Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this umpteenth version (with many more to follow) of the O.K. Corral gunfight is that it was written by Leon Uris, of EXODUS fame - not particularly an author we might associate with the western genre. He does a fine job, though, of paring down a considerable amount of Wyatt Earp's career (from the end of his Dodge City days to the experiences in Tombstone) and makes it all work dramatically (if with many historical liberties taken) in a way that the sprawling Wyatt Earp, with Kevin Costner, failed to do - despite its historical accuracy. John Sturges, a western veteran director (ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO before this, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN two years later) knows just how to mount an epic western, and does the material justice. In fact, though, if there's a problem here, it's that the film is just too self-conscious of the fact that it's meant to be a classic - and while it does come pretty close, that self-consciousness keeps it from ever quite attaining that status in the way John Ford's more mellow and understated version of the tale, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946), absolutely is. On the other hand, this does rate as the most memorable of all Burt Lancaster-Kirk Douglas star pairings, and makes the most of their best qualities - Lancaster a tall, silent star, Douglas a character actor as leading man. The film does borrow from Ford's CLEMENTINE in making James Earp the youngest brother (he was in fact the oldest) and having the boy's death lead to the gunfight, which in real life did not happen. Dennis Hopper plays Billy Clanton as a misunderstood 1950s youth of the James Dean variety, having appeared with that actor in both REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and GIANT. Too bad that the character of Bat Masterson appears to have been all but cut out of the film - Kenneth Tobey has only one scene as Earp's closest friend before Doc's arrival, and his fine portrayal leaves us wanting more. The final gunfight, which lasts ten minutes, is quite spectacular (and a warm up for the MAGNIFICENT SEVEN finale) though has little in common with the actual shootout which lasted 30 seconds at best. And, no, Johnny Ringo (John Ireland) did not show up at the real gunfight as he does here - had he, the results might have been very different, with the Earps quite possibly not winning the day!