The Quick and the Dead (1987) - A brief movie review

I had briefly reviewed Louis L'amour's The Quick and the Dead in my blog last year. I normally shy away from movie adaptations as they tend to be nowhere near what the book would be. But last week I had a sudden hankering to see if this book had been turned into a movie...and it was. So I got it through Netflix. I am not disappointed. I am very happy with how the movie has been made. I had always felt that the book's pivot point was the character of Susanna Mackaskell. Everyone else -- Duncan Mackaskell, our Hero Con Vallian, the baddies and the never-ending prairie -- get mentioned a lot. But it was Susanna who somehow kept the proceedings together.

When I saw in the opening credits that it was Kate Capshaw -- yes, that Kate Capshaw from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -- who had been cast as Susanna, I began to give myself virtuous airs. However, as soon as Kate appeared on screen, I was very interested. Within ten seconds, I realized that she was an inspired choice. Tom Conti, who plays Susanna's husband Duncan, took a while to grow on me. For Sam Elliott, the role of Con Vallian wasn't stretching it. He pretty much sleep walks through it earnestly. The rest of the cast was ok. Patrick Kilpatrick portrays an Ute. Ute?! What happened to the Huron?! I was half expecting Wes Studi, who played Magua the Huron so astonishingly effectively in The Last of the Mohicans, to show up. Oh, well.

For me, the highlight of the book was the encounters between Vallian and Susanna and Vallian and the Huron. Patrick Kilpatrick, who was so effective as the Sandman in Death Warrant, hardly seems formidable as the Ute. And alas, that defining fight between the Huron -- Ute in the movie -- and Vallian in the dark, depths of the forest never materializes. Bummer! But the Vallian/Susanna encounters don't disappoint. Mostly. I say mostly because there were two scenes that deviated so much from the book that I am quite sure L'amour turned over in his grave.

There was also a fine depiction in the book, just before the climax, which emphasized Susanna's love for Duncan while he is out hunting shortly after they settle in the cabin. This, unfortunately, did not find its way into the movie. The ending, the expected encounter with the baddies, was a bit rushed, whereas in the book, the climax was, for lack of a better word, savored.

Overall, I liked the movie and will likely watch it again someday!