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The Dead Don't Hurt

Play trailer 2:28 Poster for The Dead Don't Hurt R 2024 2h 9m Western Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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The Dead Don't Hurt

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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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Critics Reviews

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Jake Wilson The Age (Australia) 12/05/2024
3/5
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. Go to Full Review Barry Hertz Globe and Mail 07/26/2024
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. Go to Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times 07/13/2024
3.5/5
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. Go to Full Review David Bax Battleship Pretension 02/05/2025
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. Go to Full Review Paula Vázquez Prieto La Nación (Argentina) 02/05/2025
5/5
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] Go to Full Review Pablo O. Scholz Clarín 01/17/2025
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] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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James W 06/23/2024 Wonderful. Great performances and beautiful throughout. Mortenson is a very good film-maker. See more Kevin 06/15/2024 too long/slow and constant flashbacks. See more Tonya L 06/12/2024 At first I wasn't sure, but then it got better & better & the ending is perfect!!!! See more derrick 06/08/2024 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. See more Robert C 06/07/2024 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. See more Thomas S 06/06/2024 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. See more Read all reviews
The Dead Don't Hurt

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Cast & Crew

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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

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The Dead Don't Hurt

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The Dead Don't Hurt

The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) View more photos

Movie Info

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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