It's true that little attempt is made to build up or interest audiences in characterization, but that is one of the things I like about this little war picture. I'd much rather have few or no attempts at characterization than the usual, wearisomely conventional Hollywood stereotypes. Save me from the tough drill sergeant with the heart of gold and the officer who shows no compassion on the surface but weeps inwardly every time one of his men is killed. Save me from the new recruit or sergeant whom the men dislike but who makes an heroic rescue in the final battle scene. Save me from the gum-chewing, slobbily attired baseball fan from Brooklyn, from the ma-feet-hurt hillbilly and the lanky, shucks it weren't nothing' Texan. And save us all from the smiling, bland-faced chaplain whose sole functions are to hand out secular magazines like the Reader's Digest and to write down letters for wounded G.I.'s in hospital. But never, never, never to mention the name of Jesus, the Christ, in any connection whatever. For saving us from all this, The Quick and the Dead deserves a vote of thanks. But I like the film not only for what it doesn't do, but for what it does. There is almost continual action, and these actions are most realistically and convincingly staged with explosions going off all over the place and hundreds of uniformed extras taking part in real locations. Totten's direction is sometimes quite exciting, especially in the latter part of the land mine sequence where his use of a subjective camera will keep audiences balancing on the edges of their seats. Photography, film editing, music scoring, special effects and sound recording are extremely deft.
Review of The Quick and the Dead
