The Quick and the Dead (1995)

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.

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writer:

Simon Moore

Stars:

Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sharon Stone	...	Ellen
Gene Hackman	...	Herod
Russell Crowe	...	Cort
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Kid
Tobin Bell	...	Dog Kelly
Roberts Blossom	...	Doc Wallace
Kevin Conway	...	Eugene Dred
Keith David	...	Sgt. Cantrell
Lance Henriksen	...	Ace Hanlon
Pat Hingle	...	Horace the Bartender
Gary Sinise	...	Marshall
Mark Boone Junior	...	Scars
Olivia Burnette	...	Katie
Fay Masterson	...	Mattie Silk
Raynor Scheine	...	Ratsy

Storyline

Ellen, an unknown female gunslinger rides into a small, dingy and depressing prairie town with a secret as to her reason for showing up. Shortly after her arrival, a local preacher, Cort, is thrown through the saloon doors while townfolk are signing up for a gun competition. The pot is a huge sum of money and the only rule: that you follow the rules of the man that set up the contest, Herod. Herod is also the owner, leader, and "ruler" of the town. Seems he's arranged this little gun-show-off so that the preacher (who use to be an outlaw and rode with Herod) will have to fight again. Cort refuses to ever use a gun to kill again and Herod, acknowledging Cort as one of the best, is determined to alter this line of thinking ... even if it gets someone killed ...

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Plot Keywords:

street shootout | showdown | gun duel | panties | saved from hanging | 

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Taglines:

In this town, you're either one or the other

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Genres:

Action | Romance | Thriller | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for western violence

Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 February 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Quick and the Dead

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,515,861, 12 February 1995, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$18,636,537

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Japan Satellite Broadcasting (JBS), IndieProd Company Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bruce Campbell had a cameo appearance during a wedding scene, but the scene was cut. Campbell says Sam Raimi created that scene for the specific reason of giving Pat Hingle something more substantial to do and was never intended to be in the movie in the first place. Campbell was also visiting the set on his day off when Raimi drafted him to play a skid-row character in several background shots. Although all of Campbell's appearances ended up on the cutting room floor, he is still listed high up in the credits.

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Goofs

While Cort and Herod supposedly have their gunfight at dawn, the sun is significantly higher in the sky, revealing it's much later.

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Quotes

Cort: There's a click before the strike. Listen to the clock.

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Alternate Versions

A sex scene between Ellen (Sharon Stone) and Cort ('Russell Crowe (I)') was shot, but Stone and director Sam Raimi decided that it wasn't a necessary part of the story. The scene was not included in the American release of the film, but international versions do include it.

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Connections

References Johnny Guitar (1954)

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Soundtracks

Un Mexicano En El Norte
Written by Demetrio Farias
Performed by El Mariachi Tepalcatepec De Michoacan
Courtesy of Discos Dos Coronas
(A Division of Two Crowns International Inc.)

User Reviews

Raimi goes West

With The Quick and the Dead, Sam Raimi approaches the old west with a very new/contemporary style. With its brisk energy and competitive characters, the story often feels like a sports movie with lots of photography tricks. If you want a top western, this might not be your film, but if what you seek you is good old pistol-whippin' American fun, this might do the trick.

Thanks to James Cameron, since T2, there has been nothing sexier than a woman with a gun. Sharon Stone actually brings a fairly macho 'Sarah Conner' quality to her character. She plays Ellen, a young cowgirl who rides into a mysterious town for a very special event, a gunslinging competition. The mayor of the town is a dangerous fella and one of the most feared gunslingers around. It is this man who Ellen is after. The question is, why? In order to fight him, she must beat everyone else in the competition. There will be blood, for sure.

In order to make up for his superficial plot, Sam Raimi has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. One of his most recognizable through his career is going over the top in an amusing way, which he does here too, mostly at the climax. He doesn't make great movies, but he makes clever and entertaining ones, which this is.