Customer Reviews

The Quick and the Dead [Blu-ray] [Import]

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I got this as a gift for my mom (it's one of her favourite movies) and can't speak for the actual story but it arrived on time, was priced reasonably, and was fully functional when I tested it. No complaints.

BORING,STUPID,INANE,TERRIBLE,,RIPOFF,CRAP,BAD,INSIPID, AWFUL... THESE ARE ONLY A FEW WORDS TO DISCRIBE THIS FILM. IF I WAS ALLOWED ONE WORD , IT WOULD BE "GARBAGE".

Right off I will admit this movie is corny - but I love it anyway. Full of predictable themed little 'isms, which for me added some comic relief, but with just enough character to keep you watching.

Other than being a Sharon Stone vanity piece, this is okay. Stone's performance actually winds up being the worst thing about the movie. She plays Ellen (I don't know if she's actually named throughout the movie, but the box says Ellen), a drifter seeking revenge on the gang that killed her pappy.

She runs across a small western hamlet where the undertaker is the busiest man in town. Herrod (Gene Hackman) has the town in an iron grip. As a coincidence, Herrod is the leader of said gang. To top it all off there is a gunfighters tournament with a crazy assortment of characters dueling to the death. The supporting cast is a who's-who of before-they-were-stars. Gary Sinise, pre-Lt. Dan, as Ellen's father. Leonardo DiCaprio, pre-Titanic, as "The Kid". Russell Crowe, pre mug-shot, as the preacher (!).

I guess Stone's performance wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't directly ripped from Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name Trilogy. Also, Crowe seems to be playing the same stoic put-upon character and doing a better job of it. Lance Henrikson is the main standout as "Ace". He puts an ace in his deck for every man he kills. That's pretty cool. I was hoping for him to make the finals, but it was not to be.

If you like traditional westerns this probably isn't for you. If you like Sam Raimi's loopy direction (you can see through the bullet hole in someone's skull at one point) you'll want to pick this one up. If you're looking to see what a lot of these actors were doing before they "made it" you could do a lot worse.

Recommended for fans of quirky movies, but not for fans of traditional westerns.

If you like Westerns then you should enjoy this movie! The big difference in this movie is that it has a female lead (Stone). She is not the best actor, or character, of the group. The directing, visuals and acting are all very good in general. The characters are all archetypes of one sort or another. Very similar in style to Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti westerns. So if you like those, you should like this as well. The big difference is this movie is more "stylised" which makes it loose some of its grit. But it has stood up well over time!

This film released as an instant classic. All the must haves in any western with the cinemetography, direction and execution of modern day filmdom. Well worth the watch.

One of the most recognizable westerns is 'the quick and the dead', this is one of the best westerns i've seen, not that i like westerns but this one is different, with the greatest cast ever and that tournment that happened, like kid (DiCaprio) vs. Harrod (Hackman), then Cort (Crowe) vs. lady (Stone) AND FUNNY CHARECTERS LIKE Ace, with great plots, directing and script, this one outbeat the original, this is a must see for western drama action lovers. 10/10.

The Quick And The Dead is my favourite film of all time. It is a classic film, with an amazing narrative and an incredible cast. Sharon Stone is fantastic in it.

Gunfighters test their skills against each other in a contest where the winner is the one left alive. Herod ( Gene Hackman) is the most dangerous outlaw that ever lived. He used his gunfighting skills to seize control of the town Redemption, where the story takes place. He is putting on the competition to see if he still has what it takes. "The Lady" ( Sharon Stone) has come to Redemption to seek revenge on Herod for a past injustice. "The Kid" ( Leonardo DiCaprio) is fast on the trigger, and even faster with his mouth. He is also Herod's son. He wants to stop living in his father's shadow, and prove that he is a better gunfighter. Cort ( Russell Crowe) used to run with Herod, and is the most skilled gunfighter around. But now he is a preacher, and has sworn off all forms of violence. He is tracked down, and forced to compete by Herod himself. Herod has always wanted to see who was better - him or Cort.

The camera work is outstanding in this film. Every element of each gunfight is captured effectively. The film can also be extremely funny at times, because all of the actors use modern slang, despite the story taking place in the 1800's. The setting to this film is outstanding. The town of Redemption is the typical Western town, with the saloons, gunfighters, etc. It is very authentic. All of the actors are outstanding in their roles. There is constant tension and emotion that all of them bring to the movie - Hackman wanting to see if he still has what it takes, Stone with her desire for revenge, Crowe with his unwillingness to kill, and DiCaprio wanting to prove that he is better than his dad. The film overall is outstanding, because you end up rooting for all of the characters, and want none of them to lose. This makes the film extremely suspenseful.

Sam Raimi steps outside the horror genre, and into the wild west, with the highly entertaining and action packed "Quick and the Dead"! The film offers a well rounded cast, and an extertaining, fast paced, and authentic western story. If you love Westerns, or any of the actors involved, pick this one up!

I will first agree with the negative aspects. This is not a western. As much as it looks like one, it really isn't. The dialogue could be easily placed in a new york gang atmosphere and flow fine. The way the characters act and their mannerisms doesn't fit the time period either. This I agree with.

But lay off it a bit guys. I can understand if you're fully gung-ho on westerns, and if theres one film thats masked as a western but actually contains more satire, you blow your top and dub the film a fake and a horrible act of God. True, there is a style of the great Sergio Leone's "The Good The Bad, And The Ugly", but that wasn't a western either. Spaghetti westerns were films that took place in the wild wild west, but were actually filmed in Italy, where they really had no clue what the west was like. So most of those westerns had a "light-heartedness" to them. Sergio Leone was famous for making a western seem comical. And I believe, Mr. Raimi just took that idea and did it again. Only this time with his directing flair, which is so fun to watch, I wet myself everytime I watch it (lets flash to the fight scene between spiderman and green goblin, supposed to be serious, but actually very light-hearted). During a showdown, Raimi would do an excessive amount of fast zooms on everything! The two guys fighting, the people watching, an inanimate object. I was laughing so hard! And of course, who can forget when the bad guy finally gets what he deserves via Raimi's trademark. POV of bullet! BAM! right in the face, followed by an "Army of Darkness" flip for a finale. My point is, this film is not meant to be taken seriously. But the plot was horribly serious, and Gene Hackman plays an evil man very well, nothing like his cowardly Lex Luthor role (bad analogy, my friend). So the mixture of the serious plot with the directing didn't quite fit. But thanks to Raimi, this film is filled with whacky camera angles, and comic uber spaghetti western themes. Thicker than spaghetti, linguine. Enjoy it!