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The Quick and the Dead [Blu-ray]
RRP: $19.95Our Price: $6.98 (subject to change)Editorial
Product Description
Genre: Westerns
Rating: R
Release Date: 8-SEP-2009
Media Type: Blu-Ray
Editorial
Amazon.com essential video
Director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead) tries gamely to recapture the exotic mysteries of spaghetti Westerns in this stylish but empty film, which stars Sharon Stone as a stranger who comes to the town of Redemption in time for an annual shooting contest. Her real motivations for being there are the stuff that might have found their way into a film by Sergio Leone--in fact, much of this film is a pastiche of Leone's greatest hits, including A Fistful of Dollars and Once upon a Time in America--but one can't quite believe Stone in the role. Gene Hackman gives a predictably solid performance as the town tyrant, and Leonardo DiCaprio is good as a lucky young gunslinger who gets to kiss the heroine. But not even the cast can help this failed project. Raimi brings a lot of razzle-dazzle to his camera work, but it doesn't make the film any more substantial. --Tom Keogh
Worst Western Ever Made!Review date: 2010-07-31 Rating: 2 out of 10I do not own this movie on bluray or DVD but I do have it on VHS. The only reason I have this movie at all is I got involved in a video club many years ago and it was free. This movie has only one plot, turn gunfighting into a sport. That's it! A couple of hours (not sure how long the film is since I've only wathed it once) of two people standing in the street shooting at each other. The one that looses is dragged off and another one steps up. Terrible! Those that know history know that gunfights in the old west was not as prevailent as in the movies for a couple of reasons. First, you could die, second, guns were not very acurate, third, ammo was expensive. I love westerns for the stories they tell about life back then but this dog has none of that. I've tried to give this movie away several times and thought I was sucessful a couple of times but it always came back mysteriously. If you love westerns, stay way from this one!!! The only reason I gave this movie one star is because I couldn't give it the negative 5 stars it deserves!!
ReviewsNumber of Prominent Actors in a Unique WesternReview date: 2010-07-16 Rating: 8 out of 10I've watched this movie a number of times. Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio were still relatively early in their careers, Gene Hackman brings a veteran presence, and for me this was actually one of Sharon Stone's best performances.
This movie takes many classic western themes while also using some interesting camera angles and almost comedic gunshots to bring a bit of satire of those earlier westerns. Some people might not appreciate the lightheartedness of some scenes which takes away some of the seriousness of the movie. For me, the characters and gunslinging action are heightened by the occasional attempts by the movie to mock its subject.
For those who want a summary, I'll offer this. Sharon Stone rides into town with an attitude, and with hints of some history between her and Hackman's character. We're offered glimpses of this background as the story progresses. Gene Hackman is the cold-hearted businessman who controls all the money in the town, backed by hired guns. He holds a fast-draw contest and offers out a prize. The contest is only to draw his enemies in the open, where he can face them on even terms in the street. Hackman abducts Crowe, a former criminal partner who has turned to the priesthood, and forces him into his game. DiCaprio plays a Kid with a flamboyant attitude who claims to be Hackman's son, and enters the contest to prove himself. The main actors are backed by a number of other recognizable faces playing stand-out characters.
From there, there is plenty of memorable gun matches leading up to the final fast-draw.A Question of Viewer ExpectationsReview date: 2010-07-01 Rating: 8 out of 10After a recent viewing of this movie, I was surprised at the negative reaction to it of some viewers and critics. It is handsomely produced, with plentiful action, capable performances from the actors, a sprinkling of humor, and a sequence or two that almost reminded me of the Coen Brothers. It was hardly the greatest film I have seen, but I very much enjoyed the over-the-top way it re-visited a host of archetypal western conventions. Upon reflection, I think the negative reviews result from a problem I have seen many times before, with many other films. The whole thing comes down to what you were expecting when you first approached the film. The recent admirable film, "Appaloosa", with Ed Harris and Viggo Mortenson conveys a powerful sense of realism and the feel of a serious western drama. Films like "Cat Ballou" or "Blazing Saddles" take the western genre into the realm of outrageous comedy. "The Quick and the Dead" seems to me to deliberately go in neither of these directions. It might be viewed as a comedy, but I don't think that this was the director's intention, and the actual laugh-producing gags are not found here in abundance. In some ways, it reminds me of Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter", which is another film that does not ask to be taken too seriously; however, this one seems to be more deliberately flashy and extreme. Right from the opening scene, you are confronted with situations that can clearly not be seen as realism. One critic stated that he felt that Sharon Stone had not brought the desired amount of psychological depth to her portrayal. This strikes me as nonsense. This character, in the context of this movie, is not about psychological depth. She is deliberately a stone-faced stereotype of a gunslinger, with the somewhat incoherent quality of being too superstar beautiful for the part. This works like yet another tipoff that the viewer is not to be seeking realism but, instead, a sort of Hollywood send-up reality. In flashbacks, the Stone character might well be the 19th Century melodrama "Little Nell", victim of a dastardly villain, so cruel and vicious that you have no question as to the violent comeuppance they must inevitably face at the conclusion. It seems to me that some folks expected an out-and-out comedy, while others expected more realistic, serious action fare. The problem with this movie is that it is neither. You can accept this or not. I very much enjoyed it for what it is.Nice on Blu-RayReview date: 2010-05-15 Rating: 10 out of 10Very nice sound for gun-play, explosions and dialogue. Picture was detailed and clear. Worth the price."Am I fast, or is Sweden just a very small place?"Review date: 2010-03-27 Rating: 8 out of 10THE QUICK AND THE DEAD isn't quite the film critic's wet dream and, yep, it is western fluff and rife with cliches, but director Sam Raimi keeps things interesting with his trademark frenetic camera work and screwy pans and inventive points of perspective. Meanwhile, Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Russell Crowe maintain your attention when they're on the screen.
In a bit of gender twisting, Sharon Stone plays the straight-shooting lead and, no, we're not used to seeing Sharon Stone other than in sexy provocative roles, and yet this is a diverting change of pace for her, even if her wafer-thin role doesn't give her much to work with. A mysterious female protagonist in a Wild West shoot-'em-up and an evocation of mythic archetypes straight out of the Spaghetti western, I can dig it. This flick is one of my top guilty pleasures in this genre.
I liked it better when Sharon Stone's stranger was just known as "the Lady," so evocative of "the Man with No Name." And then someone lets slip that her character's name is actually Ellen, and a sliver of that mythical aura is suddenly shaved off. The Lady - or "Ellen" - rides into the dusty town of Redemption, the final destination of her vengeance trail. She arrives in time for the annual quick draw competition, the prize money of which is $123,000. Shifty pistoleros throw their name on the tote board, and each one touts an attitude. The Lady sees this event as her chance to place a killing bullet into John Herod (a bristling Hackman), the prairie town despot.
The storyline is hollow and unfolds by the numbers, so instead relish the bigger-than-life characters and the peppering of cool moments. Several actors turn in flashy, memorable performances. A cocky DiCaprio is endearing as the fast-as-lightning Kid ("I'm worth $3,000 in four states"). Gene Hackman predictably chews up scenery as the despicable John Herod, and what he does to Lance Henriksen is sort of a repeat performance of his treatment of Richard Harris in UNFORGIVEN. But my favorite character is probably Russell Crowe's reluctant gunslinging preacher (he's kept chained up when not engaged in gun battles).
That Sam Raimi directs with manic energy is like saying that John Wayne walked kinda funny or that Clint Eastwood likes to squint some. Well, of course. And if Raimi falls short of what Sergio Leone brought to the screen, well, hell, I'd like to have seen Leone try to direct the Evil Dead movies with as much quirky panache - although, okay, fine, Leone would probably more than hold his own. But different strokes...
As for our heroine, Sharon Stone isn't required to be a great actress here (some would say "As opposed to when? SLIVER?"). She only has to demonstrate an understated flair, that bit of quiet swagger. And she has to look good dealing in lead, smoking that cigarillo, and walking with a purpose in that duster of hers. But Sharon Stone always looks good anyway, whether her choice of weapon is a pistol or an ice pick. And she gets the last word in right before she rides off into the horizon. "Law's come back to town," she tersely remarks, and then she's gone, having settled her score at last.
Product Details/SpecificationsActor(s):
Gene Hackman
Sharon Stone
Leonardo DiCaprio
Tobin Bell
Russell Crowe
Recording label: Sony Pictures Manufacturer: Sony PicturesEAN: 0043396229471Binding: Blu-rayFormat: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Release date: 2009-09-08Universal product code (UPC): 043396229471Number of discs: 1Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Audience rating: R (Restricted)Running time: 105 minutesTheatrical release date: 1995Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Dubbed)
Brand: STONE,SHARON
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