The Quick and the Dead (1995) on Netflix
R19951h 47mActionThrillerWestern
The Lady rides into Redemption, ruled by John Herod, and enters his fast-draw tournament, claiming she wants only the prize money. A preacher who once rode with Herod refuses to compete.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.5/10114,922 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes62%
Trailer
Plot summary
The frontier town of Redemption, in 1881, answers to John Herod, an outlaw who has made himself its mayor. He stages a shooting contest in which gunmen are paired off, one duel a day, until a fighter yields or dies, with a large purse for the survivor. Any contestant can call out any other and none can decline. The Lady signs up, saying the money is all she wants. As entrants register, Herod's men drag in Cort, once a member of their gang and now a preacher who has renounced killing and refuses to take part. The Lady meets The Kid, who believes Herod is his father and thinks the tournament can earn him Herod's respect.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Matt Damon was offered the role of Fee "The Kid" Herod but declined, and Sam Rockwell auditioned for it before it went to Leonardo DiCaprio. Sony was hesitant about the inexperienced DiCaprio's casting, so Stone compromised by paying his salary out of her own pocket.
- Sam Raimi was hired to direct because Stone was impressed with his work on Army of Darkness (1992); she made it clear that if he was not hired, she would quit the project.
- The writer was dismissed and replaced with John Sayles, chosen because the studio did not like the semi-serious tone and wanted "more of an American Old West film". Moore was rehired when Sayles's script approached a 2 1/2-hour runtime, and omitted Sayles's work without Sony noticing.
- To age Cort's Colt 1851 Navy Revolver and the other guns used, Reed experimented with simple measures: "I took them out by my swimming pool and dipped them in chlorine water to let them rust. They looked rusty and old, but were brand new guns."
- Stone had a love scene with Crowe removed from the final cut before the film's release in the United States; the actress and co-producer thought the scene did not fit with the picture's established reality. It was included in overseas releases, both theatrically and on home media.
