Retribution and Redemption

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995) with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio, has the same name but a very different story from a Louis L'Amour novel and a Sam Elliot - Kate Capshaw movie based on it. I mention that to spare you some confusion. All they have in common is that they are westerns. The title gets its name from the two categories of gunfighters.

It's the 1870s. The isolated prairie town of Redemption was a nice little place until about twenty years ago when the ruthless outlaw John Herod (Gene Hackman) and his gang of killers rode in, killed the marshal (Gary Sinese, very briefly), and took over the town. The only law that now exists in Redemption is from the muzzle of Herod's gun, and he runs the town like a private fiefdom, with Herod squeezing protection money from the local peasants. As a demonstration of his sovereignty over the community, he has announced a gunfighting competition with a huge prize. Why is this competition a demonstration of his power? Because it consists of the contestants shooting each other in the street, Gunsmoke style, and the prize goes to the one who isn't dead.

Herod's announcement attracts all sorts of dangerous people; an Indian who claims he is impervious to bullets, a professional bounty hunter (Lance Henriksen), a teenager who claims to be a very accomplished desperado with a special motive for competing (a young Leonardo DiCaprio), and many other very dangerous sociopaths with sidearms. Just as the schedule of the duels is being worked up, in comes a young woman (Sharon Stone, the co-producer) eager to shoot it out with the boys, willing to take her chances, but she seems not to be in it for the money. Even that crowd of contestants isn't enough to please Herod; he has a retired partner of his, a reformed killer who is now a preacher (Russell Crowe, in his first American film), abducted and brought to town and forced to participate in the slaughter.

Bit by bit the competition winnows down the bull pen. Herod personally dispatches someone who had been bragging about killing people who were actually killed by Herod. The Lady (Stone) first shoots a crud who already tried to shoot her on her way to the town, then takes an extra turn to deal with one of those swine who had molested a little girl. The Preacher is forced to face - with the flimsiest gun that Herod could find - another gunslinger, who figures this will be an easy win. The Kid (DiCaprio) outdraws the Swedish champion and announces "Am I good, or is Sweden just a very small place?" The Lady has plans to shoot Herod, not necessarily in a fair gunfight, but the Kid wants to do it first.

The suspense is as important as the stunts and the special effects. The action in this movie is very entertaining but the storyline is equally impressive.

Sharon Stone, besides being a (or the) star, was one of the producers. She insisted that Russell Crowe be cast as the Preacher, and that DiCaprio be cast as the Kid. Additionally, we have our last glimpse of the late Woody Strode, about 10 seconds as the town's coffin maker.

The DVD version (and also one internet website) offers an edited-out brief love scene between Stone and Crowe - which offers a half-second glimpse of Sharon Stone's peerless pair. This movie was filmed, over an eight week period, in Arizona, including a preserved wild west town called Old Tucson.

I really liked this movie. It has impressive photography, costuming, scenery, stunts, special effects, and acting. Even the dialogue is good. There a couple of logical lapses (such as how quickly two characters recover from very serious injuries) but overlook them for the sake of the storytelling. In this surreal setting, we see heroism, sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil. This movie might be too intense for small children and squeamish adults, but it's a goodie.