The Quick and the Dead

directed by Sam Raimi
List(s):"Movie Two"
Category: "Western"
Year of Release:1995
Date Added:02/07/2015
Date Watched:10/12/2019
Description:In an old western town, the boss, Herod (Gene Hackman) who runs things with his goons, organizes a gunfight contest. One of the contestants is a woman named Ellen (Sharon Stone) who wants to kill Herod for making her kill her own sheriff father when she was a little girl. Another contestant is Cort (Russell Crowe), who used to be a one of Herod's thugs until Herod made him shoot a priest. Cort swore off violence, but Herod's goons dragged him back into town for the fight. Another contestant is the Kid (Leonardo DiCaprio), a local boy who claims to be Herod's son. Herod, Ellen, Cort, and the Kid are the last four contestants. Herod kills the Kid, although he's wounded in the neck in the process. Ellen and Cort refuse to fight each other. Herod instructs his goons to kill them both if they won't fight. Ellen goes down and is declared dead, leaving Herod and Cort. But Ellen isn't really dead. As the clock chimes to start Herod's and Cort's fight, several dynamite blasts wipe out half the town. Ellen comes striding through the smoke. Herod's goons who weren't killed in the blasts are shot by Cort. Ellen then kills Herod and tosses her father's sheriff badge to Cort and rides out of town.
My Rating:9

Reviews for The Quick and the Dead

Review - Quick and the Dead, The

I could sympathize with Ellen because of what Herod did to her and her father, but she wasn't a likable character. The only one to root for was Cort because he at least wanted to be good. The film was mostly shoot-outs and beatings, but there was an edge of tongue-in-cheek that kept it from being totally serious. Also, the director did a good job of demonstrating that the people who were killed deserved it.

Reviewed by Roger on 2019-10-12 19:52:47

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