A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Dead Don’t Hurt” (2024).
“The Dead Don’t Hurt” is a new ‘western’ written and directed by the star, Viggo Mortensen. I say ‘western’ in quotes, since although it’s set in the West of the 1860’s, it’s a romance / drama / revenge story that could equally well have been set in any location in the present day.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Immigrant soldier Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen) and florist Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) meet in San Francisco and quickly fall in love. They travel to Holger’s small ranch in the new frontier and set up home together. But when Holger enlists to fight in the Civil War, trouble comes knocking for Vivienne in the form of Weston Jeffries (Solly McLeod), the dangerous son of a powerful local rancher.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong violence, sexual threat”.)
Talent:
Starring: Vicky Krieps, Viggo Mortensen, Solly McLeod, Garret Dillahunt, W. Earl Brown, Danny Huston, Shane Graham.
Directed by: Viggo Mortensen.
Written by: Viggo Mortensen.
Twitter Handle: #TheDeadDon’tHurt.
Running Time: 2h 9m.
“The Dead Don’t Hurt” Summary:
Positives:
- Jaw-droppingly powerful acting from Vicky Krieps.
- Timeline jumps that keep you on your toes.
- Gorgeous scenary.
Negatives:
- Some will find it too slow and over-long.
- The rationale for Holger leaving isn’t clearly explained.
Review of “The Dead Don’t Hurt”:
Vicky Krieps is an acting force of nature
Vicky Krieps is just amazing in this film and I’d love to see an acting Oscar nomination head her way. I first recognised Krieps from the otherwise pretty dismal M. Night Shyamalan film “Old“, but she has since impressed me in “Corsage” and in the two French-made 3 Musketeers films, “D’Artagnan” and “Milady“. Here she fully embodies the tough-as-nails but vulnerable western wife left to her own devices. A scene where, battered and bruised, she turns up to work in the saloon to square off against Weston Jeffries is utterly superb.
Mortensen (not originally intended to be the lead) delivers a solid turn. The scenes with Mortensen and Krieps acting against each other are wonderful, especially their first meeting and (later) an engagingly fumbly hand-job!
Elsewhere, the rest of the cast also do a great job, with Solly McLeod makes for a charismatically hateful villain and Danny Huston being memorable playing the corrupt Mayor, Rudolph Schiller.
Timey-wimey capers keep you on your toes
You know you are in for a tricksy film, full of convoluted timelines, when the first scene has Vicky Krieps expiring on her death bed! The rest of the film flashes around from way before this event (when the couple first meet) to during this event to well after this event. And it does this without any warning whatsoever. It’s disorientating but strangely satisfying as a way of telling the story.
Glorious landscapes, expertly filmed
You might think it’s Oregon, Utah or somewhere similar, but the film was actually filmed in Durango in Mexico: the location for a wide range of classic westerns including “How the West Was Won”, “The Sons of Katie Elder”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “City Slickers” (together with a bunch of non-westerns including “Cliffhanger” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation”!) But the scenary is fabulous and it is all beautifully captured in widescreen by cinematographer Marcel Zyskind.
Action-packed, it is not
Anyone wishing for an all-action Western in the style of “The Harder They Fall” will be disappointed, (although they might get their hopes up from the first few minutes!) This is more of a slow and thoughtful piece as the relationship between the main characters is evolved. At 130 minutes, some may find it a bit of a slog, but I was never less than engaged.
Why did he go?
One slight annoyance with the plot is why exactly Holger felt he had to disappear for many years to serve in the Civil War. He’d already been to war (presumably the First Schleswig War, 1848-50, in Denmark) and given he had just met and fallen in love with Vivienne, I’d have expected more of a rationale to be presented given Vivienne’s vehement opposition to the idea. It would have made more sense if he had felt compelled to return to Denmark to support the Second War of Schleswig which started in 1864!
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A Marvelous Piece of Trivia!
I loved this bit of trivia which I read on IMDB. There is a fantasy knight on horseback in the film that appears in young Vivienne’s mind. That knight is holding ‘Anduril’, Aragorn’s sword from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King! This was gifted to Viggo Mortensen by Peter Jackson at the end of filming.
Triggers
Note that the film contains a brutal rape scene which may be triggering to some viewers. Only the start of the attack is shown and the aftermath, but your brain can easily fill in the rest.
Summary Thoughts on “The Dead Don’t Hurt”
There are too few good Westerns around these days, but I’d put “The Dead Don’t Hurt” into that category. It is thoughtful, intelligent and brilliantly acted, especially by the marvellous Vicky Krieps.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “The Dead Don’t Hurt”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgv25Ni_jv0 :
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