The Quick and the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

The Quick and the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 12, 2018

Sony has released Director Sam Raimi's Western film 'The Quick and the Dead' to the UHD format. This new disc, replacing a quality but aging and featureless Blu-ray from 2009, boasts new 2160p/HDR video, a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and includes a few deleted scenes.

A lone female rides into the town of Redemption, population: shrinking. It's a lawless town where the stench of death hangs in the air and the local mortician sizes up every newcomer that rides in. The woman (Stone) has arrived for the Quick Draw competition, an event that pits one gunman against another in the ultimate in single-elimination tournament play. The rules are simple: the first man to capitulate (or die) is eliminated, and the winner lives to shoot another day. Shooters who draw or fire their weapon before the clocks strikes the top of the hour are shot on the spot by sharpshooters standing watch over the field of battle. The winner receives a cash prize of $123,000, courtesy of Wells Fargo Bank and local all-around bad guy John Herod (Hackman). Of course, Herod wouldn't hold the tournament if he didn't think he could win. Herod is the town tyrant; he takes half the income earned by the townsfolk and keeps them fearful of his wrath through his prowess in the competition, not to mention his hired goons that are armed to the teeth. With a number of shooters out to win the competition for their own reasons, including "the kid" (DiCaprio), and a pacifist preacher forced into the mix (Crowe), the stakes are high, the odds are long, and the guns are oiled. Ready, aim, fire.

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The Quick and the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

This is a fantastic 4K image. It's gorgeously filmic. Grain is a little dense, yes, but it's organic and honest, providing a healthy, cinematic visual flavor that compliments the movie's gritty, dusty Old West texture very nicely. Speaking of, terrain is tack-sharp and intricately complex down to the finest grain of sand. Worn and weathered woods, brick façades, dusty attire, complex fabrics, and facial features all enjoy firm, sharp, and naturally crisp detailing, all of which are a good few steps forward from the Blu-ray and reach a zenith that fans have come to expect from both film-sourced 4K imagery and Sony. The UHD's total sharpness is much improved over the Blu-ray; the 1080p image offers comparatively little finesse and this disc's tack-sharp intimacy. There are unquestionably a few softer shots here and there throughout the film, but this is, texturally, another A-list winner from Sony.

The HDR-10 coloring is terrific, too. The movie has a very distinctive palette, with hot, brown-tinted hues and warm, low-output lights leading the way. Bright blue skies contrast well against the otherwise earthen hues, and that intense color source enjoys added depth, stability, and intensity over the Blu-ray. And the less dynamic colors follow suit. Browns of various shades enjoy more accuracy, depth, and sense of visual purpose. Mounds of freshly moved earth, for example, shine, while long-dusty and well-worn floors reveal precision fading, traces of what once was. Shiny revolvers are more intensely bright and the add in detail, as mentioned above, really brings out both the wear and craftsmanship on every firearm seen in appropriately up-close shots. A handful of more intensive colors, like a Confederate flag hanging in the bar and a few explosions around the 95-minute mark, appear nicely saturated and effortlessly vibrant; the orange fireballs at film's end are particularly spectacular in terms of brightness and color reproduction. Black levels -- nighttime shots, dark clothes -- are solid and flesh tones are fine within any given scene's lighting and color context, including some bleak and gray hues during a rainstorm partway through the film. Source or encode flaws are extremely rare. This is another first-rate UHD catalogue release from Sony; fans are going to find this to be a revelation, while newcomers will undoubtedly enjoy the image's total package cinematic value.

The Quick and the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Quick and the Dead's new Atmos soundtrack offers a nice little boost over the older Blu-ray's 5.1 lossless track. The first gunshot, heard about two minutes into the movie, sets the tone for the entire track. It cracks with prominence and reverberates with stage-filling depth as the shot echoes through the wide-open field, which includes a healthy and seamlessly integrated overhead component. A stampede of horses power through two minutes later with similarly triumphant stage saturation and elemental intensity. Gunfights are never sonically sluggish, always delivering crisp, intensive power to each shot and a nice usage of the surround channels, which certainly come into play when gunfighters shoot at one another in the streets and the reverberations have plenty of room to breathe. Musical fidelity is terrific and spacing comes effortlessly. Likewise, natural ambience, such as buzzing insects, blowing winds, and driving rains and cracking thunder are expertly integrated, seamlessly wide and enriching of every scene they support. Dialogue never falters in any area of concern. This is a wonderfully complimentary audio presentation for a film with a quality sound design.

The Quick and the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Whereas the previous Blu-ray release of The Quick and the Dead contained no supplemental content of value (trailers for other films, MovieIQ, BD-Live), this UHD disc delivers a few deleted scenes and a trailer. It's worth noting that while Sony's UHD menu system seemed nifty at format's release, it's grown tired and cumbersome; hopefully the studio will revert to a snappier and more conventional layout in the near future.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are Dog Kelly Extended (1:02), The Wedding (0:51), Glass of Water (1:05), You Shouldn't Drink (1:12), Get Out Here (0:34), Where's Cort (0:20), and We're Different (0:31).
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, ~4x3, 2:18).

The Quick and the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Quick and the Dead is a heck of a good film, blessed with a superb cast and near flawless filmmaking from Sam Raimi, who lovingly devours the genre in every shot. Sony's UHD does the film justice, and then some. The 2160p/HDR presentation is a thing of beauty, the Atmos soundtrack is of top-tier quality, and a couple of extras don't hurt. Very highly recommended.