The Dead Don't Hurt

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2:28

The Dead Don't Hurt

R

Released May 31, 2024

2h 9m

Western

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

121 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

50+ Verified Ratings

The Dead Don't Hurt is a story of star-crossed lovers on the western U.S. frontier in the 1860s. 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.

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Critics Consensus

A solid step forward for Viggo Mortensen as a director, The Dead Don't Hurt offers viewers a comfortably old-fashioned Western with a satisfying, character-driven story.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Mortensen’s second feature as writer-director offers a distinctive proposition about what a 21st-century Western could be. At best, he succeeds in tapping into the gentler, more lyrical side of the genre in the spirit of classic Hollywood directors.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 5, 2024

Full Review

Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

In its unconventional narrative structure and its tender perspective on a brutal era, Mortensen’s film acts as a mirror of his own public persona: tightly drawn, deeply felt, refreshingly unconventional.

Jul 26, 2024

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Mortensen’s script tussles between feminist revision and old-school male showdowns, imagining Vivienne as a Joan of Arc-inspired frontierswoman yet subject to the degradations of the era.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 13, 2024

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

It’s a pretty movie starring two endlessly magnetic actors but it also feels like a self-conscious attempt to make a feminist Western by clumsily inserting characters with present-day values.

Feb 5, 2025

Full Review

Paula Vázquez Prieto

La Nación (Argentina)

The Dead Don't Hurt affirms the effectiveness of the [western] genre in the present, its impact on modern concepts such as justice or personal ethics, to once again sow that land of life and truth. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/5

Feb 5, 2025

Full Review

Pablo O. Scholz

Clarín

The Dead Don't Hurt is more about the suffering of women in the Wild West, something that is not typically shown in cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

Jan 17, 2025

Full Review

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James W

Wonderful. Great performances and beautiful throughout. Mortenson is a very good film-maker.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/23/24

Full Review

Kevin

too long/slow and constant flashbacks.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/15/24

Full Review

Tonya L

At first I wasn't sure, but then it got better & better & the ending is perfect!!!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/12/24

Full Review

derrick

While it is a small and independent film it certainly lacked good things that usually come from a small and independent film such as good writing, solid storyline, and with the ability to deliver entertainment and excitement with little to no budget much better than studio titans like WB and Universal. Mortensen misses the mark here. It is a circle story which can get confusing before you figure that part out. A lot of plot holes, the movie is slow all through out, and right when you think it gets exciting, it doesnt. Im looking forward to Costners movies tbh. I thought this would be a great appetizer to Costners movies but I was wrong. This is a sleeper.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/08/24

Full Review

Robert C

Good western and film production. Nice cinematography and acting with Virgo. A little slow at some points, but develops characters and settings. I like westerns from the 1800s and this movie was good overall. I would watch it again.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/07/24

Full Review

Thomas S

Terrible movie. I nearly walked out! Kept waiting for something to happen. The best part of the film was with the bad guy with the best dialogue and action! The writer should never be the director AND actor in a movie! This was a slow moving, soap opera with too much introspection by the main characters! A waste of time for some very good, talented , well known actors.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/06/24

Full Review

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Viggo Mortensen

Director

Vicky Krieps

Vivienne Le Coudy

Viggo Mortensen

Holger Olsen

Solly McLeod

Weston Jeffries

Garret Dillahunt

Alfred Jeffries

Colin Morgan

Lewis Cartwright

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The Dead Don't Hurt: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The Dead Don't Hurt is a story of star-crossed lovers on the western U.S. frontier in the 1860s. 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.

Director: Viggo Mortensen
Producer: Regina Solórzano, Jeremy Thomas, Viggo Mortensen
Screenwriter: Viggo Mortensen
Distributor: SHOUT! STUDIOS
Production Co: Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Talipot Studio, Perceval Pictures
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language|Violence)
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 31, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 16, 2024
Runtime: 2h 9m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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