A female gunfighter returns to a frontier town where a dueling tournament is being held, which she enters in an effort to avenge her father’s death.
Though Sam Raimi will always be associated with The Evil Dead and Spider-Man franchises, it’s his off-beat, one-offs that have produced some the director’s morally intriguing works. Case in point, his 1995 western The Quick and the Dead sports the filmmaker’s trademark visual flair as well as his love of B-Movie tropes, tinged with more than a healthy dose of irony.
Revenge is what propels Ellen (Sharon Stone) to return to the frontier town of Redemption. She seeks to settle a debt with Sheriff John Herod (Gene Hackman) who she blames for her father’s death. The lawman has announced a quickdraw competition that has drawn gunslingers from around the territory to compete for the large cash prize. Among those vying for the cash are Cort (Russell Crows), “The Kid” (Leonardo Di Caprio), Sgt. Cantrell (Keith David), “Aces” Hanlon (Lance Henriksen) and “Dog” Kelly (Tobin Bell). The rules are simple: each participant must duel at least once a day, any entrant can challenge any other, and no fight can be refused. The past looms large for every character, each seemingly having their own reasons for ultimately facing Herod and taking him down.
Raimi’s swooping camera and inventive angles make the gunfights a grim delight, while his crisp pacing keeps the action flowing. Seeing Crowe and Di Caprio so early in their careers is also a delight, while Hackman rends the scenery, relishing in his bad guy role. Much like Rami and writer Simon Moore, the actor mines the dark humor of the premise to great effect, the audacious nature of the story stressed at every turn.
The 4K video release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment does cinematographer Dante Spinotti’s work justice, his dark interiors, crisp and sharp, the sundrenched interiors deep and pointed. The transfer presents and preserves the film as it should be, while the inclusion of seven deleted scenes provides further insight into the characters. All in all, this is a sharply rendered, lovingly put together package, ready for the repeated viewings fans are likely to enjoy.
