A woman rides into town and finds herself caught-up in shooting duel competition, which fits her agenda for revenge.
Simon Moore's basic story and director Sam Raimi's staging is a homage of sorts to the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone, particularly the Dollars Trilogy. What makes Raimi's Quick and the Dead appealing is the star studded cast and an array of supporting actors including Lance Henriksen, Keith David, Gary Sinise and Pat Hingle... There's really too many to mention.
Moore's revenge/redemption script has a moral core, some heartfelt moments and surprise deaths but essentially it is a series of showdowns. Raimi's offering is not as gritty looking as it could be but it has some nice setups, special effects, explosions and shootouts. Each of the actors have clearly put a lot of effort into handling their weapons, particularly notable is Russell Crowe. The great (now retired) Gene Hackman, a fresh Crowe, a young Leonardo DiCaprio and of course Sharon Stone (who is also one of the producers) to name a few in the lead roles are a joy to watch.
With a fitting score from Alan Silvestri complimenting Raimi's trade mark and snappy camera work, holes in heads, rain storms and the burning sun it adds up to an entertaining enough Western. It's just too glossy and stylized to feel like the classic material it's trying to emulate. Nevertheless, it's still worth viewing for the performances alone.
