The Quick and the Dead Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
A beautiful gunslinger with a cloudy past checks into the town of Redemption to join the annual
quick-draw contest and get revenge on the man who ruined her life.
Think of Sam Raimi, and two words probably spring immediately to mind: "Horror" and Spider-Man. OK,
maybe "Bruce Campbell," too. With the Spider-Man franchise raking in untold millions of
dollars and Raimi returning to his Horror roots -- firmly secured in the Evil Dead trilogy --
with the critically-acclaimed Drag Me to Hell, his
foray into the Western genre is understandably a mere afterthought when viewed within the
context of the sum of his body of work. Nevertheless, The Quick and the Dead --
boasting perhaps the best cast Raimi has ever worked with -- stars a collection of "who's who" of
Hollywood icons: Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct), Gene
Hackman (Superman),
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator), and
Russell Crowe (3:10 to Yuma). Not
only does the film boast a fine collection of talent, but Raimi has injected The Quick and
the Dead with so much fun, energy, and classic Western motifs that the movie has only one
true flaw: it eventually has to end.
'The Quick and the Dead:' just as advertised.
A lone female rides into the town of Redemption, population: shrinking. It's a lawless town
where the stench of death hangs in the air and the local mortician sizes up every newcomer that
rides in. The woman (Stone) has arrived for the Quick Draw competition, an event that
pits one gunman against another in the ultimate in single-elimination tournament play. The
rules are simple: the first man to capitulate (or die) is eliminated, and the winner lives to shoot
another day. Shooters who draw or fire their weapon before the clocks strikes the top of the
hour are shot on the spot by sharpshooters standing watch over the field of battle. The winner
receives a cash prize of $123,000, courtesy of Wells Fargo Bank and local
all-around bad guy John Herod (Hackman). Of course, Herod wouldn't hold the tournament if he
didn't think he could win. Herod is the town tyrant; he takes half the income earned by the
townsfolk and keeps them fearful of his wrath through his prowess in the competition, not to
mention his hired goons that are armed to the teeth. With a number of shooters out to win the
competition for their own reasons, including "the kid" (DiCaprio), and a pacifist preacher forced
into
the mix (Crowe), the stakes are high, the odds are long, and the guns are oiled. Ready, aim, fire.
The Quick and the Dead is a character-driven Western that builds an entire movie
around
the genre's trademark scene: the duel. Generally reserved for the final showdown between hero
and villain on some
town's
dusty and manure-laden streets, The Quick and the Dead pits
its
characters one against another throughout, each with their own motives and all part of an
eclectic
bunch that add plenty of vibrancy to the picture. There's the quiet, revenge-minded female; the
cocky and confident kid; the contest's sponsor and town tyrant; the preacher who has renounced
violence; the Swedish gunslinger; the hired killer; the hard-to-kill Indian; the showy "Ace;" and
many others. Though the $123,000 cash prize seems incentive enough, many fight for reasons
that go beyond the dough. The Quick and the Dead builds its story on some fascinating
character dynamics and motives that won't be spoiled here, but suffice it to say that they add a
nice
layer of tension, suspense, and outright shock to several revelations and further enhance the
drama
of some of the more important duels that define the film's final act and as it moves towards the
inevitable final pair of showdowns.
Fortunately, the film's astounding collection of talent proves far more than mere window
dressing. The Quick and the Dead boasts an A-list roster, and every character delivers a
spot-on performance. They fully embrace their characters, understand the material and what
Sam Raimi wants to do with it, and the result is a fluid, lifelike picture where every actor sheds
their Hollywood sheen in favor of the rough-and-tumble, down-and-dirty attitude of Redemption.
The cast features Sharon Stone in one of her last good roles before her star dimmed considerably
in
the years following Basic Instinct; the ever-reliable Gene Hackman is, yup, ever-reliable
throughout The Quick and the Dead, delivering a pitch-perfect performance as the town's
ruthless and strong but easygoing tyrant; a pre-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio and a
pre-L.A. Confidential,
The Insider, and Gladiator Russell
Crowe turn in spot-on performances as the all-too-cocky kid and the forced-into-action preacher.
What's so special about the cast -- aside from the Oscar wins and nominations of its fab four -- is
the quality of the supporting players. Also featuring Keith David (Requiem For a
Dream), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump),
Kevin Conway (Gettysburg), Tobin Bell (Saw), Pat Hingle (Batman), and
Roberts Blossom (Home Alone),
The Quick and the Dead is one of the more star-studded films in recent memory, and the
movie is all the better for it.
Though The Quick and the Dead enjoys fantastic performances from a first-rate collection
of stars, Sam Raimi is truly the highlight of the show. He captures the very essence of the
Western;
he doesn't mock the genre, but he embraces all the clichés to wonderful effect, including plenty
of up-tight shots of gunfighters' concentrated eyes and steady hands as they prepare to draw on
their opponent. He uses quick zooms, rapid cuts, and several wonderfully-realized cockeyed
angles to frame the movie in the classic Western style. He also delivers a fabulous amount of
tension to the proceedings, and each shootout is an event unto itself. Raimi overplays some of
the film's
more dramatic elements, too; a few come off as borderline cartoonish, but it works extraordinarily
well in context. Even when the outcome of a duel -- particularly those early on and midway
through the film -- isn't in doubt, Raimi manages to add a nice bit of tension to every moment.
Nevertheless, the director saves his best work for the final act. It's no
surprise as to who is left standing, but he certainly leads the audience to believe that almost any
outcome is possible. Also featuring first-rate set and costume design and a classic Western score
courtesy of Alan Silvestri (G.I. Joe: The Rise of
Cobra), The Quick and the Dead is a complete motion picture and an
under-appreciated classic within its genre.
The Quick and the Dead wanders onto Blu-ray with a strong 1080p, 1.85:1-framed
transfer. Despite the presence of some edge enhancement, The Quick and the Dead marks
yet another Sony title that retains the look of film and features plenty of natural film grain over the
entirety of the image. The film features a typical-of-Westerns dusty, worn appearance. Colors are
naturally dim; only the bright blue sky seen in some scenes lends even a hint of vibrancy and
contrast to an otherwise brown and tan-dominated palette that make up the majority of clothing,
building façades, and the dirt road. Fine detail looks wonderful, and the lack of grain reduction
allows the image to retain every nuance in every frame. Paint chips, dents, and scratches in doors;
the gravel on and texture of the dirt road; the rusty and weathered town clock that signals the start
of every duel; and the fine engraving on the various black powder and cartridge-based revolvers all
look positively stunning. The Quick and the Dead's transfer also enjoys a fair sense of
depth, solid blacks, and neutral skin tones. Despite the edge enhancement, this is another solid
catalogue transfer from Sony.
The Quick and the Dead shoots up sound systems with a sensational Dolby TrueHD 5.1
lossless soundtrack. The track makes extensive use of the entire soundstage, and as a result the
wide-open spaces come alive with any and every small, nuanced sound and, of course, the bigger,
more intense effects that make up the film's action scenes. Buzzing insects -- a crucial sonic
element to any dusty, hot, outdoor Western -- may be heard buzzing from any given speaker at
any
give time. On one occasion, a thunderstorm engulfs the soundstage, with cracks of thunder
heard
off in the distance and seemingly all around the listener. Creaks in wooden floors bring the
soundstage to life, practically placing the listener in the middle of the town's saloon. Horses
run across the screen and, by extension, seemingly through the soundstage with a powerful
trampling sensation. Voices
and gunshots reverberate to excellent effect throughout the soundstage as well. In short,
there's nary a moment where there isn't something going on -- cracks of gunfire or subtle
background effects -- to completely immerse the listener into the film. The score sounds clear
across the entire range, and parts of it feature a solid low end that doesn't shake the foundation
but it does send palpable reverberations through the soundstage. Completed by faultless dialogue
reproduction, The Quick and the Dead's soundtrack is a match for the film-like visuals,
making the viewing experience complete.
Simply put, The Quick and the Dead is a whole lot of fun, in large part because it's clear the
filmmakers had a blast when putting this one
together. Though it's a serious movie, it offers a light tone, but not so light so as to minimize the
tension and drama of the shootouts or the characters' plights and motives. Superbly directed by
Sam Raimi, wonderfully acted by one of the more talented casts ever assembled, and delivering
everything a Western fan could want , The Quick and the Dead is one of the best of its
kind and an overlooked classic in American cinema's most storied genre. Sony's Blu-ray release
delivers a superb technical presentation but lacks any substantive bonus materials. Nevertheless,
fans will want to pick this up thanks to the high quality film-like transfer and excellent lossless
soundtrack. Enthusiastically recommended.
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