The Quick and the Dead

The Quick and the Dead (1995)

  • 55% of critics liked it
    (40 reviews)

  • 54% of users liked it
    (63,360 ratings)

Director Sam Raimi brings his trademark comic book-influenced visual panache to this post-modern Western. Sharon Stone stars as Ellen, a mysterious female gunslinger who arrives in the frontier hamlet of Redemption for a contest pitting quick-draw artists against each other. The event is the… More

R,
Directed By
Genres
Western, Action & Adventure, Cult Movies
In Theaters
Feb 10, 1995 Wide
Sony Pictures Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Derek Adams, Time Out

    A deadpan black comedy, Sam Raimi's fast-paced movie looks and sounds like a Leone oater but more so.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    Mr. Raimi is limited by a sketch mentality, which means his jokes tend to be over long before his films end. But his tastes for visual mischief and crazy, ill-advised homage can still make for sly, sporadic fun.

  • Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

    What Raimi can't find is a center. He hankers for us to giggle at the brutal archetypes he's parodying and to warm to them, too. It won't wash, pardner.

  • Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

    Rarely dull, it is not noticeably compelling either, and as the derivative offshoot of a derivative genre, it inevitably runs out of energy well before any of its hotshots runs out of bullets.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    As preposterous as the plot was, there was never a line of Hackman dialogue that didn't sound as if he believed it. The same can't be said, alas, for Sharon Stone...

Read all 14 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Emil K


    Sam Raimi's entry into western is a chaotic mess that is often too silly to be taken seriously. On the other hand it also clearly wants to be taken serious with it's revenge backstory and dramatically staged duels. Still the biggest disappointment here is the fact that Raimi… More

  • xGary X


    A female gun slinger enters a quick draw tournament in her home town of Redemption to revenge herself against the outlaw who murdered her father. One of Sam Raimi's lesser known efforts, this is a fun comic-strip style horse opera that's more of a homage than a modern-day… More

  • Phil H


    Remember when Sharon Stone was big? remember that? seems along time ago doesn't it, also seems odd to think it too with her rather bland boring 80's look. Bit of a cult this one with a fantastic line up of character actors and stars including DiCaprio, Hackman, Keith David,… More

  • Mike S


    Gunslingers galore! A fun and spirited Western, about a duel tournament between an impressive array of charismatic characters. Worth seeing just for the extraordinary cast, which among many famous names includes Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Lance Henriksen and a very young Leonardo… More

  • Jens S


    Really fun Western flick by Sam Raimi. The wild camera angles and imaginatively filmed shootouts make for a really entertaining ride. Of course there are the expected stereotypes, but also plenty of surprises. The idea of a bunch of duels arranged like a tennis tournament is just… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Get It Now

Available in standard definition

Learn more about renting and buying on Flixster

Also available on

UltraViolet Retailers

Other Retailers

Subscription Services

Not Available
Not Available
Not Available

Cast

See more (29)

More Like This