Exaggerated, intense, beautiful, silly
Author: greenman_99 from Georgia, USA
6 July 2000
Like all of Sam Raimi's movies, this flick was a cartoon. That's not an insult- his works with the Coen brothers on movies like The Hudsucker Proxy are some of my favorites, with their insanely "zoomed-in" quality. This movie was a spaghetti western, it was ABOUT spaghetti westerns, and it was also a weird, wonderful nightmare where your options are limited, you're a superhero, and your enemy is all-powerful. That's adolescent, silly, and totally compelling.Raimi has always done brilliant visuals; I don't know his history, but I suspect he read a lot of pulp comics as a kid. The early scene where Stone gets up (after playing dead) and you see her shadow putting her hat back on, with the obvious bullet hole in the brim, is sheer visual brilliance.
Gene Hackman is, of course, great (MST3K line: "He's good in everything!"). Sharon Stone has gotten a lot of static for doing what Clint Eastwood built a legend on: bad acting, done intensely. (And in Stone's case in this flick, I think, purposefully.) Leonardo D. is well-cast as a cocky, yet needy, "bad-a** in his own mind" type. Russell Crowe (who nobody knew at the time, especially me) is great in his role as a survivor of a 12-step program to help fight a dependence on violence, complete with backsliding moments.Do not look to this movie expecting anything like realism, believability, or moderation. This is pulp fiction, eye candy, nightmare surrealism, wanton entertainment. It's trash culture saluting trash culture, and if you can appreciate that, it's a hell of a great ride.
Author: VerhoHo from NYC
8 December 1998
This film is hilarious. If you found it unintentionally funny, you probably haven't seen enough westerns. Spaghetti westerns were all about modern parallels. They were "post-modern". Raimi has gone one better and made a satirical pastiche of every western there ever was. Sharon Stone as the 90's feminist gunslinger was an hysterical joke that seemed to go over everyone's head. All of the performances in the film are highly referential and brilliantly pulled off, especially Gene Hackman. Leonardo DiCaprio sticks out as undisciplined. If the film has a fault it's that it's too smart. It's a testament to miss Stone's legendary I.Q. I guess, as she is one of the producers as well. Even if it's too "wierd" for some commercial-minded viewers, there's no denying that the film is beautifully shot and fun to watch. 10 out of 10.
Author: valdyr from Upstate NY
22 November 1999
For those looking for a fast-paced, exciting and violent western, the Quick and the Dead is THE film to check out. Every gunfight is exciting (not an easy thing to do with so many taking place) and the large caste (which features an overwhelming number of recognizable actors) ensures that there are enough subplots and victims to last the movie. The lead performances are excellent - Gene Hackman turns in what is probably the best performance of his career...
Author: Sean Kerr from United Arab Emirates
23 January 1999
Anyone who wants to take the film seriously will probably be disappointed. This is a slightly tongue-in-cheek modern western. The direction is superb with the camera work and the sound being of the highest order (the full soundstage is used with stunning results).Gene Hackman is his usual brilliant self, Sharon Stone is born for this part, Leonardo Di Caprio shows he can act and Russel Crowe is as good as he is in L.A. Confidential.
I love this film! I watched it three times on tape before buying the DVD (which I've now seen three times!)
Stone, as always gave an amazing performance. Hackman plays a very convincing role as evil incarnate. Crowe's apathetic style acting is right at home in this movie.It is a well written plot and the flow of the storyline and the stories behind the story (flashbacks) kept it entertaining. Raimi has excellent story-telling skills and it is a welcome twist on the myriad of ol' western films.
This is actually one of those very rare films that get better every time you watch it. The cast are near-perfect, except for Sharon Stone who doesn't seem to know which way to play her character. But that only flaw is compensated by the great music and the impeccable camera-work, and a shock-ending that actually makes sense. If you don't take it too seriously, like Sharon did, you're in for a treat....10
Author: David R. Willcox from College Park, MD
26 December 1998
Je n'aime PAS les spaghettis westerns et j'aime bien ce film
Most refreshing spin on one of the oldest, if not "the" oldest film genre. I feel sorry for the critics that panned this movie. I can only assume they didn't "get" it.Once in a blue moon a "perfect" film is made, and this is certainly one of those rarities.This movie not only looks good, but it sounds good, and feels good. The single best word I can find to describe "The Quick and The Dead," is "Beautiful."
Author: jbc348 from United States
1 January 2007
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
The setting is perfect, in which you are allowed to draw in subjects. Thus while you are not necessarily fulfilling the ideal, created by the subsequent fields resulting in the area where the possibility exists that the ideal maintaining thus far is without merit in as far as possible egrets exist out there.The lines of battle are drawn extremely quickly; via the use of familiar actors being used as potential opponents. Thus allowing the moment to captivate the audience. The frustration gathered from waiting, has allowed the actors to establish a general non DOE plumb.
A classic western which I thoroughly enjoyed, partly thanks to a wonderful cast and great direction by Sam Raimi, partly thanks to the film's simple charm and it's overly dramatic but entertaining effects.
The film is set in a town called Redemption, run by villain John Herod (Gene Hackman), where guns rule, and opinions and freedom are stifled. That is until Ellen "The Lady" (Sharon Stone) rides into town, heart set on revenge on Herod- the reason kept secret from us until the climax - and enters into the annual Quickdraw Contest. In a place where women are women and men are men, this surprises our characters, not least Herod's illegitimate son, Fee "The Kid" (Leo Dicaprio). In his ill-fated attempts to woo Ellen (along with every other woman in town), we learn that he also has a deep-seated reason to enter the contest.
During the opening of the contest, Cort (Russel Crowe) is brought in, an outlaw turned preacher, who vows never to kill, but is entered into the contest by Herod in an attempt to convert him back to his old ways.The twists and turns of this film keep it interesting and superb performances- particularly from Dicaprio, making it definitely one of his best films, and Crowe, a little well-known star when this film was made. Stone plays a convincing heroine with the power to change things and the direction of the film is good- if slightly over-the-top with some special effects- and keeps you in your seat until the credits roll. A beautifully directed western, and fantastic film.
I really don't get, or care about, the criticism this movie receives. I found it to be infinitely cool. I love the characters. The direction is confident and unique. The cinematography (by the always superb Dante Spinotti) and art direction are wonderful. Sam Raimi caught a lot of heat for this one. I guess it was too stylish for the bland, vanilla, popcorn crowd. And, in ways, it gave him a sense of timidness in his following few pictures. But, with Spiderman, people finally wised up to the fact that this guy is fantastic.I highly recommend this film, and other Raimi classics, such as: Darkman and Army of Darkness.
