I am not Sharon Stone's biggest fan and I did not expect to like this movie when I saw it, but now I find myself watching it every time it is on tv. Gene Hackman is great as the sadistic John Herod, he is even meaner than in Unforgiven. Russell Crowe gives a good performance as Cort, and Crowe is finally getting the attention that he deserves as a serious actor. Sharon Stone's role does not demand all that much of her and she does what is expected of her. Leonardo DiCaprio exudes the appropriate amount of cockiness as the young upstart gunslinger. There are some good minor roles in the film, including Lance Henriksen as Ace and Keith David as Cantrell, the man secretly hired by the oppressed townfolk to take out Herod. The most dramatic moment in the film comes when he faces Herod and the townspeople bend their heads in prayer for salvation only to be disappointed as Cantrell comes to a brutal end. Some of the other reviewers found the camera angles annoying and certain scenes unrealistic. Well, this movie doesn't strive for realism. It is part send off of spaghetti westerns and part live action adult cartoon. If you see the movie in this spirit, you cannot help but like it.
"The Quick and the Dead" featured an all-star cast which included the sexy Sharon Stone ("Basic Instinct", "Sliver", "Bobby" and "Catwoman"), the legendary actor Gene Hackman ("Unforgiven", "Crimson Tide", "The Replacements", "Heist", "Behind Enemy Lines" and "Runaway Jury") and two actors that would become popular a few years after the release of this film, Russel Crowe ("Gladiator", "A Beautiful Mind", "Cinderella Man", "American Gangster") and Leonardo DiCaprio ("Titanic", "The Departed", "Bood Diamond", "Gangs of New York").
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"The Quick and the Dead" receives its first HD release on Blu-ray. Featured in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), the film for the most part captures that Western feel and at times, the picture quality showcases the grit of the West. From Sharon Stone's blue eyes to gold in the the teeth of some of the people in the town, there are times that the picture quality looks very good especially since this is a 15-year-old film.
But there are times when the picture quality just looks bad. In one scene during a discussion between Ellen and Cort and when it focuses on her, the film looks as if the the low light added so much noise around the film. Fortunately, this segment is short. The other thing is that the film in high definition also does make certain CG segments a bit unreal (ie. a tremendous hole in the middle of one's head).
But for the most part, the film does look good for a film back in 1995. And happy to know that Sony has decided not to use DNR (digital noise reduction) and kept the grain intact.
As for the audio, "The Quick and the Dead" sounds awesome. The lossless audio really takes advantage of the surround channels. I was pretty impressed because it's one thing to get the clear dialogue and the gun shots from the front and center channels (and gun shots zipping through the surround channels) but there a good amount of scenes that really utilize the surround channels and some of those booms are not just short, some actually linger. I also noticed a bit of LFE, so for the most part, the audio for "The Quick and the Dead" was pretty solid. Not reference quality but for a 1995 film, it sounds great.
Subtitles are in English, English SDH and French.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"The Quick and the Dead" comes with only one special feature (aside from the trailers) and that is the film is presented in movieIQ. For those with Blu-ray players that are BD-Live enabled, you can watch the film while a panel on the side can be accessed via your remote with information about the cast, crew, music and production.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"The Quick and the Dead" is by no means the greatest Western, nor is it the best. But what it does well is trying to accomplish something different by capturing the look and feel of a spaghetti Western, but also making the protagonist a female surrounded by an interesting group of characters.
Sharon Stone is absolutely beautiful in this film and the film wasn't created that long after "Basic Instinct". She was one of America's top, sexiest female leads and it was interesting to see her in a film that captures that beauty and sexiness but also has a hint of danger around her. I suppose its up to the viewer if she was a win or fail for the film but for the most part, the concept of a female protagonist was definitely enjoyable to see in this film. It's also important to note that this was the first film that Sharon Stone co-produced.
As for the other talent, Gene Hackman is just solid in any Western. The film was made a few years after his Academy Award winning appearance in the classic Western "Unforgiven" and he seemed as a natural playing the antagonist in "The Quick and the Dead". As for Russell Crowe, he was still an unknown in the US despite being popular in Australia and Asia (especially in Japan for his other 1995 film "No Way Back") and Leonardo DiCaprio was starting to emerge after his Academy Award nominated performance in the 1993 film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" and plays a young man quick with his gun but all he has wanted was respect from his outlaw father John Herod.
The film also had interesting behind-the-scenes information (probably why there are no special features included on the Blu-ray) in regard to Sharon Stone starring in the film only if Sam Raimi directed and writer Simon Moore being fired and then rehired to fix a script written by writer Tom Sayles but instead of fixing it, omitted Sayles work completely and gave him his own rewrite. It's important to note that Sony at the time was against Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio to be in the film that Sharon Stone was the one who fought for Crowe to be in the film and because of Sony not wanting DiCaprio for the film, Stone paid him out of her own pocket.
If anything, I felt that Raimi did a fine job with this film because no matter what was going to happen, there would be viewers that don't necessarily have female gunslingers in their minds as the main protagonist. Sure, the gunfights may be cliche and the screenplay may not be deep and engaging, but "The Quick and the Dead" was not a film I was expecting to be the next "Unforgiven" nor was I expecting anything remotely close to a Clint Eastwood or John Wayne film either.
Overall, "The Quick and the Dead" was a wild, fun and entertaining film that may not have been a financial success in the box office nor was it a film that received many positive responses from the critics, but it was one of those films that people didn't take seriously and wanted a Western popcorn flick to enjoy and be entertained. For those who want to see a different kind of Western on Blu-ray, you may want to give this film a chance.
Buy The Quick and the Dead (1995) Now
The Quick and the Dead has long been derided as a Sharon Stone star vehicle that flopped. However, there is much more to this film than meets the eye. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes, Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gary Sinise, Keith David, and Lance Henricksen, this film is a refreshing change from past takes on the western.Stone plays a quiet and beautiful gunslinger, come out of the dusty plains to the town of Redemption, seeking revenge for the murder of her sheriff father years ago by the town dictator John Herrod, a dark and malevolent old gunfighter intent on maintaining his stranglehold on the frightened populace by staging a quick draw contest, the better to publically eliminate any opposition to his rule, and to squash any hope of salvation. Drawn into this dark contest are Herrod's former partner turned preacher Cort, a man whose tortured soul still seeks it's own salvation, and who Herrod seeks to pull back to Hell. Herrord's son, The Kid, enrolls in the contest as a way to seek fame and glory, and to prove himself to a aloof and uncaring father. Thrown into the mix are a number of colorful characters come to town to seek their own fortunes and the fireworks ensue. There is strong symbolism throughout this film, shades of death and rebirth, powerful archetypal figures in the charaters of Herrod, the powerful demonic ruler of the underworld, and Cort, the misguided but eventual redeemer and saviour.
This film boasts a strong and talented cast that give some wonderfully enjoyable performances. Sam Raimi does an incredible job once again of producing a stylishly directed tale of loss, redemtion, salvation, and revenge in this telling of the western as mdoern myth.
Read Best Reviews of The Quick and the Dead (1995) Here
If you are going to review a Blu-Ray movie, please describe the audio/video quality.I really like this movie, and am entertained every time I watch it. This is the first time I have seen it on Blu-Ray.
At first I was disappointed, because the first scenes had grain, and I thought "here's another Blu-Ray movie with bad video quality". But then it got better a lot better. Most of the movie had excellent video quality, with great detail. But, there were a couple of scenes that had grain. I don't know if it was a different camera, or what. But 99% of the movie was grain free and excellent.
The Dolby 5.1 TrueHD audio was also great.
Want The Quick and the Dead (1995) Discount?
The Quick And The Dead[Superbit Version]
(8.5/10)
Back in 1995, director Sam Raimi was at a bit of a crossroads.
After his accomplishments through the Evil Dead series, yet
not yet to his A Simple Plan/Spider-Man level, he made
this fast paced Western that in alot of way feels like both
time periods of himself. However, this Western plays differently
than most revenge types, with a secret woman (played
amazingly well by Sharon Stone) joining in a town's shoot-out
competition with the intent of seeking revenge on the town's leader (played by Gene Hackman, just on the over-the-top edge). Along the way, we meet alot of the town's faces, including future stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, as well as character classics as Tobin Bell & Lance Henriksen just to name a few. Simply put, this is a great cast for a movie with the then "Evil Dead" guy. But it works. Well.
While considering 90's Westerns like The Unforgiven & Dances With Wolves to be more classy & important than this flix, it definitely holds it's own, fitting perfectly with say Tombstone or Silverado. Yet this flix probably gets less attention than any of them, and it shouldn't. If you missed Sam's classic camera-in-your-face angles, or his quick as lightning cuts, he didn't lose them here. The showdowns are intense, visual, and the audio mix superb. And though Stone lost what little credibility a long time ago, this movie showed she could be taken seriously as an actress, fully dressed even!
Many have seen this play over the years on cable, but
the true way to see it is on this Superbit version. While this
release was done back in 2003, it's picture and DTS audio is
miles ahead of it's inferior single-layered original disc. Colors
bright & rusty, sound full of body, and bit rate always at
the fullest. I guess my only complaint is that they really didn't
try to remaster the actual print first due to a few, a few, blemishes on the print here and there that the high bit rate only brings out more. But believe me, for now I can say I've never seen this movie this good.
Downside is that this movie has alot of deleted scenes including a romance between Stone & Crowe & a wedding with Bruce Campbell as the minister! Too bad cause the Superbit, nor the regular, has them & International cuts only included the romance in the movie. So, I'd probably buy it again for a Raimi Director Cut, which after seeing the movie, you'd probably agree.
A good, fast-paced, 90's style Western that doesn't ever slow down. Featuring a female hero that you could actually believe in, as well as a cast that looks like they're in good hands with a director that finally got to do a Western with a little visual flair. A good movie that deserves to be seen & in your collection.
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