Tombstone is widely regarded as one of the greatest Westerns in recent memory, in large part thanks to its masterfully woven ensemble featuring Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott, and the late Val Kilmer. However, another Western released in 2024 – Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 bears a cast fit to rival Tombstone, containing the perfect mix of fresh faces and cinematic greats to give the 1993 classic a run for its money.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is not only a film that marks Kevin Costner’s directorial return—it’s also a movie that boasts a remarkable cast of new stars, character actors, and legendary Western icons—some of them even veterans of Tombstone. Though they may be an eclectic bunch, there’s no denying their power together as the key players in Costner’s sweeping Old West epic.
Tombstone Has One Of The Best Ensemble Casts In The Western Genre
The Film’s Like A Strike Of Lightning
There’s no denying the legendary performances in Tombstone, whether it be the swaggering introduction of Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) or Val Kilmer’s mysterious portrait of Doc Holliday, who many consider the film’s true star. These aren’t the only stars in Tombstone, however: the film also includes Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton as Earp’s brothers, and a rare villainous role from actor Michael Biehn.
Truthfully, Tombstone‘s cast is so strikingly perfect that every other Western struggles to appear half as realistic (save the John Wayne films).
This ensemble brilliantly complements the direction of Kurt Russell (who famously didn’t want to be credited as Tombstone‘s director), with every look, design, and mustache hair appearing perfectly in place, as if one had somehow been transported into a Louis L’Amour novel. Truthfully, Tombstone‘s cast is so strikingly perfect that every other Western struggles to appear half as realistic (save the John Wayne films).
Kevin Costner’s Horizon Cast Was Almost As Star-Studded As Tombstone’s
The Cast Doesn’t Fit The Western Textbook
Over 30 years after Tombstone, Kevin Costner ᴀssembled the greatest modern Western cast in a generation for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, combining seasoned talents like himself, Danny Huston, and Michael Rooker (who famously played one of “The Cowboys” in Tombstone) with up-and-coming stars like Abbey Lee and even Stranger Things‘ own Jamie Campbell Bower.
Furthermore, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 features key performances from other great actors, like Avatar‘s Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi of Saving Private Ryan fame, and even Luke Wilson in his first Western since the indie film Outlaws and Angels. The glue that holds these performances together is Costner’s direction, which transforms these varied actors into the calloused faces of the frontier.
Other Western Movies That Featured Highly Impressive Casts
Tarantino Is The Force Behind The Modern Western Ensemble
Apart from Tombstone and Horizon: An American Saga -Chapter 1, there have been plenty of star-studded casts in Westerns throughout the years, perhaps most notably in How The West Was Won, which features John Wayne, James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, and even Debbie Reynolds. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another Western with even half of the greats found in this 1962 classic.
These days, Tarantino is spearheading large Western ensemble films through his two takes on the genre, with 2012’s Django Unchained featuring performances by Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio, while The Hateful Eight boasts Tombstone’s own Kurt Russell along with Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and even Channing Tatum (both films also include performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Walton Goggins).
