Sam Raimi’s 1995 Western, The Quick and the Dead, was not a major hit but is defended by fans for its frenetic style and Sharon Stone’s lead performance. The film, a sharpshooting competition starring Stone, Gene Hackman, and Leonardo DiCaprio, had a problematic ending.
Raimi was so dissatisfied with the script that he hired Joss Whedon for a last-minute rewrite. In a 1994 interview, Raimi praised the "Buffy" writer’s incredible talent for fixing the ending in just one afternoon. Decades later, Whedon’s reputation would be tarnished by reports of misconduct, but at the time, Raimi benefited from his early, celebrated screenwriting skills.
