The Quick and the Dead, 1995.
Directed by Sam Raimi.
Starring Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Roberts Blossom, Kevin Conway, Lance Henriksen, Pat Hingle, Gary Sinise, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
SYNOPSIS:
Sony has reissued their 4K Ultra HD release of Sam Raimi’s The Quick and the Dead in a nice new Steelbook in honor of the movie’s 30th anniversary. The extras remain lacking, but the film looks great, and the Steelbook will look nice on your shelf. If you’re a fan of this one and missed the 2018 release, this edition is working picking up. A Blu-ray and a digital code are included too.
Most filmmakers seem to want to eventually try their hand at a western in some form (a notable exception is Steven Spielberg, of course), and in the mid-90s, Sam Raimi gave the genre a shot with The Quick and the Dead. Starring Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman, the film is notable as Russell Crowe’s introduction to American audiences and Leonardo DiCaprio’s first major studio starring role.
Stone plays “The Lady,” a mysterious woman who shows up in a town known as Redemption that’s run by the ruthless John Herod (Hackman). Herod runs an annual shooting tournament in which contestants face off against each other and fire until one of them surrenders or dies. The Lady signs up, her intention for doing so known only to her at that moment in the story.
Crowe plays Cort, a gunfighter who used to be part of Herod’s gang before he renounced his violent ways and became a minister. Herod’s men haul him back to Redemption, where he’s entered into the tournament against his will. Joining him are trick shooter “Ace” Hanlon (Lance Henricksen), Herod’s son, known as “The Kid” (DiCaprio), and others.
The story follows a fairly predictable course, although I’ll confess there’s a revelation near the end that I did not see coming, despite the fact that it was clearly set up. I suppose I was too busy watching for Raimi’s various directorial tricks, such as his bullet point-of-view shots and many characters’ cartoonish deaths.
I suppose you could say that The Quick and the Dead is almost a live-action cartoon western, given its exaggerated tone. It’s much the same way he took the horror genre apart and put it back together for his Evil Dead films. It doesn’t quite work for me, mostly because I have trouble buying into DiCaprio’s portrayal of his character, but I realize it’s become a kind of cult classic since its release 30 years ago.
If you’re one of the film’s fans, you should know that this new 30th anniversary Steelbook edition is a retread of the same one issued in 2018. The Quick and the Dead looks great in 4K, with a nice grainy texture that’s evocative of old school westerns. I’m not sure if the version of the film included on the Blu-ray disc you’ll find here uses the same remaster, but it’s still of decent quality. You get a code for a digital copy too.
In terms of bonus features, this is a movie that’s been lacking in that department, and the drought continues here. You get a little under six minutes worth of deleted scenes and the theatrical trailer, which is better than previous bare-bones releases but not by much. Too bad Sony didn’t commission even just a featurette or two for the film’s 30th anniversary.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
