Rating: Summary: Hmmmm.... So So (3.5 stars) Review: I give it three stars because it's not too bad. It gets another half star for all the cool gunfighting...Gene Hackman is believable as an over the hill gun fighter. He controls a small town by force. He has a contest to find the best and fastest gunfighter. "Single-Elimination"... :) Lose the gunfight and you are out. The bartender uses a big chalk board to keep track of the standings. Some of the lowlifes and scoundrels that come for a piece of the action are pretty funny to watch. The indian who can't shoot straight and won't die. Leonardo DiCaprio as the young kid that really cocky and fast. Sharon Stone with a mysterious past and a need for revenge. Yes, she is one of the gunfighters. Russle Crowe is another mystery in this film... Not entirely sure what his story is... A preacher with a gun? Anyway, this one is ok. Worth a look. When I see it on TV as I am flicking channels, I usually stop for a few minutes. There's always something going on....
Rating: Summary: A Sheer Delight Review: Take a good old-fashioned Western with plenty of action and throw in Sharon Stone as the lead character and you have an electrifying adventure I enjoyed every minute of it Stone plays the role of a female gunslinger with an incredible combination of toughness and feminine sensuality Gene Hackmann plays the thoroughly evil town tyrant John Herod (nice touch -him sharing the name of the biblical tyrant king) Russle Crowe plays a pacifist preacher -who was once a feared and ruthless gunman- has foresworn Violence Leonardo De Caprio plays the brash over-confidant youth who will come to a tragic end But there are many actors in this movie playing cameo roles who also show great flair I was gripped throughout
Rating: Summary: "The Quick And The Dead" Review: I've seen a lot of movies, and let me just say that this one will always remain my all-time favorite! The plot is creatively unfolded, revealing the tragic past of a rugged woman gun-slinger, with a fast hand and attitude for sale. The cast gives an outstanding performance that draws you into the rough-and-tumble wild, wild, west. Not only does this movie give you 105 minutes of non-stop action, it also has a catchy soundtrack that makes you snap your fingers! This movie kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, especially at the end! "The Quick And The Dead" is a must-see movie that will captivate the audience almost immediately, and in the end keeps you begging for more.
Rating: Summary: Sam Raimi unleashed Review: The Quick and the Dead has never gotten the credit it deserves. Sam Raimi leads a fabulous cast inlcuding Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Huh? Yup, that's the cast. (Crowe and DiCaprio were insisted upon by Stone, who also produced. Smart lady.) And there's more fabulous stars in cameo roles. Sure, Raimi's version of the Spaghetti Western is a little comic-bookey, but come on, Sharon Stone as the Woman With No Name: genius. She can squint with Clint any day. (Here lies the roots of Xena Warrior Princess, another Raimi creation.) The Quick and the Dead never pretends to be Unforgiven, but it is a dramatic homage to all the best westerns with some truly original camera work, including Raimi's famous "bullet cam." So if you wanna have some fun, and see some great actors playing cowboy, The Quick and the Dead is for you. Too-serious western traditionalists need not apply, but you'll be sorry.
Rating: Summary: More fun from Sam Raimi Review: Leave it to Sam Raimi creator of Evil Dead and Army of Darkness to envision a western where men are so tough and grizzled they can light a match off another man's beard stubble. John Herod (Gene Hackman) presides over the wicked town of Redemption where he takes half of every dollar for himself in exchange for letting the rest of the town live. Every year he holds a fastest draw contest where the meanest, the ugliest, the flashiest, and the fastest gunmen eliminate each other in a formal contest for prize money. Sharon Stone centerpieces as female gunman Ellen who comes to town for the opportunity to take down Herod for what he done to her and her daddy. But the reason to relish the film is for its two dozen seedy gunmen who go by names like Scars, Ratsy, Charlie Moonlight, Zeb, Simp Dixon, and Bordello swell just to name a few. Each gunman has his own style. One likes to wipe poisoned horseradish on his bullets before a fight another keeps his gun in a camera. Pre-fame Russell Crowe appears as a hardcore killer turned pacifist preacher. DiCaprio plays "the Kid" who makes the women worry his pretty face might get damaged before every showdown. Like most Raimi films its all very much tongue in cheek and meant to make you laugh while trying to keep a very straight face. In some ways you wish he had become even more audacious. But Quick and the Dead is testosterone laden fun with a little leather clad estrogen farm at the helm for a bonus.
Rating: Summary: As fun as a western can get Review: Leave it to Sam Raimi to bring this much of a colorful cast of heroes/ heroines, villian, drifters, scum, and young cockey gunglingers all together for an unbelievably good time! Sure, the plot is thin, sure its ripped straight from westerns that came before it. Sam wanted to entertain and that he does. He uses all his usual stylings: cameral angles, over-the-top characters, and unusual special effects; nothing is held back here. Sharon Stone is an amazingly strong female lead: my hats off to her for such a wonderful performance. My favorite though in all these was Lance Henricksen who plays Ace: the man-in-black, mysterious drifter who comes to town for the shootout. Even though Im not a Leonardo fan, he does a really neat job as they young smart alec shootist. Its just a good time and worth watching more than once. Highly recommended!
Rating: Summary: DVD version is definitely worth owning. Review: This new DVD release of "The Quick and the Dead" is a good one. It features a really fine Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track, and the picture is very sharp with great colors. It is a 2-sided DVD, so you can choose either the wide-screen or the full-screen version. I think this is one of the finest western action comedies, done in impeccable style.
Rating: Summary: One of my favourate westerns to date Review: Despite the film's down-sides, the screenplay and the silly gunfight effects, the Quick and the Dead remains a fun film to watch. Stylish directing from Sam Raimi and exellant performances from Leonardo Di Caprio, Russel Crowe and Gene Hackman make this my one of my favourate westerns to date. Sharon Stone is pretty good too if you can accept her in a Clint Eastwood 'man with no name' role. This homage to Sergio Leone is about as daft as they come so don't take it seriously, but still loads of fun.
Rating: Summary: Western Bloodsport Review: As someone has already noticed, "The Quick and The Dead" is something of a western version of "Bloodsport." Not only is the plot taken from the realm of martial arts movies, but the director also shamelessly hijacked entire scenes from far superior westerns such as "High Plains Drifter" and "Once Upon a Time in the West." However, despite the unoriginality and thinness of the plot and its rip-offs (homages?) of classic westerns, "The Quick and The Dead" is a fairly entertaining movie. It's not meant to be taken seriously, and some parts border on sheer camp. It's just a fun movie with a pretty good cast and some neat camera tricks.
Rating: Summary: Characters, characters, characters Review: If you know Sam Raimi's work (Evil Dead, Army of Darkness) then you know that he can somehow pull off action scenes that would turn horribly cheesy in other director's hands. With Raimi, though, they come off with a certain charm. This movie centers around a quickdraw gunfight contest in a town run by an evil Gene Hackman who is squeezing the town for every penny he can get. Within the first five minutes we are introduced to about twenty characters, each of them intersting, each of them with a story, and each of them original enough to make anyone continue watching to see where they fit in as the movie goes on. Raimi's camera work is great, there are any number of dazzling shots and a different take on the classic gunfighter showdown everytime one occurs (which is pretty often in a movie where the basic plotline is that thirty people are involved in a quickdraw contest to the death). This is an enjoyable movie with a good storyline and acting which support the quirky directing.
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