First Glance: “The Dead Don’t Hurt”

I get that this may be a bit premature, but could we be witnessing a revival of the Western genre? There have been several smaller independent Westerns that have popped up in recent years and Kevin Costner is set to release his massive two-part Western epic this summer. Now we have “The Dead Don’t Hurt” – a new film that’s directed, written, produced, and composed by Viggo Mortensen. If that wasn’t enough, Mortensen also stars in the film which just released its fantastic first trailer.

Set in the 1860s, Mortensen plays a Danish immigrant named Holger Olsen who falls in loved with a French Canadian woman named Vivienne Le Coudy (played by the always terrific Vicky Krieps). The two start a life together on Holger’s Nevada homestead. But when the headstrong Holger’s convictions drive him to enlist in the Union army, Vivienne is left alone on a frontier dominated by ruthless men. The film also stars Danny Huston, Solly McLeod, Garret Dillahunt, Ray McKinnon, Colin Morgan, W. Earl Brown, and Atlas Green. The trailer offers a tantalizing first look for what is a clear passion project for the 65-year-old Mortensen.

“The Dead Don’t Hurt” gallops into theaters on May 31st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

12 thoughts on “First Glance: “The Dead Don’t Hurt”

  1. Great review. Honestly, I really don’t care for westerns as a genre. I feel as though westerns have become a relic of a bygone era in Hollywood. That being said, this one does sound interesting. Every now and then, there are certain westerns that I end up enjoying to my surprise. For instance, I love Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained”. If this film is anything like Tarantino’s movie, I might just love it.

Leave a reply to Huilahi Cancel reply