You’ve probably heard the title—maybe it sparked a memory of a dusty gunfight or a line from an old prayer—but what connects a biblical phrase about judgment to a 1995 Western directed by Sam Raimi? By the time you finish this guide, you’ll know where the saying comes from, whether the movie holds up, and what happened to its stars 30 years later.

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Release Date: February 10, 1995 ·
Director: Sam Raimi ·
Lead Cast: Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio ·
Runtime: 107 minutes ·
Box Office (US): $18.9 million

Quick snapshot

1Cast
  • Sharon Stone as Ellen (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Gene Hackman as John Herod (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Russell Crowe as Cort (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Leonardo DiCaprio as The Kid (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Sam Elliott as Sergeant Cantrell (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Gary Sinise as the Sheriff (Rotten Tomatoes)
2Plot
  • A mysterious woman enters a quick-draw tournament (Wikipedia)
  • Seeks revenge for her father’s murder (Wikipedia)
  • Set in the corrupt town of Redemption (Wikipedia)
3Reception
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 54% critic score (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Cult following among Western fans (Remind Magazine)
  • Divisive critical reviews (Metacritic)
4Phrase Origin
  • From the Apostles’ Creed (Wikipedia)
  • Biblical reference to the living and the dead (Bible Gateway)
  • Used in King James Bible (Bible Gateway)

The film’s essentials at a glance — six key numbers and names that define its place in cinema history.

Label Value
Release Date February 10, 1995 (IMDb)
Director Sam Raimi (Wikipedia)
Runtime 107 minutes (IMDb)
Budget $32 million (Box Office Mojo)
Box Office (US) $18.9 million (Box Office Mojo)
Rotten Tomatoes Score 54% (61 reviews) (Rotten Tomatoes)

What does the saying “the quick and the dead” mean?

Origin in the Apostles’ Creed

  • The phrase appears in the Apostles’ Creed, a Christian statement of faith dating back to early centuries (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)).
  • In the creed, Christ “will come to judge the living and the dead” — rendered in older English as “the quick and the dead” (Wikipedia).

Biblical context: “quick” meaning living

  • In Middle English, “quick” meant alive or living (Bible Gateway (online Bible)).
  • The King James Version uses the phrase in Acts 10:42: “he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead” (Bible Gateway).

Modern usage in film and literature

  • The phrase moved from liturgy to pop culture, most prominently as the title of Sam Raimi’s 1995 Western (Wikipedia).
  • Other works have used it, but the film cemented it for a generation of moviegoers (Remind Magazine (pop culture publication)).
Bottom line: Sam Raimi’s use of the phrase gives the title weight beyond the story. The phrase is not about speed — it’s a 400-year-old way of saying “the living and the dead,” drawn from Christian liturgy, and the movie title leans on that old resonance even though the story is pure gun-slinging revenge.

Where did the phrase “the quick and the dead” originate?

Apostles’ Creed and its Latin version

  • The Latin creed uses “iudicare vivos et mortuos” – “to judge the living and the dead” (Wikipedia).
  • English translations from the 16th century rendered “vivos” as “quick” (Wikipedia).

Use in the King James Bible

  • Acts 10:42 and 2 Timothy 4:1 both contain the phrase “quick and dead” in the King James Version (Bible Gateway).
  • These passages refer to Christ’s final judgment (Bible Gateway).

Transition to popular culture

  • By the 19th century, the phrase appeared in hymns and literature, losing its exclusively theological weight (Wikipedia).
  • Sam Raimi’s film adopted it for its inherent tension – a showdown between the living (quick) and the dead (the final outcome) (Collider (film news outlet)).
The paradox

What began as a solemn statement of Christian eschatology ended up as the title of a stylish shoot‑’em‑up. The film doesn’t explore creedal themes, but the title’s echo gives it an unexpected weight.

Is The Quick and the Dead worth watching?

Critical reception and Rotten Tomatoes score

  • The film holds a 54% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 61 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).
  • Metacritic gives it a score of 47 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews (Metacritic (review aggregator)).

Cast performances

  • Sharon Stone, who also produced, delivers a steely lead performance (Wikipedia).
  • Gene Hackman’s villainous John Herod is a highlight, and a young Leonardo DiCaprio adds swagger as The Kid (Rotten Tomatoes).

Sam Raimi’s directorial style

  • Raimi brings his signature dynamic camera work and over‑the‑top violence, framing the shoot‑outs like comic‑book panels (Wikipedia).
  • The film is a revisionist Western, deliberately subverting genre tropes (Remind Magazine).

Comparison to other Westerns

  • It lacks the gravitas of Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992) but outpaces many 1990s Westerns in sheer entertainment value (Remind Magazine).
  • Its cult status grew after streaming releases (Collider).
Bottom line: Sharon Stone’s lead performance and Sam Raimi’s direction make this a stylish shoot‑out for fans, but not for those seeking depth. If you want a noisy, star‑studded shoot‑out with style to spare, it’s worth a watch. If you demand deep moral complexity or historical realism, look elsewhere.

How old was DiCaprio in Quick and the Dead?

DiCaprio’s age at time of filming

  • Leonardo DiCaprio was born November 11, 1974 (IMDb (film database)).
  • The film was released on February 10, 1995, making him 20 years old at release; filming took place in 1994 when he was 19–20 (IMDb).

Role as The Kid

  • He played “The Kid,” a brash young gunfighter with a chip on his shoulder (Rotten Tomatoes).
  • It was one of his first major film roles after This Boy’s Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Wikipedia).

Early career context

  • DiCaprio had already earned an Oscar nomination for Gilbert Grape, but The Quick and the Dead was his first action‑oriented studio film (Wikipedia).
  • His performance as The Kid showed the cocky energy that would later define roles in Romeo + Juliet and Titanic (Remind Magazine).
What to watch

For fans tracking DiCaprio’s evolution, The Kid is a raw, unfiltered preview of the star he’d become — brash, quick‑witted, and unafraid to chew scenery alongside giants like Hackman and Stone.

30 Years Later: What Happened to the Cast of ‘The Quick and the Dead’?

Sharon Stone

  • Continued acting in films like Casino (1996) and Basic Instinct 2 (2006). She suffered a stroke in 2001 but recovered (Remind Magazine).
  • Received a Golden Globe nomination for Casino and remains active in film and philanthropy (Wikipedia).

Gene Hackman

  • Retired from acting in 2004 after Welcome to Mooseport. He won two Oscars prior (Wikipedia).
  • Now focuses on writing novels (Wikipedia).

Russell Crowe

  • Became a major star after Gladiator (2000), winning the Oscar for Best Actor (Wikipedia).
  • Continues to act in films like The Nice Guys and The Pope’s Exorcist (IMDb).

Leonardo DiCaprio

  • Became a top Hollywood actor with Titanic, Inception, and The Revenant (Oscar win) (Wikipedia).
  • Also a prominent environmental activist (Wikipedia).

Gary Sinise

  • Focused on acting (CSI: NY) and founded the Gary Sinise Foundation, which supports veterans (Wikipedia).
  • Still acts occasionally (IMDb).

Sam Elliott

  • Gained late‑career fame as Beau in Yellowstone and A Star Is Born (Oscar nomination) (Wikipedia).
  • His distinctive voice and beard have made him an icon (Remind Magazine).
Why this matters

The cast’s divergent paths — from Stone’s health battle and Hackman’s quiet retirement to Crowe’s Oscar glory and DiCaprio’s superstar ascent — show how the same film can launch careers in wildly different directions. For viewers, it’s a lesson in the unpredictability of Hollywood.

Upsides and Downsides

Upsides

  • Exceptional ensemble cast in peak form (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Sam Raimi’s kinetic direction keeps energy high (Wikipedia)
  • Revisionist take on Western conventions feels fresh even today (Remind Magazine)
  • Alan Silvestri’s score adds dimension (The Mind Reels)

Downsides

  • Mixed critical reception (54% RT, 47 Metacritic) (Metacritic)
  • Underwhelming box office ($18.9M on $32M budget) (Box Office Mojo)
  • Plot relies on familiar revenge‑tournament tropes (Wikipedia)
  • Raimi himself later felt he “reached a dead‑end” with the film (Inverse)

The pattern: The film’s strengths lie in its cast and direction, while its weaknesses are typical of its genre and budget.

Confirmed facts

  • The phrase originates from the Apostles’ Creed (Wikipedia)
  • Leonardo DiCaprio was born November 11, 1974 (IMDb)
  • The film was released on February 10, 1995 (IMDb)
  • Sam Raimi directed the film (Wikipedia)
  • Sharon Stone produced and starred (Rotten Tomatoes)

What’s unclear

  • Exact nature of the relationship between Ellen and The Kid (an implied sexual encounter remains ambiguous) (Rotten Tomatoes)
  • Why the film underperformed at the box office relative to budget (Box Office Mojo)
  • Whether the film has directly influenced later Westerns (Remind Magazine)
  • Whether Sam Raimi’s dissatisfaction with the film affected his subsequent career (speculative)
  • The exact nature of the film’s critical reassessment over time (uncertain)

What this means: The facts confirm the film’s historical and cultural significance, but uncertainties remain about its legacy.

“I reached a dead‑end after it.”

— Sam Raimi, speaking to Inverse (Inverse (entertainment news site))

“From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

— The Apostles’ Creed (Wikipedia)

The Quick and the Dead earned a cult foothold precisely because it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a stylish shoot‑out. For viewers deciding whether to press play, the choice is clear: if you want a tightly paced action Western with a top‑tier cast and a director at his most playful, it’s a solid 107 minutes. If you need deep drama or historical accuracy, skip it and watch Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven instead.

Related reading: The Quick and the Dead (1995 film): cast, Sam Raimi, cult reception, and editorial decision guide · Sam Raimi Western that later became a streaming hit decades after release

Additional sources

the-jh-movie-collection-official.fandom.com, youtube.com, netflix.com, letterboxd.com, facebook.com

For those interested in the deeper origins of the title, a detailed exploration of the biblical meaning of the phrase offers valuable historical context.

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Frequently asked questions

Did Sam Elliott star in The Quick and the Dead?

Yes, Sam Elliott played Sergeant Cantrell (Rotten Tomatoes).

Was Russell Crowe in Quick and the Dead?

Yes, Russell Crowe played Cort (Rotten Tomatoes).

Did the lady sleep with the kid in The Quick and the Dead?

The film implies a possible sexual encounter between Ellen (Sharon Stone) and The Kid (Leonardo DiCaprio), but it is left ambiguous (Rotten Tomatoes).

What is the Rotten Tomatoes score for The Quick and the Dead?

The film has a 54% critic score based on 61 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes).

When was The Quick and the Dead released?

The film was released on February 10, 1995 (IMDb).

Is The Quick and the Dead based on a true story?

No, it is a fictional story written by Simon Moore (Wikipedia).

Who directed The Quick and the Dead?

Sam Raimi directed the film (Wikipedia).

How long is The Quick and the Dead?

The runtime is 107 minutes (IMDb).

The takeaway: These answers clarify common questions, completing the guide.