A gunfighting tournament becomes a vehicle for one woman's righteous vengeance.

Although set in the Old West, "The Quick and the Dead" is very close in spirit to martial arts tournament movies like "Bloodsport" and "Enter the Dragon." If you're a fan of the genre, you'll quickly recognize some plot elements very common in films like this: there is the fighting tournament that offers prestige and money to the victor, the colorful group of competitors, the villainous organizer of the event, and the hero on a righteous mission. Yet "The Quick and the Dead" is also undeniably a Western: the fighting tournament is a quick-draw contest, the fighters are hardened gunslingers, the organizer is an outlaw with a penchant for cruelty, and the hero is more likely to be found guzzling booze in the saloon than meditating. Although certainly derivative, this film also offers a few surprises.

In particular, the hero of the film defies convention. Ellen, played by Sharon Stone, is a woman gunslinger in a very male-dominated world. It may take some time to get accustomed to Stone's performance because she is hardly a physically intimidating presence. In fact, I initially thought Stone was miscast, not quite tough enough for the role. As the film continued and Ellen's character evolved, the casting of Stone started to make more sense to me; the more we learn about Ellen the more we realize that she isn't supposed to be some burly tough girl who is looking for a fight wherever she can find one. Rather, Ellen is a character whose troubled past has forced her into an uncomfortable position -- she is by no means completely at ease with her role as a killer. While Stone may be lacking in brawn, the truth is Ellen's skill with a gun, her intelligence, her determination, and her courage don't really need to be backed up by big muscles.

While Ellen's character is the most complex and the most interesting in the film, there are several other memorable characters. Russell Crowe's Cort is an enigma; an outlaw-turned-preacher forced to participate in the contest, he promises not to kill but cannot seem to control his gunfighter's instinct. In contrast to the amoral characters who torture him, Cort has a sense of right and wrong -- he seem to want to end the cycle of violence that torments the world he knows, but at the same time he himself has been inexorably shaped by that very same world. Gene Hackman is the villainous John Herod, an outlaw who rules the town through violence and cruelty. There is little to be admired about the man, but it is undeniably true that his skills as a gunman are amazing and his ability to manage his gang and the town is impressive. Perhaps the mark of a good villain is that he must be powerful enough to appear to be a serious threat to the hero -- Herod's cruelty, power, and gunfighting skill make him a very dangerous man indeed. Herod's (unacknowledged) son, on the other hand, is probably the least threatening yet one of the most likable of all the gunfighters. The Kid, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is a cocky, charismatic ladies' man who is extremely quick on the draw. Since I pointed out that Stone doesn't look like a gunslinger, then I must admit that young DiCaprio certainly doesn't either, but the Kid is an entertaining character with an interesting backstory of his own. Several other minor characters also bring a lot of life to the film; there was a lot of good acting in this film.

I cannot really call "The Quick and the Dead" an innovative movie in any way, but it is nonetheless a highly enjoyable film to watch. It stands on the shoulders of the giants that played on the silver screen before it; many of its plot elements and motifs have been repeated in countless other films. Still, it is those common plot elements and motifs that make a genre or, in this case, several genres. "The Quick and the Dead" is not meant to blaze new territory; instead, it is a continuation of several noble cinematic traditions. Naturally, fans of tournament fighting movies, Westerns, and revenge flicks will enjoy this film, but the good acting elevates it into a movie worthy of a general audience as well.