Val Kilmer’s greatest role. He owned that part.
ABSOLUTLEY. I am still amazed the he didn't even get an Emmy nomination for what he did with that part, let alone win the thing.
A clip from a review on the web:
"There can be no doubt, however, that the featured role was Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. From the first moment Kilmer appeared on screen he was a scene stealer and totally captured the audience's interest, their sympathy and their admiration. Kevin Jarre's screenplay was one of the overall accurate chronicles of the turmoil in and around Tombstone ever done, and it was apparent that Kilmer had done his homework. There was a myriad of details evident in his performance right down to minute gestures and mannerisms which demonstrated careful study of his character for the role. --
" One particularly remarkable scene which clearly illustrates his attention to detail was in the climactic scene when Doc faces off against Ringo. Even though the event itself is fictitious, Kilmer's process is remarkably accurate. Colonel John T. Deweese, an attorney who occasionally represented Mr. Holliday, claimed that Doc had a technique he employed when he was involved in actual gunplay whereby for a split second his face took on a retreating, almost frightened expression. His opponent would catch that brief moment of hesitancy and uncertainty and drop his guard for the most microscopic space of time--just enough time for Doc to finish the job. Deweese's recollection is intriguing, and one wonders if Doc were indeed really frightened for a moment or if he was using a deliberate ploy. During the Doc/Ringo scene in TOMBSTONE, Kilmer mirrors the tactic in a cut just before he goads Ringo one last time."
"Kilmer's interpretation of Doc Holliday showed a man who was polished and refined, yet at the same time irritating and exasperating, and was overall a good composite of all that was John Holliday. He was very obviously alone, even in a crowd, and he was persistent to the point of obstinance. The real Doc was both likeable and detestable, and Kilmer brings that paradox to the screen beautifully. Everything that is known about the real John Holliday came together nicely in Kilmer's portrayal, and his brilliant performance made a sort of cult hero of Doc.'