Mort ou vif

It has speed, dynamics, directorial invention, and, surprisingly, style, something that cannot be said about the dumb and clichéd Spiderman. The story of revenge is surprisingly very watchable and in many ways reminiscent of the legendary Once Upon a Time in the West. I didn’t really believe in the roughness of Sharon Stone. In contrast, Gene Hackman is classically brutal, but we already know that that from The Unforgiven. The duels are interestingly staged, and the viewer definitely won't get bored. However, considering the star-studded cast, you could expect a little more. None of the people involved messed up anything in particular, yet this film will soon smoke out of your mind, leaving only a vague memory. (03/08/2006)

The Quick and the Dead is a western I always like to watch. Sam Raimi's love of the genre, resurrected three years earlier by Eastwood's (unrivalled and unbeatable) Unforgiven, is evident in every minute. Raimi quotes famous movies, he's not afraid to even steal from one of the most famous (yes, Once Upon a Time in the West), he does what he wants, he does it in a fun way, and he does it alongside a plethora of top-notch actors. Clearly the best of them are Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. Sharon Stone is interesting as a heroine, but she fails to stand out among the others (or at least keep up with them). Praise must go to Silvestri's "Morricone" music and the great cinematography. Four-star entertainment. (13/11/2010)