Johnny Ringo makes for one of the most memorable villains inTombstone, but the real-life Western figure was the hero in another classic Western.Tombstoneis filled with real characters from the Old West, most notably Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer). However, many of the villainous Cowboys that the heroes face off with are also based on real people, including Michael Biehn’s Ringo. He is the most ruthless and skilled gunfighter among the Cowboys, proving himself to be a real threat to the Earp brothers.
Ringo cements himself in his very first scene inTombstoneas he murders a priest in cold blood, even shocking his fellow Cowboys. AsTombstone’s reputation as a classic Westerncontinues to rise, Johnny Ringo is remembered as a great villain of the genre. However, the same real-life figure was used as inspiration for the hero protagonist in a terrificblack-and-white Westernfrom the 1950s, proving how differently these Old West figures have been interpreted throughout the years.
Johnny Ringo Inspired Gregory Peck’s Heroic Gunslinger In The Gunfighter
Peck’s Take On Ringo Is A Misunderstood Man Looking For Redemption
Long before Johnny Ringo was depicted as a remorseless killer inTombstone,Gregory Peck starred inThe Gunfighteras Jimmy Ringo, a gunslinger based on the same Western outlaw. InThe Gunfighter,Peck plays an older version of this man who has gained a reputation as one of the deadliest men in the Wild West. However, after years on the run, he has grown tired of being challenged by every man who wants to prove himselfand seeks to reunite with his estranged family.
Viewers would be hard-pressed to ever think the lead character inThe Gunfighterwas the same man as the villain inTombstone, as they are depicted in completely different ways
It is a greatshowcase for Gregory Peckas one of Hollywood’s best stoic leading men. While Jimmy Ringo has a dark past,he also maintains that the stories about him are exaggerated and the body count attributed to him is inflated. He is haunted by his past at all turns, but the movie draws sympathy for the injustice of constantly having a target on his back. In one scene, he is nearly killed by a vengeful father who wrongly heard that it was Ringo who killed his son years ago.
Even when it comes to the family he left behind, Ringo is treated as a flawed hero seeking redemption. It is not surprising thatJohn Wayne wanted to star inThe Gunslinger,as it is the ideal kind of rough yet noble character he was known for. However, if not for the names hinting at the connection, viewers would be hard-pressed to ever think the lead character inThe Gunfighterwas the same man as the villain inTombstone, as they are depicted in completely different ways.
Ringo’s Gets Great Death Scenes In Both Movies
The Two Deaths Of Johnny Ringo Show The Difference Between The Hero And Villain
DespiteThe Gunfighter’s take on Johnny Ringo being more sympathetic thanTombstone’s version, neither character makes it to the end of their respective movies. However, fitting with the legends of the real man, both versions of Ringo get memorable death scenes to go out on, each of them highlighting just how different these characters are. In the case ofThe Gunfighter,it is a heartbreaking moment, whereas it is a crowd-pleasing scene inTombstone.
The Gunfightercements itself as one of thesaddest Western movieswith Ringo’s death. After helping the sheriff detail the posse who was hunting him for killing their brother in self-defense, Ringo seems ready to start his new life with his wife and son. However,he is suddenly shot in the back by the local wannabe gunfighter, Hunt Bromley (Skip Homeier).
It is a brilliant bit of subversion that highlights the tragedy of Ringo’s character in the movie.
As he is dying, Ringo tells the crowd that he pulled his gun first, but Hunt was quicker to the draw. He then explains to Hunt that he has made him a legend in his own right, andhe will have to live the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for the next man who wants to make a name for himself. It is a brilliant bit of subversion that highlights the tragedy of Ringo’s character in the movie.
Johnny Ringo’s death inTombstonecomes near the end of the movie when Wyatt Earp is forced to face off with the outlaw in a duel that Earp expects to lose. However, it is one of the great thrills in the movie whenVal Kilmer’s Doc Hollidayarrives instead of Earp, with the intention of killing Ringo before the villain can kill his friend.
The showdown between Ringo and Holliday had been teased going back to Holliday’s first use ofthe iconic line, “I’m your huckleberry.“They are established as the two fastest guns in the west, but with Holliday’s declining health, it adds tension to the faceoff. Yet when the guns are pulled,Holliday, even at death’s door, handily proves himself to be the best, and Ringo is served a little humility in his final moments.
Johnny Ringo Works Better As A Villain
Tombstone Needed A Villain To Hate
It is hard to compare the two versions of Johnny Ringo that appear inTombstoneandThe Gunfightersince the characters have such different purposes. Likewise, the performances are both excellent for what is required in the role. Peck has that commanding movie star presence that fits the legendary gunslinger, but he carries it with a weariness that makes his Ringo so engaging right away. Michael Biehn, on the other hand, is chilling as the most prominent villain inTombstone. He has a real danger to him, which, in the end, makes his version of Ringo more memorable.
In a movie with such big hero characters,Tombstoneneeded a villain that was formidable and charismatic.
Perhaps it is becauseTombstone’s popularity has risen over the years whileThe Gunfighteris overlooked by so many, butthe villainous take on Ringo is what most people will think about in relation to the character. In a movie with such big hero characters,Tombstoneneeded a villain that was formidable and charismatic. His rivalry with Doc Holliday builds great tension throughout the film, and Biehn’s eerily calm performance makes Ringo all the more menacing.
He is built up into such a dangerous killer that it makeshis final confrontation with Hollidayall the more effective. Seeing the confidence on Ringo’s face as he prepares to face off with Wyatt Earp suddenly changes into fear when he realizes it is Holliday who has shown up is such a great moment because the audience has come to hate him so much.Having such an effective villain is one of the reasonsTombstonehas remained popular for so long.
Tombstone Depicts Real Events From Ringo’s Life
Given the vast differences in how Johnny Ringo is depicted inTombstoneandThe Gunfighter,obviously, one version of the character was going to be closer to reality.Despite the fact thatThe Gunfighteris a darker Western for the time, it romanticizes the outlaw character, making Ringo a much more noble character than he was in real life. There are no records of Ringo having an estranged family he was attempting to reconcile with, and his murders were not all in self-defense as the movie suggests.
Neither movie is accurate in depicting his death, as it was theorized by most historians that he died by suicide in 1882.
The movie does hint at the history shared between Ringo and Wyatt Earp. Interestingly, one of the rare times Ringo’s ego comes into play is when someone mentions Earp, and Ringo suggests that he could have easily beaten the lawman if he wanted. However,apart from there being an outlaw named Johnny Ringo who tangled with Earp in the Wild West, Gregory Peck’s character bears no resemblance to the real man.
Tombstone’s telling of the historybehind its story is not without its inaccuracies, but it is far closer to the truth about Ringo thanThe Gunfighter. It showcases him as a murderer, which reflects the crimes he committed, as well as his association with the Cowboys.Tombstoneis also accurate in showing that Ringo was not present during thegunfight at the OK Corral, but that he was suspected in the subsequent death of Morgan Earp. However, neither movie is accurate in depicting his death, as it was theorized by most historians that he died by suicide in 1882.
