“The Dead Don’t Hurt” Review
Viggo Mortensen (Left) and Vicky Krieps play two independents bound to each other in the unforgiving world of “The Dead Don’t Hurt”, a Western film that Mortensen also wrote and directed.
It’s interesting to consider that, out of all of the eras of human history, one that is so predominant in cinema is the American West during the 19th century. From the acquisition of Southwestern territory following the Mexican-American War to the late 1800s when the bloody promise of Manifest Destiny was fully realized, this era has resulted in some of our greatest films with a whole gallery of unique character archetypes that have bled into the sphere of pop culture. It’s ever-old and yet we keep adding more to this genre because of how integral it is to the way we look at stories. Now, actor/director Viggo Mortensen has made his own contribution to the Western with “The Dead Don’t Hurt”, whose compelling nature is impossible to not get swept up in. Not since the Coen brothers remade “True Grit” in 2009 have I seen a better addition to the genre.
Set in the 1860s and 1870s, Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen) is a Danish immigrant living a simple life in a cabin in Nevada, living off the land and looking for paradise. While in San Francisco, he finds it in Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps), a fiercely independent French-Canadian who becomes enamored with the mysterious Olsen. Wanting to break from the stifles of city life, she moves to Olsen’s cabin and the two begin to build a life together which is interrupted by Olsen enlisting to fight for the Union in the American Civil War. On her own, Vivienne must fight for her survival as the true nature of the West is revealed by the wicked, powerful men who control everything around her.
As a longtime fan of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and much of Mortensen’s other performances in films like “A History of Violence” and “Green Book”, I was very much intrigued by this film since Mortensen not only stars in the film but also serves as its director, writer, producer and composer. With so many hyphens in his title, Mortensen showcases his immense talent in every role he took on for “The Dead Don’t Hurt”. Everything about this film feels rich and miraculous. So many of the film’s shots, helmed by cinematographer Marcel Zyskind, could be framed in a gallery and they range from vast landscapes to intimate close-ups. Everything feels meticulously crafted and submerged within the beautiful landscape.
Mortensen’s script is full of interesting turns and that comes from how he decided to tell the story. “The Dead Don’t Hurt” is told in a non-chronological manner with the first scene immediately sucking you in. By telling this story out of order, instead of limiting questions about what’s going to happen, Mortensen allows the audience to be more engaged by having them ask about how certain events occur. When you know the fate of certain characters, there’s a sense of dread present that Mortensen perfectly handles.
As Olsen, there’s this subdued quality in Viggo Mortensen’s performance that makes him all the more intriguing. Mortensen isn’t full of monologues but he doesn’t need to be. His words have so much weight behind them and his physicality is phenomenal. But while Mortensen has his name all over the film, “The Dead Don’t Hurt” belongs to Vicky Krieps whose performance is unbelievable in its depth and intensity. Her strength and resilience rivals that of Lily Gladstone’s in “Killers of the Flower Moon” and both of their performances show a positive trend of the agency of women which appears to be more prevalent in what has been a historically male-dominated genre. The fact that Olsen and Vivienne are both immigrants also makes them both stand out compared to other Western protagonists.
“The Dead Don’t Hurt” is intensely character driven with scenes of great love and great tension all revolving around glances and a few words. The heroes are full of grit, tenacity and realism but so are the villains with a young gunslinger named Weston Jeffries (Solly McLeod) waging war on anyone who crosses him and his powerful father (Garret Dillahunt) along with the town’s mayor (Danny Huston) all too willing to cover his crimes. Their brutality is only matched by their power and their callousness with Olsen and Vivienne becoming caught in the middle of their terror.
With the American landscape at their disposal (actually Canadian and Mexican with the state of Durango being a particularly strong spot for production), the film has a gorgeous look to it with every location full of memory and strong personality. Mortensen is able to combine these beautiful images (including a phenomenal shot that serves as the backdrop for the closing credits) with his talent for music since the score is so moving. With a remarkable group of musicians, including acclaimed violinist Scarlet Rivera, Mortensen’s score is another strong asset to give his unique take on the Western all the more reason to stand apart from its predecessors.
The Western is a uniquely American genre because it’s such a combination of opposites. The landscape is beautiful but unforgiving. The idea of exploration and Manifest Destiny is entwined with bloodshed and the slaughter of the innocent. The stories are often about resilience and finding your own freedom but usually at great cost. It’s a mess of contradictions that has resulted in some of the greatest films ever made. But this genre doesn’t just belong to Americans. Italians like Sergio Leone made the genre their own with the all-too-iconic Spaghetti Westerns, New Zealand’s Jane Campion won an Oscar for her direction of “The Power of the Dog” and Taiwan’s Ang Lee won the same award for “Brokeback Mountain”. Now, the Danish Mortensen has made a Western that I think fits nicely with the aforementioned titles. If you’re a Western fan, “The Dead Don’t Hurt” is not to be missed and I hope that its fame will only grow so that, years from now, it will be regarded as a classic within the genre.
