Rating: Summary: Excellent western! Review: A fascinating, wickedly funny, violent, seedy and provocative exploitation of the western genre. Like 'The Unforgiven,' this movie stands traditional western values on end, and with Sam Raimi directing, it's an intensely odd and hilarious journey. This movie really grows on you too. I think this is Sharon Stone's best film--she perfectly illustrates the cynicism, simmering rage, and faux toughness of an adult with a traumatic history. It's interesting to see her grapple with her fears and the amorality of the old West. Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman, DiCaprio, Kevin Conway--everyone in this film is exceptionally good, including the extras. More than anything else, it's funny as hell. I'm especially fond of Spotted Horse, and Foy and his kids--they don't go to church too often!
Rating: Summary: REALLY bad Review: Anybody who thinks this is a great western has been watching too much TV. Sharon Stone tries too hard to look dirty, tough, and vulnerable at the same time. Her fakey tough & rough voice doesn't "ride" either. Gene Hackman is ok here as the meanie in a role that reminds me of his superman movie roles. The entire movie is violent with little else to make it interesting. This movie is dark, depressing, violent, nasty, and not authentic. The same premise here could be EASILY played by the gangs in LA NOW. I agree with the other viewer who said fans of this movie should raise your standards. Well said! THIS IS NOT A WESTERN.
Rating: Summary: NOT L'AMOUR BUT GREAT JUST THE SAME Review: In the first place, one thing needs to be made clear. This movie is NOT based on the great book by Louis L'Amour. But the story and movie are great just the same.Gene Hackman stars as the consummate western nasty who brings several very quick gunfighters together for the shear morbid fun of watching them kill each other in gunfights. Being the supposed quickest gunfighter of them all, Hackman plans to kill the last one standing. But a stranger comes to town among the would be winners and changes things for everyone. Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and, of course, Sharon Stone provide very memorable performances.
Rating: Summary: A western that is fun to watch!! Review: Although released in early 1995, this was one of the last westerns to come out at the height of the western craze of 1993 & 1994>>(Tombstone, Maverick ETC.) After baring all for "Basic Instinct" & The Specialist", Sharon Stone decided to do somthing that not only kept her clothes on, but was different, In this she is a modern day man-with-no-name type who rides into town on a secret agenda to take revenge against the town's owner & sherriff(Gene Hackman, who almost plays the same character here that he played in "Unforgiven") who murdered her widowed father when she was a child, & as she puts it, stole her life, she soon signes up for a gunfight contest as a possible way to get him, which has some of the most funniest & most memorable characters, with Leonardo DiCaprio as the cocky son of Hackman, with Lance Henrickson(The Terminator) as an ace shooter, with Keith David(Armageddon) as a secret assasin, & Kevin Conway("Streets of Laredo") as a dirty old man who likes to fondle teenage girls, to a whacked out Indian who can't be killed by one bullet to Russell Crowe in his screen debut as a preacher that has renounched violence & is constantly harassed & intimidated by Hackman who wants to bring out the killer that Crowe once was, every whacked out character is here, as they compete in the gunfight one after the other, in scenes that are somewhat comical in their approach, Directed by Sam Raimi(Spiderman), this is a crowd pleaser for western fans!!!
Rating: Summary: Garbage Review: The real premise of this movie is: only women have any remorse over murder (but they can get over it), and only good dental hygiene stands a chance of keeping you from violent death. A thoughtless, gratuitously violent movie that unsuccessfully recycles Hackman's great turn in Unforgiven and leaves DiCaprio's undeniable charm and brightness flapping in the void of Sharon Stone's vapid presence. Fans of this film: raise your standards!
Rating: Summary: Awesome special effects, plus Leo dies! Review: Right off the bat you have two reasons to watch this. Leo DiCaprio DIES, YES! And the special effects are awesome. Not your typical western by any means, but the story is very entertaining. The cast is full of all stars. And Sharon Stone is hot as hell as always. This is perfect for the casual fan of westerns because it is a modern day action flick just set in that time period. Check it out!
Rating: Summary: The Quick and the Dead - A marvelous western! Review: The Quick and the Dead is an old time favorite of mine that is of course if you can count an eight year old movie as an "old time" favorite. One thing is for sure, it couldn't go wrong with this phenomenal cast; Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gary Sinise and a Sci-Fi favorite of mine, Lance Henriksen. This wonderful western is also quite blessed with the original idea of having a heroine in Sharon Stone, given the rarity of a female lead in a western. Given her exceptional beauty and her extraordinary acting skills, she melds into this role with perfection. The premise: Welcome to Redemption, your typical old west town. Herod, played by Gene Hackman, is in the villain role, which befits his talents well, since he's at his best as the villain. Herod is a long time criminal who controls Redemption from the ground up. He's arranged for a "Quick Draw" contest for gunslingers. Ellen, played superbly by the ever beautiful Sharon Stone comes to town with more than just a quick draw competition on her mind. Cort, played by the then burgeoning superstar, Russell Crowe is a former outlaw and friend of Herods, who has found the lord. Kid, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, prior to his huge break in "Titanic" does an acceptable job as the Herod's son and competitor. Let the competition begin! Also mentionable along with these outstanding actors are several others, and a number of actors that always to seem to find their small parts in westerns, with an outstanding script, a traditional "western" score and here we have a fantastic western. I highly recommend this exceptional film to any and all fans of the western genre or to those that rarely allow themselves to be taken back to the wild, wild west, for it is indeed a wonderful trip and just a plain old fun western. Special features: If you're a special features hound, this one will leave more than disappointed, as its one and only special feature is a theatrical trailer. For me, as far as this movie is concerned, who cares because this one is just about the escapism of the movie itself! {ssintrepid}
Rating: Summary: AN ABSOLUTE BLAST with a GREAT CAST!! Review: Okay, so it's not the greatest movie ever made...or even a great western. What is is, however, is lots of fun, with lots of showy filmmaking. Sam Raimi shows off his craft very well here...and the actors get to really have fun playing archetypes...or maybe spoofs of archetypes. Basically, the movie is about a famous "quick draw" contest in a dusty little western town with no other apparent reason for existing. There are LOTS of great contests. Sharon Stone doesn't have to do anything but look cool (and sexy when she's under all those furs). Gene Hackman is virtually the same character he played in UNFORGIVEN, but more one-dimensional...on purpose. DiCaprio is a hoot (try to remember him before you saw TITANIC and he got overexposed...he was really a fun actor). An unknown Russell Crowe is moody and handsome, and one gets just a tiny glimpse of the full-fledged "quiet, tortured hero" he would become with GLADIATOR. Lance Henrickson is funny, and all the other characters are totally over the top. The plot is so simple and straightforward, yet the movie is a lot of fun. Don't see this movie as an example of a great western...see it if you want to enjoy some great actors having fun with a bit of good-looking fluff. I've seen the movie three times now over the past 6 years...and I enjoy my 95 minutes every time.
Rating: Summary: A western that packs a great cast and a lot of gunpowder Review: The Quick and the Dead is a often silly and sometimes even cartoonish western about a women gunslinger (Sharon Stone) seeking revenge on the evil town tyrant (Gene Hackman). He took her father away from her when she was a little girl and now she has her chance for revenge when there's a gunslinger tournerment that he just happens to be enteredd in. Russel Crowe (Gladiator) co-stars as a preacher that reminds Stone of her dad. He's Hackman's prisinor who he loves to be-little and humiliate. I saw Crowe's talent in this film as he's fantastic and steals the show and it's great to see that he's a big star now. The cast is just great, besides there being Hackman, Stone and Russel Crowe. You also got Leonardo DiCaprio as Hackman's son. Lance Henrikson (Aliens) and Keith David (The Thing) as gunslingers, Pat Hingle (Batman) as a bartender and Gary Sinise (Forest Gump) in small flashbacks as Stone's father. Sam Raimi the director of Spiderman's direction is always lively and hardly ever boring and his direction here is very lively and always keeps you interested. The film's biggest flaw is the cartoonish big holes you see in a gunslinger when they get shot. Other than that I think this film is a lot of fun, especially for Sam Raimi fans.
Rating: Summary: An Unexpectedly Good Western Review: I purchased this DVD with limited expectations, fearing that Sharon Stone might make an unlikely character/hero in a Western, but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. The Amazon review also left me thinking that this would be a derivative "B" film. I viewed this film during a "movie nite" with friends and we were uniformly pleasantly surprised. I would call this film a "Western Noir", with a nice plot twist at the end that justified/explained the protagonist's/Stone's actions in the film. The star-studded cast was compelling, and the film held our respective attentions. Video (viewed on a 10' home theater screen) and audio quality were both very good. True, the plot is limited and basic, but I accepted this as part and parcel of the gendre. Many stylish camera shots also contributed to our enjoyment of this film.
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