The Dead Don't Hurt (2023)

Viggo Mortensen‘s western  is less a western then a period drama. Yes there are western tropes in it, including shoot outs, but this is rather a drama focusing on the relationship of several people.

Told out of order, the film  isthe story of Mortensen‘s immigrant carpenter who meets Vicki Kriep‘s in San Francisco, They drift to Nevada where he finds work as a carpenter and sheriff. Things happen while he is off fighting in the American Civil War. What happens sets in motion the tragic nature of the film.

This is clearly a labor of love for Mortensen who wrote, directed, stars and wrote the music for the film. It’s a film full of great roles that his cast including Krieps and Danny Huston use to shine. This is a great cast who all inhabit their roles to the point the big names disappear.

While the film is a western, don’t go in looking for fast paced action and bang bang shoot ‘em ups.  This is a film about the people and the terrible things that people do to each other. Things take time to happen, and when they do they carry more weight then if we had just marched through events. It should be noted that when the violence happens it is sudden, ugly and in no way cool.

To be honest this is a film that really should have been sold as something other than a western since many people looking for a typical western will be disappointed. On the other hand anyone looking for a brilliant drama are going to be enthralled.

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