Wikipedia

The Quick and the Dead(1995 film)

The Quick and the Deadis a 1995 Americanrevisionist Westernfilm directed bySam Raimi,and starringSharon Stone,Gene Hackman,Russell Crowe,andLeonardo DiCaprio.The screenplay was written bySimon Moore,but includes contributions fromJoss Whedon.[5]The story focuses on "The Lady" (Stone), agunfighterwho rides into thefrontiertown of Redemption, controlled by John Herod (Hackman). The Lady joins a deadly dueling competition in an attempt to exact revenge for her father's death.

The Quick and the Dead
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySam Raimi
Written bySimon Moore
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDante Spinotti
Edited byPietro Scalia
Music byAlan Silvestri
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • February 10, 1995(1995-02-10)(United States)
Running time
108 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[3]
Box office$47 million[4]

Simon Moore's script was purchased bySony Pictures Entertainmentin May 1993, and actress Sharon Stone signed on as both star and co-producer. Development was fast tracked after director Sam Raimi's hiring, andprincipal photographybegan inOld Tucson StudiosinArizonaon November 21, 1993. The film was distributed byTriStar Picturesand was released in the United States on February 10, 1995, to a dismal box-office performance, receiving mixed reviews from critics. In later years, however, the film has earned critical praise, especially for the performances, direction, cinematography, and musical score, with some critics noting it as underrated in Raimi's catalog.[6][7][8][9]

Plot

edit

In 1881, a gunslinger known as "The Lady" arrives in theOld Westtown of Redemption, which is ruled by a ruthless outlaw-turned-mayor named John Herod. Herod has announced a fast-drawsingle-eliminationshooting tournament with these rules: Any contestant may challenge any other, no challenge can be refused, every contestant must fight once per day, and a fight continues until one contestant either yields or dies. The Lady announces her participation, insisting that she is only interested in the large cash prize.

During the sign-up, Herod's henchmen arrive with Cort, a former member of their gang with an exceptional gunfighting skill. Cort has renounced violence to become a preacher and refuses to participate in the tournament. Herod's menattempt to lynch him,but The Lady shoots through the rope, freeing him. The Lady meets "The Kid", a brash young man who believes Herod is his father and hopes to earn his respect by winning the tournament. She wakes up alone in the Kid's bed, and notices some barrels of loosedynamiteunder it.

In the first round, Herod, The Kid, and The Lady easily defeat their opponents. Herod gives Cort a cheap gun and declares that he can only have one bullet at a time, to prevent him from shooting his way out of town. Despite his conversion, Cort reflexively draws when challenged and wins his first-round duel.

Before the second round, Herod meets with Clay Cantrell, a professionalgunfighterhired by the townspeople to kill him. Herod declares that all duels are now to the death and kills Cantrell. The Kid wins his second fight. Later, The Lady faces off with Eugene Dred after he molests the saloon owner's young daughter, eventually killing him. Upset, she rides out of town.

Meanwhile, Cort duels a Native American gunslinger, Spotted Horse, and must beg for a second bullet when his first shot fails to kill him. Doc Wallace finds The Lady at a nearby cemetery and tells her that he recognizes her and knows why she is there. Flashbacks reveal that the Lady's real name is Ellen. Her father was themarshalin Redemption until Herod's gang invaded and lynched him. Herod gave Ellen a pistol and three shots to try to shoot the rope, but she accidentally killed him, after which she fled town. Doc hands Ellen her father's old badge and convinces her to help rid the town of Herod.

The following day, Ellen challenges Herod, but he has already accepted a challenge from The Kid. As Ellen and Cort are the only fighters left, Herod orders them to fight, threatening to kill them himself if they refuse. Herod urges The Kid to withdraw, but he refuses. He wounds Herod, but ultimately loses the duel. Herod coldly refuses to take his hand while he dies, and afterward says it was never proven that he was The Kid's father. When Cort and Ellen face off, Cort draws and fires on her, and Doc declares Ellen dead. Cort angrily demands to fight Herod immediately, but settles for dawn of the next day. That night, one of Herod's men breaks Cort's right hand.

The next morning, Herod rebukes the henchman and kills him for harming Cort. Herod confesses that he is afraid of Cort, which is why he forced him to enter the tournament. As a matter of honor, he offers to fight Cort left-handed, but still instructs his henchmen to kill Cort if he wins. At the moment Herod draws, several buildings explode, including Herod's house and the clock tower. Ellen emerges from the smoke and flames, having faked her death and planted The Kid's dynamite with help from Cort and Doc. Cort kills Herod's remaining henchmen while Ellen faces off against Herod, revealing her identity by throwing her father's badge at his feet. Herod wounds Ellen, but she shoots him and finishes him off with a bullet to the eye. Tossing the badge to Cort, she says, "The law's come back to town", then saddles up and rides away.

Cast

edit
Gene Hackman portrayed John Herod, the film's main antagonist.

Production

edit

Development

edit

Writer Simon Moore finished hisspeculative scriptforThe Quick and the Deadin late 1992, writing it as ahomageto thespaghetti WesternsofSergio Leone,particularly theDollars TrilogystarringClint Eastwood.The writer decided the lead character should be a female. "When you introduce women into that kind of world, something very interesting happens and you have an interesting dynamic straight away," Moore commented.[10]The names of the lead villain (Herod) and the town (Redemption) were intentional allusions to the Bible.[10]Moore considered directing his own script as anindependent filmand shootingThe Quick and the Deadon a $3–4 million budget in either Spain or Italy.[10]

Sony Pictures Entertainmentpurchased Moore's script in May 1993 and approached Sharon Stone, fresh off the success ofBasic Instinct,to star in the lead role in July 1993.[10]Because Stone also signed on as co-producer, she had approval over the choice of director. Sam Raimi was hired to direct because Stone was impressed with his work onArmy of Darkness(1992); she made it clear that if he was not hired, she would quit the project. Although Stone had mixed emotions on Raimi's previous work, she believed in his ability to handle the campy tone of the film, feeling thatThe Quick and the Deadwould be a perfect opportunity to "stretch the limits of his technical and creative ability."[11]Moore was also enthusiastic over Raimi's hiring, based on his previous work with theEvil Deadfilm series.[10]

When Sony beganfast trackingdevelopment ofThe Quick and the Dead,the studio commissioned a series of rewrites from Moore. The writer was eventually dismissed and replaced withJohn Sayles,who, according to Moore, was chosen because the studio didn't like the semi-serious tone and instructed him towards "making more of anAmerican Old Westfilm. "[3]Moore was rehired with filming to begin in three weeks because Sayles' script was approaching a 2.5-hour runtime. When rewriting theshooting script,Moore simply omitted Sayles' work without Sony noticing. A week before shooting, Sony considered the script good enough to shoot; Moore described the rewrites "a completely fucking pointless exercise."[3]

Filming

edit

Russell Crowe originally auditioned for a different role in the film before Sharon Stone asked that the actor try for the lead male role. "When I sawRomper Stomper(1992), I thought Russell was not only charismatic, attractive and talented, but also fearless, "Stone reasoned." And I find fearlessness very attractive. I was convinced I wouldn't scare him. "[12]Raimi found Crowe to be "bold and challenging. He reminds me of what we imagine the American cowboy to have been like."[12]On working with Raimi, Crowe later described the director as "sort of like the fourthStooge."[10]

Director Sam Raimi

Sony Pictures was dubious over Stone's choice of Crowe because he was unknown to American audiences in the mid-1990s.[10]To cast Gene Hackman in the role of Herod, TriStar Pictures changed the shooting location fromDurango,Mexico toTucson, Arizona.[13]Matt Damonwas offered the role of Fee "The Kid" Herod, but declined.[14]Sam Rockwellalso auditioned for The Kid, a role which ended up going to Leonardo DiCaprio.[15]Sony was also hesitant about the inexperienced DiCaprio's casting; Stone compromised by paying his salary out of her own pocket.[10]

Filming was originally set to begin in October 1993,[16]but was delayed because Crowe needed to finish a prior commitment in Australia.[10]Principal photographyforThe Quick and the Deadlasted from November 21, 1993, to February 27, 1994.[16][17]Locations includedOld Tucson Studiosin Arizona[10]and Mescal, 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Tucson.[3]Production was briefly halted at times over weather problems.[18]Thell Reed,who was hired as the gun coach andweapons master,[10]worked with the cast through over three months of training.[3]To age Cort'sColt 1851 Navy Revolverand the other guns used, Reed experimented with simple measures. "I took them out by my swimming pool and dipped them in chlorine water to let them rust," he explained. "They looked rusty and old, but were brand new guns."[18]Such detail, including thenickelplating and ivory handles on Ellen'sColt Peacemakers,was accurate to the time period.[18]

The town of Redemption was designed byPatrizia von Brandenstein,known for her work onAmadeus(1984) andThe Untouchables(1987).[3]Raimi's first choice as thevisual effects supervisorwas William Mesa, his collaborator onDarkman(1990) andArmy of Darkness(1992). Instead, Sony choseThe Computer Film Companyto create the VFX sequences.[10]Pick-upscenes took place through November - December 1994. This included an extended duel between Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman.[19]

Stone had a love scene with Crowe removed from the final cut ofThe Quick and the Deadbefore the film's release in the United States.[20]The actress/co-producer thought the scene did not fit in with the picture's established reality.[3]It was included in overseas releases of the film, both theatrically and on home media.

Soundtrack

edit

The original motion-picture soundtrack forThe Quick and the Deadwas released by theVarèse Sarabandemusic label on February 14, 1995.[21]The score for the film was composed and conducted byAlan Silvestriand mixed byDennis Sands.Kenneth Karman and Thomas Drescher edited the film's music.[22]

The Quick and the Dead: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Film scoreby
Alan Silvestri
ReleasedFebruary 14, 1995
Length31:01
LabelVarèse Sarabande
The Quick and the Dead: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
No.TitleLength
1."Redemption"3:25
2."Gunfight Montage"1:41
3."Couldn't Tell Us Apart"1:17
4."John Herod"1:21
5."Ellen's First Round"1:10
6."Lady's the Winner"0:47
7."Dinner Tonight"2:11
8."Cort's Story"1:02
9."Ellen vs. Dred"1:10
10."Kid vs. Herod"4:17
11."I Don't Wanna Die"2:00
12."The Big Day"2:27
13."Ellen Returns"3:54
14."The Law's Come Back to Town"0:49
15."The Quick and the Dead (End Credits)"3:30
Total length:31:01

Release

edit

Box office

edit

The Quick and the Deadwas released in the U.S. and Canada on February 10, 1995, in 2,158 theaters, earning $6,515,861 in its opening weekend, placing second at the US box office behindBilly Madisonby $124,000. The film eventually grossed $18,636,537 at the US and Canadian box office.[23]Writer Simon Moore noted that the film performed modestly in Europe.[3]The movie grossed $28 million outside the United States and Canada, for a worldwide gross of $47 million.[4]

Director Sam Raimi later blamed himself and his visual style for the film's failure. "I was very confused after I made that movie. For a number of years, I thought, ‘I'm like a dinosaur’. I couldn't change with the material."[3]TriStar Pictures also showedThe Quick and the Deadas an "out-of-competition" film at the May1995 Cannes Film Festival.[24]Additionally, Stone was nominated for theSaturn Award for Best Actress,but lost toAngela BassettinStrange Days.[25]Anovelizationwritten byJack Curtiswas published byHarperCollinsin September 1995.[26]TheRegion 1 DVDrelease came in September 1998.[27]

Critical reception

edit

The Quick and the Deadreceived mixed reviews from film critics. Based on 40 reviews,Rotten Tomatoesgives the film a score of 58%, with an average rating of 6.01/10. The site's consensus states, "The Quick and the Deadisn't quite the draw that its intriguing premise and pedigree suggest, but fans of nontraditional Westerns should have some rootin', tootin' fun. "[28]Metacriticcalculated an average score of 49/100, based on 21 reviews.[29]

Janet MaslinofThe New York Timespraised Stone's performance and Raimi's directing. "Stone's presence nicely underscores the genre-bending tactics of Raimi, thecult filmmakernow doing his best to reinvent theB moviein a spirit of self-referential glee. "[30]Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timescriticized the film for being overtlycliché,but praised Raimi's direction andDante Spinotti'scinematography.[31]Critic and Raimi biographerBill Warrenwrote that the film "is a very conscious (though not self-conscious) attempt to recreate some of the themes, style, and appeal of Sergio Leone's majestically operatic spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s, especially theMan with No Nametrilogy that starred Clint Eastwood. It's brisker, more romantic, and somehow more American than Leone's movies. "[11]

The cinematographer, Dante Spinotti (The Last of the Mohicans) makes the material look terrific. The lowering skies around the isolated town make it look ripe for vengeance of biblical proportions, and there are quiet satirical touches, as when a man stands in a saloon door and his shadow seems about 6 miles long.

—Roger Ebert, writing in theChicago Sun-Times[31]

Jonathan Rosenbaumof theChicago Readerobserved, "Raimi tries to do a Sergio Leone, and thoughThe Quick and the Deadis highly enjoyable in spots, it doesn't come across as very convincing, perhaps because nothing can turn Sharon Stone intoCharles Bronson."[32]Peter TraversofRolling Stonefelt that "The Quick and the Deadplays like a crazed compilation of highlights from famous Westerns. Raimi finds the right look, but misses the heartbeat. You leave the film dazed instead of dazzled, as if an expert marksman had drawn his gun, only to shoot himself in the foot. "[33]

Critical reassessment

edit

Although having a mixed critical reception upon release,The Quick and the Deadhas received praise from both critics and fans alike. Tom Reimann ofColliderconsiders the film as one of Raimi's best movies: "The movie is so unabashedly bonkers that it’s impossible not to have a good time."[34]Scott Hallam ofDread Centralpraised Raimi's directing and versatility in multiple genres of film and the cast.[35]Jay Royston of WhatCulture praised the film and considered it one of Raimi's finest movies by saying, "...I have to put it in the top three Raimi movies, maybe because it is so unlike other Raimi films, yet combines all three of the best qualities of a director already mentioned; working with actors, innovating camera shots, and telling a good story visually."[36]Bill Gibron ofPopMatterssaid, "This was the geek breaking point for many a certified Raimaniac. First off, it was a Western in the days when the genre was more or less struggling for life. In addition, it starred a yet to be hot Leonardo DiCaprio, a question mark named Russell Crowe, and the sexually inert Sharon Stone. About the only thing it had going for it was Raimi's manic direction, and even that seemed...showy. Still, in retrospect, this is a good film, undermined by forces outside itself."[37]Matt Schimkowitz of AVClub also praised the film: "With a cast like that, it’s expected, but it’s never been this stylish, original, and fun.[38]Ben Travis of Empire ranked it as the third best movie of Raimi: "It’s a real sharp-shooter, an ultra-stylish shootout spectacular with a top cast, and some of his most creative camerawork."[39]

Richard Schertzer ofMovieWebconsidered the film as one of Raimi's best films: "With its energy, a subversive female lead from Stone, and its surprising violence, The Quick and the Dead makes for a strong entry in his repertoire as a filmmaker and a wondrous first time western for him."[40]Patrick Philips fromLooperalso praised the movie and considered it a "cult classic": "Of all the films on Sam Raimi's delightfully left-of-center resume, this is the one that deserves to be rediscovered by the cinematic world — if only via midnight screenings."[41]BJ Colangelo of/Filmalso praised the movie and considered it one of Raimi’s most underrated films: "There are enough dutch angle dolly zooms in this film to make someone feel disoriented, but it works."The Quick and the Dead"has the heart of a classic Western, but revamped for modern audiences with snappier taste."[42]Film critic Adrian Martin remarked, "Sam Raimi'sThe Quick and the Deadis a feminist Western starring a gun-toting Sharon Stone. [There is] a terrific scene where Lady goes berserk and challenges a guy who has just sexually abused the teenage daughter of the sad saloonkeeper. Raimi takes us straight from Stone’s split-second outburst of recognition to the sight of her racing forward in the pelting rain, both guns firing in righteous fury, screaming from the depths of her soul. Leone himself couldn’t have done that bit any better ".[43]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^"The Quick and the Dead".British Board of Film Classification. March 8, 1995.Archivedfrom the original on August 5, 2018.RetrievedJuly 5,2017.
  2. ^"The Quick and the Dead".British Film Institute. Archived fromthe originalon January 8, 2018.RetrievedJuly 5,2017.
  3. ^abcdefghiJohn Kenneth Muir(2004).The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi.New York City: Applause: Theatre & Cinema Books. pp.180–189.ISBN1-55783-607-8.
  4. ^ab"Planet Hollywood".Screen International.August 30, 1996. pp. 14–15.
  5. ^"Sam Raimi Explains Why Spider-Man 4 Didn't Happen".Spinoff Online. March 6, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on August 21, 2014.RetrievedAugust 21,2014.
  6. ^"The Quick and the Dead Blu-ray Review - IGN".September 8, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on May 3, 2019.RetrievedMay 3,2019.
  7. ^"Sam Raimi's Western F****** Rules".May 5, 2022.
  8. ^"The films of Sam Raimi, ranked".Entertainment Weekly.
  9. ^https://collider /sam-raimi-the-quick-and-the-dead-best-90s-western/
  10. ^abcdefghijklMuir, pp. 171-179
  11. ^abBill Warren(2000). "Blood Still in the Veins".The Evil Dead Companion.London:Titan Books.pp. 162–179.ISBN0-312-27501-3.
  12. ^abJamie Diamond (March 26, 1995). "Straight Out of Australia, to L.A.".The New York Times.
  13. ^Army Archerd(August 16, 1993)."Douglas wows 'Greedy' cast, crew".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2012.RetrievedMarch 7,2009.
  14. ^Woog, Adam (2012).Matt Damon.Infobase Learning.ISBN9781438141220.
  15. ^Rebecca Murray; Fred Topel."Sam Rockwell Talks AboutConfessions of a Dangerous Mind".About.Archived fromthe originalon February 27, 2009.RetrievedMarch 7,2009.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^abArmy Archerd (October 13, 1993)."Lemmon enjoying fruitful outings".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2012.RetrievedMarch 7,2009.
  17. ^Army Archerd (February 25, 1994)."Friends stunned, saddened by Shore's death".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2012.RetrievedMarch 7,2009.
  18. ^abcMuir, pp.190-197
  19. ^Army Archerd (December 20, 1994)."H'w'd pumped for sequel to 'Gump'".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2012.RetrievedMarch 7,2009.
  20. ^"Winnie Mandela Caught in New Flap".Eugene Register-Guard. February 12, 1995.RetrievedFebruary 19,2011.
  21. ^"The Quick and the Dead Soundtrack".Amazon.1995.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2021.RetrievedApril 10,2011.
  22. ^"The Quick and the Dead (1995)".Yahoo! Movies.Archivedfrom the original on June 24, 2010.RetrievedApril 10,2011.
  23. ^"The Quick and the Dead".Box Office Mojo.Archivedfrom the original on August 27, 2011.RetrievedApril 10,2011.
  24. ^"Festival de Cannes: The Quick and the Dead".festival-cannes.Archivedfrom the original on August 22, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 8,2009.
  25. ^"Past Saturn Awards".Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.Archived fromthe originalon February 7, 2008.RetrievedMarch 9,2009.
  26. ^Curtis, Jack; Moore, Simon (1995).The Quick and the Dead (Paperback).HarperCollins.ISBN0006496512.
  27. ^The Quick and the Dead (1995).ISBN0767817710.
  28. ^"The Quick and the Dead (1995)".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on September 15, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 6,2020.
  29. ^"The Quick and the Dead (1995): Reviews".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2008.RetrievedMarch 11,2009.
  30. ^Janet Maslin(February 10, 1995). "The Quick and the Dead".The New York Times.
  31. ^abRoger Ebert(February 10, 1995)."The Quick and the Dead".Chicago Sun-Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2008.RetrievedMarch 11,2009.
  32. ^Jonathan Rosenbaum."The Quick and the Dead".Chicago Reader.Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2013.RetrievedMarch 11,2009.
  33. ^Peter Travers(March 9, 1995)."The Quick and the Dead".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on January 18, 2011.RetrievedMarch 10,2011.
  34. ^"10 Box Office Bombs That Became Classic Movies".Collider.July 27, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on July 27, 2020.RetrievedJuly 27,2020.
  35. ^Hallam, Scott (February 18, 2014)."The Top 9 Sam Raimi Films – Horror and Otherwise".Dread Central.Archivedfrom the original on September 22, 2014.RetrievedOctober 26,2019.
  36. ^Royston, Jay (March 7, 2013)."Sam Raimi: Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best".WhatCulture.Archivedfrom the original on March 29, 2019.RetrievedOctober 26,2019.
  37. ^Gibron, Bill (March 12, 2013)."Sam Raimi: Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best".PopMatters.Archivedfrom the original on July 11, 2019.RetrievedOctober 26,2019.
  38. ^"Every Sam Raimi movie, ranked from worst to best".The A.V. Club.May 5, 2022.
  39. ^"Sam Raimi's 10 Best Films, Ranked".April 21, 2023.
  40. ^"The Best Sam Raimi Films, Ranked".January 20, 2022.
  41. ^"Every Sam Raimi Movie Ranked Worst to Best".February 27, 2020.
  42. ^Colangelo, B. J. (May 3, 2022)."Doctor Strange 2 Director Sam Raimi Had One Of The Most Interesting Filmographies Of The '90s"./Film.
  43. ^"The Quick and the Dead".March 2007.
edit
Wikiquote has quotations related toThe Quick and the Dead.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Quick_and_the_Dead_(1995_film)&oldid=1234943931"