Review of The Quick and the Dead (1995) by Thorne W — 04 Dec 2010
A movie that is both a solid Western as well as a distinct Sam Raimi project. There are a few elements of Leone-esque westerns such as a stoic anti-hero protagonist, a good amount of suspense to create real apprehension in regards to the few action sequences in the movie, and set design that creates a consistent world that clearly never existed, but is still plausible given the story.
The movie's shortcomings are mainly that the soundtrack is reminiscent of a typical Hollywood blockbuster, and is missing the organic rustic charm that Ennio Moriconne introduced in The Dollars Trilogy. While it's true that not all great Westerns have to have the exact same style of music, the lackluster score in 'The The Quick and the Dead' just throws into stark relief what good orchestrated music can add to a Western film.
Also, Sam Raimi is clearly not a Western director. His trademarked obscure camera angles and directing style worked extremely well for The Evil Dead trilogy, but feels out of place given that 'The Quick and the Dead' is very clearly a studio-driven project and not the independent fare that audiences have come to expect from Raimi.
This review of The Quick and the Dead (1995) was written by Thorne W on 04 Dec 2010.
The Quick and the Dead has generally received positive reviews.
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