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The Quick and the Dead
1995 107 min United States of America, Japan R 18+
★6.5
Western, Action, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Director: Sam Raimi
Trailers
Description
A mysterious woman comes to compete in a quick-draw elimination tournament, in a town taken over by a notorious gunman.
Budget:
$35M
US Gross:
$18.64M
Worldwide:
$47M
Starring
Sharon Stone
Actor
Gene Hackman
Actor
Russell Crowe
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 1996
— Best Actress
Key opinion
The Quick and the Dead is a divisive, stylized homage to spaghetti westerns that splits opinion between those who appreciate Sam Raimi’s kinetic direction and those who find the script cliché. While the ensemble cast is frequently praised for their charisma, the film’s reliance on genre tropes and Sharon Stone’s central performance remains a significant point of contention.
| Cinematography | Dante Spinotti’s cinematography and Sam Raimi’s signature camera movements effectively evoke the atmosphere of 1960s spaghetti westerns. | |
| Acting | Gene Hackman delivers a standout performance, capturing a compelling blend of cynical tyranny and paternal menace. | |
| Score | Alan Silvestri’s musical score provides a fittingly thematic and colorful backdrop that elevates the film’s western aesthetic. | |
| Screenplay | The revenge-driven screenplay is widely criticized for being predictable, gimmicky, and reliant on thin, cliché-ridden narrative structures. | |
| Acting | Opinions on Sharon Stone’s lead performance are deeply divided; some find her portrayal of a gunslinger miscast and lacking necessary menace, while others argue her stylized, stoic approach fits the mythic tone. |