possibly only – way for Doc to defuse his confrontation with Johnny, and that he did his tricks in a very calculated way. Even deeper than that, however, is the fact that the cup tricks prove Doc was intently watching Johnny to learn the speed of his draw and his mastery over his pistols, and that he had effectively won a gunfight without even drawing his revolvers.

1 Doc Holliday’s Gunfight With Johnny Ringo

Doc Holliday’s Jester Persona Became A Skin-Crawling Intimidation Tactic When He Killed Johnny Ringo

Doc Holliday’s penultimate scene in Tombstone is also his very best: his showdown with Johnny Ringo. The two fighters finally got a chance to face each other in the final moments of Tombstone, and their duel more than lived up to the suspense all of their earlier spats had been building. From Doc’s “you look like someone just walked over your grave” to the fear in Johnny’s eyes and the actual moment they fired, their duel was a fantastic showdown. It’s proof that Tombstone is a great classic Western, but it’s also a great moment for Doc himself.

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Johnny Ringo was the only character in Tombstone who was able to almost match Doc Holliday, and he also gave the gunslinger a chance to let the mask slip. All of Doc’s lighthearted and confident taunts melted away when he faced Johnny. His once playful demeanor turned into a terrifying presence, and Doc’s duel with Johnny showed exactly why everyone was right to be afraid of him. A moment that can show a completely new side of a character like that is always impressive, and it’s easily Doc Holliday’s best moment in Tombstone.

Tombstone is a Western film loosely based on true events. When a group of outlaws known as the Cowboys ride into a town and slay several police officers for revenge for the death of two of their gang members, word of their misdeeds reaches the ears of a retired lawman. Gathering a group together, the new vigilantes will defend the town and aim to end the terror of the Cowboys.

Director

George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre

Release Date

December 25, 1993

Writers

Kevin Jarre

Cast

Bill Paxton , Charlton Heston , Sam Elliott , Powers Boothe , Val Kilmer , Kurt Russell , Michael Biehn , Jason Priestley

Runtime

130 minutes

Budget

$25 million

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