Critical reassessment
Although having a mixed critical reception on release, The Quick and the Dead has received praise from Sam Raimi fans. Tom Reimann of Collider considers the film as one of Raimi's best movies: "The movie is so unabashedly bonkers that it’s impossible not to have a good time."
Scott Hallam of Dread Central praised Raimi's directing and versatility in multiple genres of film and the cast.
Jay Royston of WhatCulture praised the film and considered it one of Raimi's finest movies by saying, "...I have to put it in the top three Raimi movies, maybe because it is so unlike other Raimi films, yet combines all three of the best qualities of a director already mentioned; working with actors, innovating camera shots, and telling a good story visually."
Bill Gibron of PopMatters said, "This was the geek breaking point for many a certified Raimaniac. First off, it was a Western in the days when the genre was more or less struggling for life. In addition, it starred a yet to be hot Leonardo DiCaprio, a question mark named Russell Crowe, and the sexually inert Sharon Stone. About the only thing it had going for it was Raimi's manic direction, and even that seemed...showy. Still, in retrospect, this is a good film, undermined by forces outside itself."
Matt Schimkowitz of The A.V. Club praised the film: "With a cast like that, it's expected, but it's never been this stylish, original, and fun." Ben Travis of Empire magazine ranked it as Raimi's third-best movie: "It's a real sharp-shooter, an ultra-stylish shootout spectacular with a top cast, and some of his most creative camerawork."
Richard Schertzer of MovieWeb considered the film to be one of Raimi's best films: "With its energy, a subversive female lead from Stone, and its surprising violence, The Quick and the Dead makes for a strong entry in his repertoire as a filmmaker and a wondrous first time western for him."
Patrick Philips from Looper praised the movie and considered it a "cult classic": "Of all the films on Sam Raimi's delightfully left-of-center resume, this is the one that deserves to be rediscovered by the cinematic world — if only via midnight screenings." BJ Colangelo of /Film praised the movie and considered it one of Raimi's most underrated films: "There are enough dutch angle dolly zooms in this film to make someone feel disoriented, but it works. The Quick and the Dead has the heart of a classic Western, but revamped for modern audiences with snappier taste."
Film critic Adrian Martin remarked, "Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead is a feminist Western starring a gun-toting Sharon Stone. [There is] a terrific scene where Lady goes berserk and challenges a guy who has just sexually abused the teenage daughter of the sad saloonkeeper. Raimi takes us straight from Stone's split-second outburst of recognition to the sight of her racing forward in the pelting rain, both guns firing in righteous fury, screaming from the depths of her soul. Leone himself couldn't have done that bit any better."
After the release of Send Help, Matt Singer of ScreenCrush ranked the film eighth of the sixteen films directed by Raimi. Singer described the film as one of the most misunderstood movies of the 1990s, calling its initial reception "their worst blunder". He praised its ensemble cast, as well as Raimi's dynamic visual style and sharp frontier dialogue, arguing the film is far deeper and more accomplished than its reputation as a shallow, melodramatic Western suggests.
Vulture ranked the film fifth among Raimi's works, describing it as a maximalist and inventive take on the Western genre, praising its exaggerated visual style, inventive camerawork, and ensemble cast, and noting that Raimi "goes for broke" in staging each duel with distinct energy and creativity.
Alison Foreman of IndieWire ranked the film among the best of Raimi’s career, placing it tenth in his filmography. She described The Quick and the Dead as a "sideways Western" elevated by its experimental visual approach and Gene Hackman's "snarling, sadistic villainy", praising its genre-blending style, horror-inflected duels, and Sharon Stone's central revenge narrative, while noting that despite its box-office disappointment, the film remains an under-appreciated entry that "packs more than expected".
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