Chicago Critics Film Fest 2024 Review: The Dead Don't Hurt

✰✰✰​ (out of five)

Synopsis: The Dead Don’t Hurt is a story of star-crossed lovers on the western U.S. frontier in the 1860s. After meeting Danish immigrant Holder Olsen (Viggo Mortensen) in San Francisco, the fiercely independent Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) 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. When Olsen returns from the war, he and Vivienne must confront and make peace with the person each has become. 

Review: I really wanted to go into The Dead Don't Hurt knowing I would walk out having seen a new western masterpiece. Sadly, I am sorry to say, that is not the case. A slow burn that engages selectively, The Dead Don't Hurt has a Deadwood flavor, but ultimately finds faults with pacing. The visuals are quite stunning, and Mortensen shows promise translating his more than capable acting chops into directing ones. It's an admirable first-time effort for Viggo, but The Dead Don't Hurt isn't quite a work to saddle up on.