Kurt Russell's Best Tombstone Line Is Still One Of The Greatest In Western Movie History
Kurt Russell plays a major role in Tombstone, having some of the best lines in the movie, and his most iconic simply stands as one of the greatest when it comes to the Western genre as a whole to this day. Over the years, there have been several Western movies that changed the game, paving the way forward for new generations.
The genre's popularity has fluctuated, but since Tayler Sheridan created the Yellowstone TV show franchise, Westerns have been back on the menu with a vengeance. That includes the recent The Madison, which sees Russell return to the genre that he knows all too well, sharing the screen with Michelle Pfeiffer. Upon watching the Sheridan Western, I was reminded of Russell's long list of releases.
Sure, Russell might have starred in multiple noteworthy Western movies, including the likes of The Hateful Eight, Bone Tomahawk, and more. However, there is no denying that Tombstone is his best genre offering, and it is one of the best Western movies of all time. Tombstone features a star-studded cast, with actors like Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Stephen Lang, and many more.
With that many stars together, most of whom were playing striking characters, there was bound to be fantastic line reading. Tombstone features some of the greatest quotes in Western movie history. A few of those come from Russell, and his best Tombstone line continues to stand the test of time as a true Western gem.
Kurt Russell's "Hell's Coming With Me" Line Is A Western Classic
In Tombstone, Russell gives life to Wyatt Earp, who was a real lawman, as he has to come out of retirement to put an end to the chaos brought by the Clanton gang. Russell's most iconic quote from Tombstone comes from his confrontation with the outlaws at the train station. As he lets one of them live, pushing him to run back to his leader with a message, Earp shouts at the top of his lungs, "You tell 'em I'm coming! And hell's coming with me, you hear?! Hell's coming with me!" Russell's performance in the scene is chilling and raw.
The scene comes right after an emotional moment for the character. After all, his brothers, Morgan, played by Bill Paxton, and Virgil, played by Sam Elliott, had been hit hard by the Cowboys' ambush. Morgan was killed, while Virgil was left crippled, events that enraged their brother, Russell's Wyatt, to the point where something inside him broke. From that moment forward, this was no longer a man who still yearned for his life in retirement, but a killer on a revenge mission where nothing could ever stop him from getting the job done. That is why Russell's Tombstone quote is among Westerns' best.
Kurt Russell's Tombstone Line Gets Overlooked Because Of Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday
While Russell's "Hell's coming with me!" is memorable, I have to say that it deserves more recognition, as the quote has been overlooked quite a bit in the past. That said, there is a reasonable explanation for that, as Kilmer's role as Doc Holliday is easily Tombstone's most popular. One of the big reasons for that is just how endlessly quotable the character's dialogue is. Any Western fan probably goes right to Kilmer's iconic "I'm your Huckleberry," which was his way of accepting a deadly challenge with unwavering confidence. It stands as one of the most cheer-worthy moments in a Western.
That is not the only iconic Doc Holliday quote in Tombstone. Throughout the movie, Kilmer's character delivers quite a few all-timers, including the pointed insult, "You're a daisy if you do," as well as the perfect line to provoke Johnny Ringo, aka, "Say when." As such, with so many popular quotes and serving as the movie's fan-favorite character, Kilmer's Doc Holliday tends to eclipse some of the many other gems to come from the film, but Tombstone's best Kurt Russell line will always stand among the greatest in Westerns.