Review #1,404: 'The Quick and the Dead' (1995)

By 1995, the western genre had all but disappeared completely from our cinema screens. Black-and-white tales of cowboys and Indians in America's Old West was the stuff your granddad would watch on television during the day and claim they just don't make 'em like this anymore. They didn't stop completely however, with the likes of Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man making an earnest attempt to infuse the genre with a psychedelic, folksy edge, and George P. Cosmatos' Tombstone turning the events at the OK Corral into an explosive action thriller. Some, like Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, while adding a more sombre tone, successfully stuck the traditions of the genre, while others, like Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead, simply took an old-fashioned premise and ran with it. If you're looking for revisionism or an interesting take on an iconic time in America's history, then The Quick and the Dead ain't the film for that, but you may just find yourself having a bit more fun that you expected.

The town of Redemption was once a thriving community, but it now rests in the hands of the ruthless mayor and former outlaw John Herod (Gene Hackman). Herod enjoys a nice house while taxing his citizens 50% on any money they make, and apparently relieves his boredom by hosting a quick-draw contest every year. Gunslingers from all across the country arrive to take part - but God knows why, given the obviously high risk of death - including the mysterious Ellen (Sharon Stone), who shares a history with both the town and Herod himself. Also in town is Kid (Leonardo DiCaprio), a cocky teenager with a steady hand who also believes he is Herod's unacknowledged son, and a repentant outlaw-turned-preacher named Cort (Russell Crowe). Cort is dragged into the contest against his will by Herod's cronies, and the boss man is seemingly angered at his former associate's new anti-violence stance. There's backstory and melodrama, but it's all just an excuse for a series of stand-offs in a town where it always seems to be high noon.

While subverting expectations by enlisting a woman to play the central gunslinger, Raimi may as well have cast a broom in a wig, as Stone struggles to convincingly brood and frown and maintain any kind of interest in her character. Faring considerably better are DiCaprio and Crowe, who were just a few years off Titanic and Gladiator and the global stardom that followed. Their charisma and star quality are as clear as day, especially when they share a scene with the one-note Stone. For a film that boasts a wonderful supporting cast (Roberts Blossom, Tobin Bell, Keith David, Lance Henriksen and Gary Sinise are just some of the familiar faces), they all cower in the shadow of Gene Hackman, who somehow manages to turn some truly atrocious dialogue into Shakespeare. Yet the real star is Raimi's crazy camera lens. Before he was bringing Peter Parker's swinging exploits vividly to life in Spider-Man, he was crash-zooming on the faces of readying gunslingers and capturing daylight through a bullet-hole in the belly. It's silly, outrageous and wonderful. The problem is everything that comes in between, from the dreary central hero to the unengaging backstories.


Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobin Bell, Roberts Blossom, Kevin Conway, Keith David, Lance Henriksen, Pat Hingle
Country: Japan/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,367: 'Spider-Man 3' (2007)

When Marvel Studios were finally allowed some control over their most bankable character Spider-Man with just enough time to fit him into Captain America: Civil War, even the most die-hard superhero obsessives had grown tired of the adventures of Peter Parker and his red-suited alter-ego. When Tom Holland's definitive incarnation eventually graced the screen in a glorious extended cameo, it suddenly all made sense. Sony, who still held onto the rights but agreed to share with Marvel and allow him into their universe, simply didn't know what to do with him. They were on a roll with Sam Raimi's horror-inflected vision, which placed character above action and made Parker an underdog you could really root for. But the studio wanted more, and forced Raimi to shoe-horn in a fan-favourite villain at the expense of what was so great about this series. The worst part is that they did it again just seven years later with their Andrew Garfield-led reboot.

The villain the studio demanded was Venom, the razor-toothed, lizard-tongued alien symbiote who attaches itself to Spider-Man and improves his powers, while turning him into a dancing, floppy-haired douchebag at the same time. But Venom isn't the only Spidey foe appearing, for we also have a new Green Goblin, played by a returning James Franco, and Flint Marko, aka the Sandman, played by an incredibly bored-looking Thomas Haden Church. The evolution of Franco's Harry Obsorn has been set up from the very start, so his emergence as his father's successor to don the goblin mask and wreak havoc for our friendly neighbourhood web-spinner should feel natural and well-timed, until he is hit on the head and develops amnesia. With so much already going on, it feels like both an unnecessary step back in the story and sheer lazy writing. We are also given Marko's backstory, and it turns out the lug-headed escaped con was the man really responsible for Uncle Ben's death, which paves the way for more of Tobey Maguire's constipation face during his quiet time with Aunt May (Rosemary Harris).

There's simply too much going on, and when the film allows the pace to slow enough to spend some quality time with its central character, it turns out that Peter has turned into such an insufferable narcissist that we can't wait to get away from him. But, if you've seen the film, you'll know that's not the worst of it. The black alien goo arrives from space without explanation, and just so happens to land nearest to Peter Parker. The posters teased the darker side of Spider-Man, but what we got was spontaneous dancing, winking at girls in the street, and not listening to Mary Jane's (Kirsten Dunst) acting career troubles. I remember hiding behind my hands back in 2007 during the now-infamous dance sequence, and it hasn't improved with age. I've never uttered the words "I just want it to stop" out loud during a movie before, not until I saw Spider-Man 3 for the second time anyway. But it doesn't stop, not for what feels like another two hours, squeezing in Eddie Brock's (Topher Grace) transformation from slimy, unethical photographer into the vengeful Venom, and forging alliances that come out of nothing. As the wasted Kirsten Dunst screams as she hangs from an alien web at the climax, you'll be thinking that everybody involved is so much better than this, and they were, just three years earlier.


Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, James Cromwell
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,363: 'Spider-Man 2' (2004)

With the popularity of superhero movies now at an all-time high, thanks mainly to the runaway success of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, there's a reason that the likes of Richard Donner's Superman and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 are still considered two of the finest examples of the genre. These skilled, experienced film-makers were allowed to fully explore the character beyond the cape and build a tangible world from the pages of the comics they clearly admired. Raimi's 2002 introduction to the wall-crawler was a bigger hit than the studio could have ever imagined, so he was granted even more creative control on the direction to take the story for the follow-up. We last saw Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker turn his back on the love of his life as he struggled to juggle his personal life with the heroics required of possessing such great power, and Spider-Man 2 spends much of its opening hour dealing with the aftermath.

It's a slow build, but one which highlights Raimi's attention to detail. Peter Parker is just as important as his alter-ego Spider-Man, and this sequel explores the idea that one may have to be sacrificed for the other. Parker, a highly gifted student, is struggling to meet his homework deadlines, find time for his beloved Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), and his instinct to follow every police siren sees him sacked from a pizza delivery job. When his doubts start to cause his web-shooters to dry up, he decides the time has come to hang up the costume once and for all. His grades improve, but it may be too late to rekindle any romance with Mary Jane, who has agreed to marry her handsome astronaut boyfriend (who also happens to be the son of Parker's boss, the gloriously unethical J. Jonah Jameson played by the irreplaceable J.K. Simmons). However, thanks to his best friend Harry Osborne (James Franco), Peter lands a gig shadowing the world-renowned scientist Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). When a fusion experiment goes tragically wrong, Octavius is transformed into the eight-limbed Dr. Octopus, and Spidey's heroics are called upon once again.

As with all the great superhero villains, 'Doc Ock' is a distorted reflection of our hero. As Peter's powers burden him with great responsibility, Octavius - a good guy under the control of his newly acquired robotic tentacles - wrestles with his own alter-ego. In a genre so often watered down with CGI action, it's refreshing to see so much attention devoted to developing the characters' arcs. If anything, Spider-Man 2 is less engaging when the focus lingers on the hero/villain smackdowns. With more creative control at his disposal, Raimi cannot resist returning to the genre he made his name in back in 1981 with The Evil Dead, which is still one of the inventive horror films ever made. He particularly indulges himself during the now-famous scene of Octavius waking up in theatre, and Raimi throws the camera at his victims POV-style in truly glorious fashion, using all the genre tricks in his arsenal to horrify the viewers without having to venture into R-rated territory. Frustratingly, we are left to wonder why the studio felt the need to meddle with Raimi's vision for the third entry into the series, which was a travesty, and the reason for the director's eventual departure from the franchise. Spider-Man 2 is also a nostalgia trip to a time when a superhero could exist in their own world without the need to be part of some larger expanded universe.


Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,356: 'Spider-Man' (2002)

While Bryan Singer's X-Men will always be remembered as the film that kicked off the superhero craze of the 2000s, it was Sam Raimi's Spider-Man that truly knocked it out of the park, both in terms of critical reaction to a genre often unfairly sneered at, and box-office returns. It broke the opening weekend record, surpassing that of the first Harry Potter film, going on to gross over $800 million worldwide. Every studio executive with the rights to a comic-book hero started to lick their lips, and the subsequent years was a mixed bag to say the least. For every X-Men 2 there was a Ghost Rider, and for every Batman Begins there was a Catwoman. Raimi's Spider-Man is still fondly remembered as one of the best during a frustrating time for comic-book fans, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe raised the bar.

Nerdy young Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) lives in a New York suburb with his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). Next door is the object of his affection, the beautiful, red-haired Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), but she's currently the arm candy of resident douchebag Flash Thompson (Joe Manganiello). The only person he can call a friend is Harry (James Franco), the son of millionaire Oscorp founder Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe). Peter seems content with his position at the bottom of the school popularity hierarchy, until a visit to Oscorp sees him bitten by a radioactive spider. The bite grants him the power of super strength, agility and reflexes, as well as the ability to scale walls and fire webbing out of his wrists. But when Norman experiments on himself with a performance-enhancing drug after learning he is be ousted by the company board, he goes insane and dons a green goblin suit, reeking havoc on the city and its new hero, Spider-Man.

Spider-Man is now 16 years old, and is quite remarkable how well it has aged. Naturally, the special effects are now nowhere near as seamless as they once were, but the sight of Spidey swinging through the streets of New York with Raimi's gliding camera behind him is still a sight to behold. The technical aspects aside, Spider-Man still holds up because it takes its time to develop the characters and their relationships. Peter is certainly a bit of a cry-baby, but Maguire shares great chemistry with Dunst, and there's certainly an argument in favour of their iconic upside-down kiss being the most romantic moment in comic-book movie history. However, the film undoubtedly belongs to Dafoe, who hams it up to such extremes that it's almost impossible not to root for him, despite the shoddiness of his costume. Richard Donner's Superman is obviously the crown jewels when it comes to superhero origin stories, but Spider-Man isn't that far behind, paving the way for little B-list heroes such as Tony Stark to announce himself to the world. And we all know how that went.


Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, Cliff Robertson, J.K. Simmons, Joe Manganiello
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie