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The Dead Don't Hurt

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The Dead Don't Hurt
Theatrical release poster
Directed byViggo Mortensen
Written byViggo Mortensen
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMarcel Zyskind
Edited byPeder Pedersen
Music byViggo Mortensen
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08) (TIFF)
Running time
129 minutes[3]
Countries
  • Mexico
  • Canada
  • Denmark
LanguageEnglish
Box office$970,414[4][5]

The Dead Don't Hurt is a 2023 Western film written, directed, and produced by Viggo Mortensen, and starring Mortensen, Vicky Krieps, Solly McLeod, Garret Dillahunt, Colin Morgan, Ray McKinnon, Luke Reilly, Atlas Green, and Danny Huston. Mortensen also composed the score to the film.

The Dead Don't Hurt premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[6]

Synopsis[edit]

In 1860s San Francisco, Franco-Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy is agressively courted by a rich French art collector. To escape his smothering attention, she falls in love with Danish immigrant carpenter Holger Olsen, and goes with him to his remote northern Nevada cabin. Highlighting her independent streak, she refuses to marry Olsen and gets a job as barmaid in the nearby town of Elk Flats, a town dominated by corrupt landowner Alfred Jeffriies and his violent, alcoholic son Weston. When Olsen joins the Union Army, which has begun to fight the Civil War, his absence leaves room for Weston to rape Vivienne. She bears a son, whose parentage the film leaves mysterious.

When Olsen returns from the Civil War after several years, the son, Vincent, is about five years old. When Vivienne tells Olsen about the rape, he wants to immediately find and murder Weston, but Vivienne tells him that Weston had been forced to leave town after murdering several people. Olsen, Vivienne, and Vincent live for a while in peace, but she dies after a short illness diagnosed by a doctor as syphillis. Taking his son, Olsen hunts down Weston in the wilderness and injures him, leaving him to die. Olsen and Vincent ride west until they reach the Pacific Ocean. [7][8][9][9] [10] [11] [12]

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

In October 2022, it was revealed that Mortensen would direct and star in a film he had written, with Vicky Krieps, Solly McLeod, Danny Huston, Tom Bateman, Lance Henriksen, and W. Earl Brown also appearing in the film. Mortensen worked once again with a number of people who worked with him in his previous films including Marcel Zyskind, production designer Carol Spier, art director Jason Clarke, and costume designer Anne Dixon.[13]

In an interview with The Times, Krieps described working with Mortensen on the film:[14]

In the world of Westerns there were not many women. So that was very tough. Of all men he is very soft and open and very 'there'. But still it reminded me why I like to work with women.

The film is a joint production between Talipot Studio, Recorded Picture and Perceval Pictures.[15]

Principal photography began in Canada on 12 October 2022 on locations in Ontario and British Columbia, with some filming also taking place in Durango, Mexico. Filming was reported to have wrapped in December 2022.[16]

Release[edit]

HanWay Films handles sales for the film worldwide.[17][2]

In February 2024, Shout! Studios acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[1]

The Dead Don't Hurt was released in the United States on May 31, 2024.[18]

Reception[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 78 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "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."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Viggo Mortensen Western 'The Dead Don't Hurt' Strikes North American Deal with Shout! Studios". Deadline.
  2. ^ a b "Viggo Mortensen Western 'The Dead Don't Hurt' Scores Further Sales for HanWay, Including France and U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)". variety. February 12, 2024.
  3. ^ "The Dead Don't Hurt (15)". BBFC. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "The Dead Don't Hurt". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 3, 2024.Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ "The Dead Don't Hurt". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Anthony D'Alessandro, "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders ‘Dumb Money’, ‘The Holdovers’, ‘Rustin’; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More". Deadline Hollywood, July 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "Garret Dillahunt stars in Dead to Me and teases new western". Undeadwalking.com. November 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "Top 200 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2023: #49. Viggo Mortensen's The Dead Don't Hurt". ioncinema.com. January 17, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Keningsburg, Ben (May 30, 2024). "'The Dead Don't Hurt' Review: A Foursquare Western From Viggo Mortensen". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Chang, Justin (May 31, 2024), "'The Dead Don't Hurt' is a tender love story and a subversive Western", NPR.org
  11. ^ Debruge, Peter (May 31, 2024), "'The Dead Don't Hurt' Review: Viggo Mortensen Disappears From His Own Western for a Spell, Letting Vicky Krieps Lead", Variety
  12. ^ Leigh, Danny (June 6, 2024), "The Dead Don't Hurt film review — Vicky Krieps shines in Viggo Mortensen's stark Western", Financial Times
  13. ^ "Viggo Mortensen to Direct Western 'The Dead Don't Hurt,' Starring Vicky Krieps". Deadline. October 6, 2022.
  14. ^ Maxwell, Dominic. "Vicky Krieps: 'I love men, but there is something linear in their thinking'". The Times.
  15. ^ "Viggo Mortensen to Direct Western 'The Dead Don't Hurt,' Starring Vicky Krieps". Variety. October 6, 2022.
  16. ^ "Viggo Mortensen heeft nieuwe western klaar". Cinenews.be.
  17. ^ "Viggo Mortensen to direct, star in 'The Dead Don't Hurt' with Vicky Krieps, Solly McLeod". Screen Daily.
  18. ^ "'The Dead Don't Hurt' Trailer, Release Date: Vicky Krieps & Viggo Mortensen Are Star-Crossed Lovers In Mortensen's Second Feature". Deadline. March 25, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "The Dead Don't Hurt". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 5, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  20. ^ "The Dead Don't Hurt". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

External links[edit]

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