Don't Make a Scene: The Quick and the Dead (1995)

The Story: Every so often, I run out of inspiration for this Sunday "Scene" features and I prevail upon friends and acquaintances for ideas on pieces of cinema that impressed them, whether it's cinematography, great "lines" or anything else of interest that hasn't percolated up in my mind.

 

I'll get about a 20% response, generally, for something solid, but most of the time I'll get a "I'll have to think about it" or it'll be something that's not very translatable to the page.

 

But, one source that always comes through is when I ask is the group—whoever might be participating—from the vast collection of film enthusiasts that make up The Large Association of Movie Blogs and its weekly podcast The Lambcast. And it was the Lambcast's shepherd, Richard Kirkham, who suggested this scene from The Quick and the Dead, Sam Raimi's ultra-stylized western film. It's the slow-reveal of the main villain of the film.

 

And he's played by the late Gene Hackman, one of, if not THE, favorite actors of Richard's. I've only had Hackman in a couple of these Scene features, but I could probably do a Hackman scene every week for the rest of this blog's run and still have plenty of good material left over. In fact, now that I think on it, I'll probably re-run one of those next week and move on from tributing Gene Hackman...at least for awhile.

 

The Set-up: Ellen McKenzie (Sharon Stone) has rode into the town of Redemption. That's not a metaphor. That's the town's name. But, it's run by mayor John Herod (Gene Hackman), who used to be a feared outlaw before he became a feared politician. Herod is running a fast-draw tournament, where the final winner will get a big cash prize. Everybody else gets a funeral. 

 

Ellen has entered the contest. So has "The Kid" (Leonardo DiCaprio). And on her first night in town, she gets to meet the sponsor.

Action.

 

For Richard...

 

HORACE PINNICK: We got a lot of... 

PINNICK: ...spaces here. 

PINNICK: Let's fill them up, men. 

PINNICK: Let's fill em up!

ROWDY 1: I'm gonna put my name up. -

ROWDY 2: Put my name up there. 

ROWDY 3: Put my name up on this goddamn list. 

ROWDY 4: Please, senor!

JOHN HEROD: How many brave men do we have? -

PINNICK: There are 12 right now, Mr. Herod. 

PINNICK: Thirteen, if you count Foy, but he and Ratsy aren't back yet. 

HEROD: They'll be here. 

HEROD: Just running a little errand for me.

HEROD: Add my name to the list.

 

 

The Quick and the Dead 

 

Words by Simon Moore

 

Pictures by Dante Spinotti and Sam Raimi

The Quick and the Dead is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.