The Quick and the Dead on Blu-Ray
Main Feature (1H 47M 46S)
Since the first time I first saw this film I have felt that it’s under-rated, not to mention misunderstood. The Quick and the Dead is directed by none other than Sam Raimi, famous for his wonderful gore-filled yet tongue-in-cheek Evil Dead trilogy, so it should come as no surprise that this, too, brings together a variety of genres.
This is of course a Western film and the core of the film stays true to the more common themes found in that genre. There is no doubt which of the characters are the goodies and which are the baddies and even the reformed bad guy causes no upset because you know he is a good guy at heart. This clear-cut approach comes from the earlier and more common Western films from the likes of John Ford in which everything is black and white. The writer, Simon Moore, could easily have run with this format but he instead throws in a bit of female revenge which is reminiscent of Abel Ferrara’s equally under-rated Ms. 45. The main character, played by the ever stunning Sharon Stone, is known mostly as “the lady” which I see as a nod towards Sergio Leone’s ‘man with no name’ character, made famous by Clint Eastwood. Then we have the graphic violence, which I happen to enjoy watching, such as the big hole in the head, more in keeping with Sam Peckinpah.
Stone is ballsy and beautiful in equal measures as “the lady” seeking revenge for an event during her childhood which continues to torment her dreams. Crowe is the preacher with a dark past looking for salvation. Hackman is a no-nonsense tyrant who rules over the people of his town with an iron fist. A young DiCaprio is the cocky yet innocent gunslinger who fights for acceptance. If this cast were assembled today it would be major news, as, while Hackman and Stone were hugely successful at that time the careers of both Crowe and DiCaprio have rocketed more in recent years. The entire cast, even the supporting actors, do a brilliant job – the main testament to this is the fact that at no point did this film seem like a contemporary western. It wouldn’t feel out of place alongside the westerns of the late sixties.
Sharon Stone surprised me in this film and managed to pull of her role as one part of a double act with the veteran Gene Hackman. I have read quite a lot about how Stone was the weakest link in this film and I want to emphatically shoot that idea down, pun intended. Stone played her role as the emotional and frightened little girl trapped in a grown woman’s body to perfection. Comments such as “she looked depressed the whole film” and “she looked scared” when used as negatives come from those who don’t understand the character or the Western genre. This is also one of Raimi’s biggest stylistic successes as Director and he shows he has more than enough flare to breathe new life into an aging genre.
Extras
This town ain’t big enough for the both of us. Apparently, this town also ain’t big enough for any extras.
Summary
I hope that one day critics will agree that this is Raimi’s most under-rated masterpiece and that the intriguing cast-list produced some solid performances. However, the lack of extras on this Blu-Ray release chock full of stars is shocking! I have listened to some great commentary from Raimi in the past and I can’t get my head round the fact that not only does this lack the one feature I hoped for but it fails to offer anything at all.
Rating ***
