Viggo Mortensen’s film The Dead Don’t Hurt is now in theaters nationwide, and offers a touching look at a couple trying to make a new life in the western U.S. frontier during the 1860s.

Note: I was invited as media to the movie screening. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

My Review

I screened the film "The Dead Don’t Hurt" a few weeks ago and enjoyed the dry humor, emotional drama and subtle thoughtfulness of the main storyline. Usually western movies are all about gun battles and in town drama.

And yes while "The Dead Don’t Hurt" does include that, it also offers a partially led women's story of rebellion, adventure and finding love in your own way.

The love story of Vivienne (Vicky Krieps) and Holger (Viggo Mortensen) is both quirky but also hardy. They both grow their love against harsh odds and make something truly special. It's about making compromises to make their life as a couple work.

Surprisingly at times without a lot of talking.

Ironically, I enjoyed that the film has moments with unspoken dialogue. Viewers can piece together the intent of the character feelings based on their actions and the scenery.

The scenery itself is also a character in "The Dead Don’t Hurt". You see wide open background that put you in the mindset of what it was like in the early day.

All these different and elements make's "The Dead Don’t Hurt" an unique and satisfying film to watch, even as a western.

SYNOPSIS

Written and directed by Mortensen, The Dead Don’t Hurt is a powerful and profoundly personal cinematic Western that artfully blends the action, grit, and thrills of the American West with a captivating story of two pioneers embarking on a life journey fraught with obstacles.

Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) is a fiercely independent woman who embarks on a relationship with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen). After meeting Olsen in San Francisco, she agrees to travel with him to his home near the quiet town of Elk Flats, Nevada, where they start a life together.

The outbreak of the civil war separates them when Olsen makes a fateful decision to fight for the Union. This leaves Vivienne to fend for herself in a place controlled by corrupt Mayor Rudolph Schiller (Danny Huston) and his unscrupulous business partner, powerful rancher Alfred Jeffries (Garret Dillahunt).

Alfred’s violent, wayward son Weston (Solly McLeod) aggressively pursues Vivienne, who is determined to resist his unwanted advances. When Olsen returns from the war, he and Vivienne must confront and make peace with the person each has become.

Both a tragic love story and a nuanced depiction of the conflict between revenge and forgiveness, The Dead Don’t Hurt is a portrait of a passionate woman determined to stand up for herself in an unforgiving world dominated by ruthless men.

The Dead Don't Hurt - Official Trailer | In Theaters May 31



Vicky Krieps (Corsage, Phantom Thread) and Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings, Captain Fantastic) lead this gripping Western tale alongside an impressive cast that includes Solly McLeod (HBO’s House of the Dragon, Outlander), Garret Dillahunt (Red Right Hand, Fear the Walking Dead), Colin Morgan (Belfast, Merlin), Ray McKinnon (The Continental, Deadwood), W. Earl Brown (The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett), newcomer Atlas Green, and Danny Huston (The Aviator, Children of Men).

The Dead Don’t Hurt is produced by Regina Solórzano of Talipot Studio, Jeremy Thomas, p.g.a. of Recorded Picture Company, and Viggo Mortensen, p.g.a. of Perceval Pictures.

Learn more, visit - www.shoutstudios.com/the-dead-dont-hurt