The Dead Don't Hurt

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2:28

The Dead Don't Hurt

R

2024

2h 9m

Western

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

120 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)

Dec 5, 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.

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

Jul 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.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Jul 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.

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Don Kaye

Moviefone

Jul 6, 2026

6.5/10

Kudos to Mortensen for making a film in which the ostensible male lead must ultimately adapt his life around the woman’s choices.

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Feb 5, 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.

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Paula Vázquez Prieto

La Nación (Argentina)

Feb 5, 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]

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James W

Jun 23, 2024

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

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Kevin

Jun 15, 2024

too long/slow and constant flashbacks.

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Tonya L

Jun 12, 2024

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

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derrick

Jun 8, 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.

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Robert C

Jun 7, 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.

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Thomas S

Jun 6, 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.

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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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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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