7. The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Although he'll be playing the villain in
Django Unchained, it won't be Leonardo DiCaprio's first foray into the western genre. That honor goes to Sam Raimi's 1995 over-the-top genre-blending
The Quick and the Dead, in which DiCaprio played the hotshot wannabe gunslinger "The Kid." The movie often gets forgotten among the rest of Raimi's filmography, and it's a shame because while it certainly has its flaws, it's filled with a spirit of old fashioned popcorn fun. The performances may vary in quality, but it's undeniable that the star power assembled here is overwhelming. Sharon Stone as the vengeful heroine, Gene Hackman as the villainous ruler of the town of Redemption, Russell Crowe as a quiet religious man with a dark past, and plenty of other roles from superb supporting actors like Pat Hingle, Lance Henriksen, Gary Sinise and Keith David. It may not be a "traditional" western, but it takes the tropes of the genre and plays with them in an "in your face" way that is noticeable in Sam Raimi's work. It'd be good to watch this to see DiCaprio in his pre-
Titanic days and to pick apart how much he's matured as an actor once
Django Unchained comes out.