The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Sam Raimi's Mid-90's Western

Fun Fact

This is Russell Crowe's first American feature film, and he plays a morally complicated, gunslinging priest. Can you start your career in a better way?

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Flash Review!

After directing the infamous 80’s horror flick, Evil Dead, as well as the first (and best) Spiderman — Sam Raimi made his imitation Spaghetti Western, The Quick and the Dead with a star-studded cast. (Is there any film from the 90’s where we see Stone, Hackmen, Crowe, and DiCaprio together?) Even though the style and story of the film is cliche and easy, I love this movie and I’m not afraid to say it. It belongs in the cinematic canon of Movies Made for Dads.

The Quick and the Dead is everything a western of this genre should be: self-serious, over the top, and filled with one-liners and cheap tricks. In Raimi’s imaginary West, there are gunslinger competitions where the only thing worse than losing your life is losing your respect. This is a world of rough-riders and ruffians, where bullets don’t just kill: they leave holes in your enemy, through which the Texas sun can shine.

If you want a movie that makes you laugh or shout or remember what it was like to shoot cap guns at your brothers, I can’t recommend The Quick and the Dead enough.

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Where to Watch

• Dad’s movie collection in the unfinished basement — free

• Criterion Channel — free (until the end of January)

• AMC+ — free

• Amazon Prime — $3.99

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