Watching The Gunfighter can offer a new perspective on one of the most memorable characters in Tombstone – Jimmy Ringo. Widely considered one of the best Westerns of the 1990s, Tombstone featured an all-star cast of actors, with the vast majority of them taking on the roles of real-life figures ᴀssociated in some form or another with the Gunfight at the OK Corral or the time period where the event took place.

Among those characters was Jimmy Ringo. Played by Michael Biehn of Terminator fame, Jimmy Ringo was introduced as a member of The Cowboys, the gang of outlaws that Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp have to contend with over the course of the film’s events. Filling the role of a villain, Biehn’s character largely operates as an enemy to Doc Holliday and proves to be a cunning and ruthless antagonist.

Biehn succeeds in making Jimmy Ringo a standout, despicable villain in Tombstone. Interestingly, Biehn’s performance as well as the direction of the character’s journey in Tombstone clashes considerably with a previous retelling of Jimmy Ringo’s story, such as the one adapted in The Gunfighter.

Jimmy Ringo Is The Hero In The Gunfighter

Gregory Plays A Reformed Jimmy Ringo

Over the years, there have been multiple live-action iterations of Jimmy Ringo. Since the real-life Ringo had connections to people related to the Gunfight at the OK Corral, most of these stories were about Wyatt Earp. One exception to this was The Gunfighter, a 1950 Western starring Gregory Peck. In the film, Peck’s Jimmy Ringo served as the main protagonist of the story.

The Gunfighter introduces its version of Jimmy Ringo as an aging cowboy. Before the events depicted in the film, Ringo established himself through his deeds as the fastest gunfighter in the West. He was presumably an outlaw at some point in the past, but unlike Biehn’s portrayal of Jimmy Ringo, Gregory Peck’s character tries to stay on the right side of the law in The Gunfighter.

Jimmy Ringo tries to balance his past with his growing desire for a better life, which includes reconnecting with his estranged wife and getting to know the son he previously never knew he had. Unfortunately, though, his legendary status attracts problems.

Other gunslingers naturally aspire to surpᴀss Ringo, thus setting him up for conflict throughout the film, which is further complicated by the return of various figures from the life he led as an outlaw. Recognizing that one of his old friends and fellow outlaws – Mark Strett – has turned his life around inspires Ringo to leave his past behind, but villains Bromley and Marlowe stand in the way of that goal.

The Gunfighter Is An Incredible Western, But It’s Completely Inaccurate

The Gunfighter Creates Its Own Version Of Jimmy Ringo’s Story

The inability to run away from someone’s past and the notion that being the best comes with a heavy price are the underlying themes of the movie. They’re both classic Western tropes, and they’re utilized beautifully – albeit tragically – in The Gunfighter. At the end of the movie, there’s a sense that Ringo can have a happy ending, one that sees him settling down with Peggy and their son.

That future is denied to him when Bromley, a young H๏τsH๏τ gunslinger, shoots him in the back, a move reminiscent to the fate of John Wayne’s character in The Shootist. His friends are able to apprehend Bromley, but Ringo – knowing that death is upon him – insists that his killer lives. Understanding firsthand the high cost of being the best, Ringo decides that saddling Bromley with this fate is the punishment he deserves.

Bromley lives, with the fact that he sH๏τ Ringo in the back being buried intentionally, all that so that he’ll be forced to live as the man who killed Ringo in a fair fight the rest of his life. This makes for a hollow victory for Bromley, but doesn’t erase the feeling of tragedy instilled by The Gunfighter’s unexpected ending.

Going in this direction allowed for The Gunfighter to conclude on a powerful note, solidifying it as one of the best Westerns of the 1950s. However, that’s in spite of its disregard for factual accuracy. Although it’s at least possible Ringo had redeeming qualities, it’s important to note that the movie doesn’t include key aspects of his life, such as his bitter histories with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

Ultimately, The Gunfighter is a purely fictionalized take on the outlaw’s life, filling his story with made-up characters, such as Marshal Mark Strett, Peggy Walsh, and Bromley. In peeling back the layers and trying to reveal the man behind the legend, The Gunfighter makes the legendary outlaw into a much more of a heroic, sympathetic figure than he likely was in real life.

Neither Tombstone Nor The Gunfighter Are Able To Get Jimmy Ringo Right

But Both Versions Have Mustaches

The Gunfighter isn’t alone in getting Jimmy Ringo wrong. Tombstone, for its part, was noticeably more accurate, at least including the outlaw’s clashes with Doc Holliday, alliance with William “Curly Bill” Brocius, and depicting him as a member of The Cowboys. However, it also paints him as a well-educated person, which doesn’t represent the real-life Jimmy Ringo.

There’s also the matter of Jimmy Ringo’s death. Both The Gunfighter and Tombstone have him die from a gunsH๏τ, but all other details don’t line up with the known facts of the incident. What happened to Jimmy Ringo is actually an unsolved mystery of the Wild West.

Based on historical accounts, Jimmy Ringo was seen drunk shortly before his body was found. His death was ruled by the coroner as a suicide, with it being suspected that his death was an accident caused by his drunken behavior. The conclusion that Ringo killed himself has been disputed, but that remains the official judgment.

There have been unfounded theories that Jimmy Ringo was in fact murdered by Wyatt Earp. Others have speculated – without any evidence of substance – that he died in a fight with Doc Holliday. Tombstone leans into the latter theory, enabling it to add some Hollywood flavor to Jimmy Ringo’s mysterious death, which isn’t far away from The Gunfighter’s approach.