The Quick and the Dead | Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman

The Quick and the Dead | Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman | Grossly Under-Rated

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The Quick and the ...

	The Quick and the Dead Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman Sony Pictures, 1998 average customer review:based on 120 reviews view larger image
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Awesome movie! ! !

This is only one of a handful of movies I have watch multiple times, however, this is the first time I have seen any version other than the "TV" version. The DVD version was much more intense, more detailed, more exciting - - - Only regret is that I had not ordered it much earlier. The Quick and the Dead is still a movie I can watch again and again.

Grossly Under-Rated

Without a doubt, this film smacks heavily of the stereotypical Spaghetti westerns of the '60's!! But those were some of my favorites...From the tried and true, good winning out over evil foundation, to the sometimes haunting music scores of Ennio Morricone which helped launch Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone into the spotlight, in my opinion, Director Sam Raimi and Composer Alan Silvestri do an admirial job of picking up where the former left off. Whether this genre is your taste will decide if you really appreciate this work.

Most of the other reviewers have outlined the story, so I'm not going into it again except to make these remarks.

I must admit, that I missed this film totally for several years, and didn't view it at all until the music score caught my attention one evening as the film was being aired on a cable channel. Silvestri's score put the hook in me and the rest is history.

The principal actors do a splendid job in my book, making this film entertaining. Hackman reminded me of the Capt. Ramsey of Crimson Tide with a pair of six-guns. I have yet to experience Hackman in a bad performance...yes, some better than others, but never bad!! And Sharon Stone...well, what can I say? Whether you think she fit the part or not, I found her to be a pleasure to watch in a setting totally removed from her norm. She obviously believed in this film as she was one of the Producers!
Gladiator star, Russell Crowe, and Titanic's Leonardo DiCaprio complete the cast of well-known names, with performances that kept this film interesting. Lance Henriksen, Kevin Conway and Tobin Bell lend their talents efficiently in supporting roles.

Yes, there are a couple of portions that seem to be a bit cartoonish, as one reviewer put it, but all in all, being a lover of the western genre, I really enjoyed this film, and I can't say enough about how the musical score helped set this film a couple of shelves higher than it would have been without it! These days, a music score can make or break a picture...it's big business! And even though this film was never intended to compete at the Academy Awards, Alan Silvestri did a masterful job in capturing the essence of this film through his music!

The professional critics are so out of touch with the public it's almost comical. Some of them should go into politics!! Don't listen to the critics on this one...In my view this film was grossly under-rated...But judge for yourself if you're a western buff. This DVD is deserving of a spot in anyone's collection!

I ordered this film from Amazon after trying unsuccessfully for months to find it locally. I received the DVD in about 4 days in excellent condition.

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Hard boiled Western fantasy !

The Lady, played by Sharon Stone, arrives at the small town dominated by the cruel and capricious Herod (Gene Hackman) where a quick draw contest is being held. With a series of flashbacks we see why Lady wants to enter the contest--she is a woman set on revenge.

Every day each contestant must fight once and the winner proceeds to the next round. The contestants are flamboyant: the Ace (played by Lance Henrikson); Cantrell the hired gun (Keith David); Spotted Horse, the Indian who boasts that bullets do not kill him (Jonothon Gill); the Kid (Leonardo DiCaprio) is Herod's son; and Russell Crowe plays a preacher who was a former outlaw and forced to be in the contest--he is kept in chains in order to make sure he does not leave.

Gene Hackman is excellent as the sadistic, domineering sheriff of the town. Hackman has such charisma and intensity that when he is with a less talented actor they are diminished; he sucks energy like a black hole. Di Caprio, while talented, was a little young and green for his role. Crowe is very good--he is the only actor who is not overpowered by Hackman's intensity.

Stone does a fairly good job but for me it would have worked better to have a more substantial or tougher actress in this role. Somehow Stone seemed too vulnerable at times. The hero channels death when he is on a mission to kill. It takes a formidable actor with considerable psychological complexity to make attractive and compelling those moments where we see the individual stripped away and death peering out his eyeballs.

The tone of this film is carnival-like, nearly western burlesque like the TV series "Wild, Wild West". It could serve as homage to Sergio Leone with the use of intense close-ups and Alan Silvestri's soundtrack evokes Morricone, the composer used by Leone.

Trivia: The International version has a sex scene between Crowe and Stone which is cut from this version!

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