Review of The Quick and the Dead (1995) by Ian R — 20 Nov 2007

I thought this show was a very solid show. It mostly captures a western feel, but there are a few points where you kind of feel taken out of the western genre and into a little more of an action genre (such as when Gene Hackman gets sent on a back flip after getting shot).

I liked the idea of a tournament gun fight and how it tied together so many character conflicts, such as the Lady and Herod, Herod and the Kid, Herod and Cort, Herod and Ace, Herod and the townsfolk through the hired Cantrall, the Lady and Dred, and the Lady and Kelly.

Obviously, the most important one is the conflict between the Lady and Herod, which is revealled to run very deep through the course of the show. I thought that the story was very solid and captured the spirit of a western.

The charcters were all played strongly, especially Gene Hackman and Russel Crowe. Sharon Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio did a good job also, with Stone doing an OK job portraying a character with a fairly complex mix of emotions.

I also liked the relatively short appearance by Gary Sinise. Overall, one of my favourite films in the wester genre to watch.