61 reviews
6/10 for this western based love story, written and directed by Viggo Mortensen, it's a visually great looking film but the characters and story just don't really grip at all. And feels very long and gets long in the tooth. Acting is good, but can't save the sloth like action, a disappointing film, not the worst out there this month, but worth the trip, maybe not. Viggo, I think, can make a good director, and the music, also by him, works well, but the story, just did not do much for me, and this is the first of the western film genre films, coming out this year, not the best start, who will go see this film??
- donmurray29
- Jun 2, 2024
- Permalink
Greetings again from the darkness. It's fairly common for a film to open with a dramatic scene and then take us back for a period of time to show how the story arrived at this point. Of course, the other logical option would be to have that scene serve as the beginning of the story. What happens with this film is rare: The storytelling goes backwards AND forwards. We learn how the characters got to this point and we learn what happens after this moment. The person to thank for this is writer-director Viggo Mortensen. Highly regarded as an actor for years, Mortensen had one previous filmmaking project, FALLING (2020), which made the festival rounds.
Starring as Holger Olsen, Mortensen is a man trying to live a quiet life on the frontier in the 1860's. He spots lovely Vivienne (Vicky Krieps, excellent in PHANTOM THREAD, 2017) having a spat with her well off boyfriend, and very quickly she's drawn to Holger's flirtations. Her making the choice to leave a comfortable upper-crust life for a more challenging one with Holger, gives us a glimpse into the inner-strength and determination of this woman. Soon she is turning his dusty cabin into a home by cleaning, planting a garden, and adding touches of convenience ... such as they were 160+ years ago. And speaking of decisions, Holger makes a life-changing one when he decides to enlist to go fight in the Civil War. It's a decision she tries hard to talk him out of.
While he is soldiering, we learn much about the little town where Vivienne is stuck. A corrupt Mayor Schiller (the always smarmy Danny Huston) is in cahoots with his equally sleazy business partner Alfred Jeffries (Garret Dillahunt, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, 2007), as they work their master plan of getting rich at the expense of others. Alfred tries his best to control his combustible son, Weston (Solly McLeod), who takes his entitlement to sometimes violent extremes against those weaker than him. Weston takes a real interest in Vivienne, and despite her best efforts, things go wrong between them.
A few years pass and Holger returns. In a brilliant bit of acting and surgical dialogue, Vivienne asks him, "How was your war?" The two work to re-establish their relationship in the wake of the changes that have occurred. When that opening scene comes back around, Holger sets off on a journey for personal revenge. In addition to the two timelines mentioned above, we also get flashbacks (sometimes via dreams) of Vivienne's childhood. By this time, we understand Vivienne and Holger very well. 'Still waters run deep' is a passage that came to mind while watching, and it should also be noted that filmmaker Mortensen and cinematographer Marcel Zyskind (DALILAND, 2022 and a frequent collaborator with Michael Winterbottom) include some wonderful shots of waterfalls, rivers, mountains, and vistas ... the breathtaking shots we appreciate from the western genre. The film deliberately moves slowly (as the times dictate) and captures the hardships of living off the land, and the struggles of separation, yet it also addresses one man's vengeance as necessary before he can move on. We find ourselves not surprised that Viggo Mortensen the talented and intelligent actor is also Viggo Mortensen the talented and intelligent filmmaker.
In theaters May 31, 2024.
Starring as Holger Olsen, Mortensen is a man trying to live a quiet life on the frontier in the 1860's. He spots lovely Vivienne (Vicky Krieps, excellent in PHANTOM THREAD, 2017) having a spat with her well off boyfriend, and very quickly she's drawn to Holger's flirtations. Her making the choice to leave a comfortable upper-crust life for a more challenging one with Holger, gives us a glimpse into the inner-strength and determination of this woman. Soon she is turning his dusty cabin into a home by cleaning, planting a garden, and adding touches of convenience ... such as they were 160+ years ago. And speaking of decisions, Holger makes a life-changing one when he decides to enlist to go fight in the Civil War. It's a decision she tries hard to talk him out of.
While he is soldiering, we learn much about the little town where Vivienne is stuck. A corrupt Mayor Schiller (the always smarmy Danny Huston) is in cahoots with his equally sleazy business partner Alfred Jeffries (Garret Dillahunt, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, 2007), as they work their master plan of getting rich at the expense of others. Alfred tries his best to control his combustible son, Weston (Solly McLeod), who takes his entitlement to sometimes violent extremes against those weaker than him. Weston takes a real interest in Vivienne, and despite her best efforts, things go wrong between them.
A few years pass and Holger returns. In a brilliant bit of acting and surgical dialogue, Vivienne asks him, "How was your war?" The two work to re-establish their relationship in the wake of the changes that have occurred. When that opening scene comes back around, Holger sets off on a journey for personal revenge. In addition to the two timelines mentioned above, we also get flashbacks (sometimes via dreams) of Vivienne's childhood. By this time, we understand Vivienne and Holger very well. 'Still waters run deep' is a passage that came to mind while watching, and it should also be noted that filmmaker Mortensen and cinematographer Marcel Zyskind (DALILAND, 2022 and a frequent collaborator with Michael Winterbottom) include some wonderful shots of waterfalls, rivers, mountains, and vistas ... the breathtaking shots we appreciate from the western genre. The film deliberately moves slowly (as the times dictate) and captures the hardships of living off the land, and the struggles of separation, yet it also addresses one man's vengeance as necessary before he can move on. We find ourselves not surprised that Viggo Mortensen the talented and intelligent actor is also Viggo Mortensen the talented and intelligent filmmaker.
In theaters May 31, 2024.
- ferguson-6
- May 26, 2024
- Permalink
I almost warmed to it by its conclusion, but I don't think I can describe 'The Dead Don't Hurt' as anything that I rate well.
I found no interest in anything that was onscreen, disappointingly. The story failed to grab me and the characters that portray it aren't at a good standard either, in my opinion of course. Vicky Krieps does her best and is probably the movie's standout. I do like Garret Dillahunt, albeit from other performances from his career - which seems to be seeing him typecast in these sorta roles, which is a bit of a shame.
Pre-watch, I wanted to enjoy this - westerns can be a lot of fun, especially on the big screen - but this just didn't deliver for me personally.
I found no interest in anything that was onscreen, disappointingly. The story failed to grab me and the characters that portray it aren't at a good standard either, in my opinion of course. Vicky Krieps does her best and is probably the movie's standout. I do like Garret Dillahunt, albeit from other performances from his career - which seems to be seeing him typecast in these sorta roles, which is a bit of a shame.
Pre-watch, I wanted to enjoy this - westerns can be a lot of fun, especially on the big screen - but this just didn't deliver for me personally.
Despite the fact that the plot has plenty of holes, this western just about works. It's all about the determined "Vivienne" (Vicky Krieps), very much a woman in a man's world of pioneering in the 1860s. She encounters the honest and thoughtful "Olsen" (Viggo Mortensen) and travels to his remote, and rather ramshackle, shack where they begin to make an home for themselves. He takes a job as their sheriff and she, a little to his chagrin, starts working in the saloon. He is restless, though, and with the American civil war looming large, he decides that he ought to use his Danish army training and go enlist. She's not enamoured of the idea, but off he goes and that leaves her alone and firmly in the sights of spoilt local "Weston" (the rather un-menacing Solly McLeod). When "Olsen" returns from the war quite a few years later he is presented with a few shocks! Subsequent events take an even more tragic turn, and now he must face his demons and settle accounts. This is a grand looking romantic drama that takes it's time to get going and that allows Krieps to invest strongly in the maturing elements of her character. That he would just saunter off for years and leave her alone and unprotected does beggar belief a bit, and there's no denying that does negatively impact on the plausibility of what, rather obviously, comes next. Still, there is enough meat on the bones of the story, an effectively sparing amount of dialogue and a soupçon of chemistry between the two at the top of the cast that gives some indication of just how tough and lawless life was and at how difficult it was to be decent!
- CinemaSerf
- Mar 5, 2024
- Permalink
The frame of this film is ingenious, beautiful landscapes and most of the score played by a string ensemble with piano. Acting is also great with the main characters saying more with their glances than a thousand words.
The negative thing is this film takes ages to get to the meat of the plot, namely when Olsen leaves Vivienne to rejoin the army consecutively showing what happens to her while he's away.
Just before that we were at the point to stand up from our seats and leave the cinema hall. Luckily I held on to my principle to watch films to the end, even if they're bad, so in the end we had an enjoyable afternoon at the cinema.
The negative thing is this film takes ages to get to the meat of the plot, namely when Olsen leaves Vivienne to rejoin the army consecutively showing what happens to her while he's away.
Just before that we were at the point to stand up from our seats and leave the cinema hall. Luckily I held on to my principle to watch films to the end, even if they're bad, so in the end we had an enjoyable afternoon at the cinema.
The Dead Don't Hurt
Viggo Mortensen wrote and directed the Western, The Dead Don't Hurt, a story set at the onset of the Civil War. A Danish American meets a French (or Canadian, it's not really clear) American in the American frontier, and they fall for each other but choose not to marry.
Olsen's dream location is a barren piece of land that seems unsuitable for his partner, Vivienne. She makes the best of it by getting a job at the local saloon, and plants flowers and vegetables the best way she can. Olsen, however, feels this urge to go fight in the Civil War, leaving her by herself.
Like most stories of the American frontier, there was not a lot of lawful behavior. With Vivienne now alone, shenanigans ensue. In fact, we know most of the outcome during the opening scene, which I haven't decided was the right decision. But there is enough mystery that I stayed interested, though ultimately disappointed.
I had some trouble with the story as a whole. Showing patriotism for the new country that was still being settled is honorable. But abandoning a woman who begrudgingly decided to stay in a harsh environment was very pathetic. His selfishness sets forth a chain reaction that resulted in a very chaotic ending. Passion for what you love is one thing, but it's meaningless when it comes at the expense of who you love.
I'm also a bit tired of the lawlessness old West trope, even if it's an example of accuracy. Our cartoonish villain's (Weston) father is even afraid of him, along with pretty much the entire settlement. Come on, Viggo. The characterization was just sloppy, and Weston really was only there to give the most extreme of outcomes to Olsen's choice.
I disliked the very end, and I'll leave it up to my readers to see if they feel the same.
Viggo Mortensen wrote and directed the Western, The Dead Don't Hurt, a story set at the onset of the Civil War. A Danish American meets a French (or Canadian, it's not really clear) American in the American frontier, and they fall for each other but choose not to marry.
Olsen's dream location is a barren piece of land that seems unsuitable for his partner, Vivienne. She makes the best of it by getting a job at the local saloon, and plants flowers and vegetables the best way she can. Olsen, however, feels this urge to go fight in the Civil War, leaving her by herself.
Like most stories of the American frontier, there was not a lot of lawful behavior. With Vivienne now alone, shenanigans ensue. In fact, we know most of the outcome during the opening scene, which I haven't decided was the right decision. But there is enough mystery that I stayed interested, though ultimately disappointed.
I had some trouble with the story as a whole. Showing patriotism for the new country that was still being settled is honorable. But abandoning a woman who begrudgingly decided to stay in a harsh environment was very pathetic. His selfishness sets forth a chain reaction that resulted in a very chaotic ending. Passion for what you love is one thing, but it's meaningless when it comes at the expense of who you love.
I'm also a bit tired of the lawlessness old West trope, even if it's an example of accuracy. Our cartoonish villain's (Weston) father is even afraid of him, along with pretty much the entire settlement. Come on, Viggo. The characterization was just sloppy, and Weston really was only there to give the most extreme of outcomes to Olsen's choice.
I disliked the very end, and I'll leave it up to my readers to see if they feel the same.
- malmevik77
- Jun 6, 2024
- Permalink
Nothing new here. Not outstanding but I didnt die from watching it. The bad cattle- rich guy and his evil son. The immigrant who somehow becomes a victim,and then gets revenge. I don't get the storyline. She is a French Canadian and her father is hung by British soldiers for what reason.? Trapping? Never would happen
I found the whole story very muddled and slow. People complained that Horizon didn't make sense. Too many threads. This makes less sense and is an inferior movie. He,Viggo comes from Denmark ? No background on his character before he came to the US. Evidently he was in the Danish Army. His medal is not a US issue. Viggo tried to make something different in a western and he created a muddled standard one. She is some kind feminist independent type but dies of advanced syphilis. It wasn't from Bad son Jeffries because not enuf time had passed. She may have got it in her tattered life before she went west. Syphilis is in in westerns these days I guess. That Nevada homestead Viggo has looks like the back side of the moon. Why would he settle there? His job before he is sheriff was what?
I had really enjoyed "Falling" as well, Viggo Mortensen's directorial debut, but this film is a step up. It admittedly does not target as heavy a subject as his previous film, but it is written, directed, and acted (by the whole cast, especially the leading actors) beautifully. The cinematography and music are really thoughtfully put together as well, and do a good job capturing the 19th century look, without coming across as contrived. Glad to see Viggo going from strength to strength. I hope the film is recognized for the great work it is. Fun to get a glimpse of Anduril as well :) Highly recommended.
- christina-delimitrou
- Oct 4, 2023
- Permalink
I always dream of a return of the great cowboy movie. Not that there haven't been honorable attempts - Lawrence Kasdan, Ron Howard, Tom Selleck. Now we have The DEAD DON'THURT. Hopes rise as we open with drunken psychopath Solly McLeod exiting the saloon, where he's shot four people, and taking down a wounded local and the agreeable boy deputy on his way. Star-director-writer-producer-musician Viggo Mortensen pulls his weight there, making McLeod the nastiest bad guy in memory. Frank Faylen, in WHISPERING SMITH, shooting people just to see them jump, seems neighborly by comparison.
Ah but there's more. The frontier proves to be in the hands of avaricious land grabbers with a side line in vice. The admirable Danny Huston's speech about expanding the one saloon to house "sporting ladies" sets the tone. There's Ray McKinnon's bought judge contrasted with the indignant girl who has to be silenced when she is the one person to stand and speak out in his court or the appalled town doctor who refuses to charge for his ominous visit. There is a complete world here, one that's subtly different from the ones we know from earlier films, more savage, more connected to the earth.
Mortenson is really good with performers. Putting him opposite now star of the moment Vicky Krieps makes this one compulsory viewing. We first see her bored with the well dressed suitor who will not stand for that, dismissing her as "not the freshest either." It sets her up nicely as the idealised frontier woman, a suitable mate to roll in manure with fellow European migrant, war veteran Mortenson.
The film is full of nice pieces of staging - Viggo initiating his courtship by offering Krieps a slice of salmon on the flat of his Bowie knife, the pair of them reaching the isolated house he has used his carpenter skills to build in what seems an inexplicable choice among all the empty Nevada land ("What do you do?" "As little as possible.") her dropping her two bags as she faces the horses she has loaded her chair onto, - even the lamp wick dimming after the assault. He manages the use of the convincing Heaven's Gate-like setting - boots ringing on the timber board walks, the shadow of the rain on window glass falling on faces or scenic panoramas like the striking (Mexican) rock outcrops that telegraph the fact that we are going to see bullets impacting them.
Viggo has kind of crept up on us, doing support parts in conspicuous movies for forty years until he became someone whose efforts automatically rated our attention. I hate to say that there's too much Viggo here but as a producer, he should have congratulated himself on his stringed instrument skills, gone off to one side and told himself director Viggo needs more editing discipline.
The DEAD DON'T HURT is plagued by unwelcome elaboration. Throwing the military medal off the cliff just doubles up on the lead's view of the Civil war, moving from "fighting against slavery" to "not what I expected." The whole flashback structure just makes it hard to follow and dissipates the action movie energy. The knight in armor is mystifying at first and dim when it's explained - the Indian girl with the fish? Joan of Arc?
Somewhere buried in the over-length The Dead DON'T HURT there is a superior, atmospheric example waiting to take its place in the new cycle of ultra sadistic westerns, along with The BONE TOMYHAWK or The HATEFUL EIGHT I kind of feel I was cheated out of it.
Ah but there's more. The frontier proves to be in the hands of avaricious land grabbers with a side line in vice. The admirable Danny Huston's speech about expanding the one saloon to house "sporting ladies" sets the tone. There's Ray McKinnon's bought judge contrasted with the indignant girl who has to be silenced when she is the one person to stand and speak out in his court or the appalled town doctor who refuses to charge for his ominous visit. There is a complete world here, one that's subtly different from the ones we know from earlier films, more savage, more connected to the earth.
Mortenson is really good with performers. Putting him opposite now star of the moment Vicky Krieps makes this one compulsory viewing. We first see her bored with the well dressed suitor who will not stand for that, dismissing her as "not the freshest either." It sets her up nicely as the idealised frontier woman, a suitable mate to roll in manure with fellow European migrant, war veteran Mortenson.
The film is full of nice pieces of staging - Viggo initiating his courtship by offering Krieps a slice of salmon on the flat of his Bowie knife, the pair of them reaching the isolated house he has used his carpenter skills to build in what seems an inexplicable choice among all the empty Nevada land ("What do you do?" "As little as possible.") her dropping her two bags as she faces the horses she has loaded her chair onto, - even the lamp wick dimming after the assault. He manages the use of the convincing Heaven's Gate-like setting - boots ringing on the timber board walks, the shadow of the rain on window glass falling on faces or scenic panoramas like the striking (Mexican) rock outcrops that telegraph the fact that we are going to see bullets impacting them.
Viggo has kind of crept up on us, doing support parts in conspicuous movies for forty years until he became someone whose efforts automatically rated our attention. I hate to say that there's too much Viggo here but as a producer, he should have congratulated himself on his stringed instrument skills, gone off to one side and told himself director Viggo needs more editing discipline.
The DEAD DON'T HURT is plagued by unwelcome elaboration. Throwing the military medal off the cliff just doubles up on the lead's view of the Civil war, moving from "fighting against slavery" to "not what I expected." The whole flashback structure just makes it hard to follow and dissipates the action movie energy. The knight in armor is mystifying at first and dim when it's explained - the Indian girl with the fish? Joan of Arc?
Somewhere buried in the over-length The Dead DON'T HURT there is a superior, atmospheric example waiting to take its place in the new cycle of ultra sadistic westerns, along with The BONE TOMYHAWK or The HATEFUL EIGHT I kind of feel I was cheated out of it.
- thebarriepattison
- Jun 6, 2024
- Permalink
The Dead Don't Hurt may sound like the standard issue story of revenge and small town corruption but its greatest strengths lie in how it prioritises its characters and their relationships over any action or exploitation. It didn't need to be told in a non-chronological structure however, it's still able to find its rhythm and become an engaging slow burning western.
Even though it has a few recognisable faces, the film is held together by two quietly commanding performances. Viggo Mortensen & Vicky Krieps both carry the film by themselves at certain points as they internalise most of their feelings whilst showing how they really feel in subtle ways. Together, they make for a believable couple who's quickly blossoming bond has a real tenderness to it.
Viggo Mortensen shows he's a jack of all trades by writing, directing, and composing the score as well as starring in it. His direction is beautiful as he uses Marcel Zyskind's cinematography to gently glide through the sets and display the gorgeous locations in all their natural glory, keeping that going throughout the end credits as well. His mournful western score is a natural fit for the intimate proceedings.
Even though it has a few recognisable faces, the film is held together by two quietly commanding performances. Viggo Mortensen & Vicky Krieps both carry the film by themselves at certain points as they internalise most of their feelings whilst showing how they really feel in subtle ways. Together, they make for a believable couple who's quickly blossoming bond has a real tenderness to it.
Viggo Mortensen shows he's a jack of all trades by writing, directing, and composing the score as well as starring in it. His direction is beautiful as he uses Marcel Zyskind's cinematography to gently glide through the sets and display the gorgeous locations in all their natural glory, keeping that going throughout the end credits as well. His mournful western score is a natural fit for the intimate proceedings.
Viggo is a great actor, but he falls short as a director. The plot is slow and jumps time zones without the benefit of a "1844" or "1850", leaving you totally confused. The last half hour is worth watching but you have to sit through the other foggy 90 minutes. Good photography, but the music sounds like it was stolen from a Ken Burns documentary.
Viggo's character is also peculiar. He's just returned from a war only to sign up for another (Civil War) leaving his lady live to fend for herself in a very rugged home in the Nevada wilderness.
Dang! I had higher hopes for this one. Appaloosa it is not.
Viggo's character is also peculiar. He's just returned from a war only to sign up for another (Civil War) leaving his lady live to fend for herself in a very rugged home in the Nevada wilderness.
Dang! I had higher hopes for this one. Appaloosa it is not.
- tandc-53810
- Jul 26, 2024
- Permalink
Vivienne and Holger enjoy silences together and recognize in each other kindred souls. He is a carpenter and she is a fiercely independent flower seller and gardener. They support one another even though they do not always agree with what the other does. They get along so well with a mixture of humor, straightforwardness, and erotic pleasure. Settling in the wilderness of Nevada they enjoy life tending gardens, building homes, and swimming nude beneath waterfalls. This is until the Civil War starts and Holger enlists. Vivienne, alone, can stand up for herself better than most, but being left with a violent spoiled son of a rich rancher may be more than she can handle.
"There are moments we return to in time," said director, composer, writer, and lead actor Viggo Mortensen at the Toronto International Film Festival. He said that his mother was inspiration for this "feminist western." Little Viggo was fascinated by the stories and music of the movies his mom took him to. He didn't intend to take the lead part, but when the man originally hired to take the role stepped out, Viggo took the opportunity. Vicky Krieps (Vivienne) told him to take the part.
This compelling and cute western romance concentrates on select moments of the couple's relationship and jumps back and forth in time. While The Dead Don't Hurt seems rushed at times, I really enjoyed the story, the experienced actors, and the dreamy romance between two lovable characters. The filmmakers even got the birdsongs right (cactus wrens, native to Nevada, warble in the background).
"There are moments we return to in time," said director, composer, writer, and lead actor Viggo Mortensen at the Toronto International Film Festival. He said that his mother was inspiration for this "feminist western." Little Viggo was fascinated by the stories and music of the movies his mom took him to. He didn't intend to take the lead part, but when the man originally hired to take the role stepped out, Viggo took the opportunity. Vicky Krieps (Vivienne) told him to take the part.
This compelling and cute western romance concentrates on select moments of the couple's relationship and jumps back and forth in time. While The Dead Don't Hurt seems rushed at times, I really enjoyed the story, the experienced actors, and the dreamy romance between two lovable characters. The filmmakers even got the birdsongs right (cactus wrens, native to Nevada, warble in the background).
- Blue-Grotto
- Dec 2, 2023
- Permalink
Overall it is not a waste of time, nice Sunday afternoon movie. Beautiful photography. But let's talk about the flaws.
Sometimes it gets boring and confusing, you need to take guesses, just like Horizon, I watched both one after the other and the funny thing is that I liked this one more.
The worst part for me was the character Vicky, which is a feminist even thought there wasn't such thing back then, she is constantly throwing feminist quotes but at the same time acting like old school wife, makes no sense.
I don't need men, meets a guy and goes living with him
I don't need men, waits for the husband to come back from war.
Everything she says needs to be a bout her being a strong female character but the story shows the opposite.
Viggo should have released this movie five years ago when people weren't tired of this nonsense.
Sometimes it gets boring and confusing, you need to take guesses, just like Horizon, I watched both one after the other and the funny thing is that I liked this one more.
The worst part for me was the character Vicky, which is a feminist even thought there wasn't such thing back then, she is constantly throwing feminist quotes but at the same time acting like old school wife, makes no sense.
I don't need men, meets a guy and goes living with him
I don't need men, waits for the husband to come back from war.
Everything she says needs to be a bout her being a strong female character but the story shows the opposite.
Viggo should have released this movie five years ago when people weren't tired of this nonsense.
- almeidabr-28775
- Jul 26, 2024
- Permalink
- texasartapple
- Jun 8, 2024
- Permalink
And trust me when I say I did not like saying that. I really hoped this would be something along the lines of The power of the dog, another low key, slow thoughtful western but sadly it wasn't in the same league. The characters weren't overly fleshed out, the most important part of the plot did not make a whole lot of sense. Why would you take a woman back to the remote place that you live only to leave. In the end the independent lady had to become a victim she couldn't be left alone after all, she needed a man to look after her. And finally we get to a revenge movie and even that is reached at a walk. Overall quite forgettable I am sorry to say.
- desimonici-898-584421
- Jul 29, 2024
- Permalink
Beautiful story about the love of two outsiders in the countryside, where they just want to survive and build a home, and trying to keep the distance from the archetypical western "heroes". Wonderfully photographed tale, and Viggo Mortensen did his best as a director, actor, writer and composer. Sometimes, it's a bit too slow, otherwise, I appreciate that they didn't fill the story with common cowboy stuffs and self-serving violance - Mortensen's movie isn't about the danger and corruption of the west, but about independence and strong, unique connection between lovers. I really like the middle part, where the film switched to Vivienne's subjective perspective.
- buzsikturner
- Jul 24, 2024
- Permalink
A very good Romance about a danishnisse immigugend and the second generation French immigugend.
Seeing two different perspective throughout the movies that combined to a really fought out story and I really enjoyed the woman she was the real main character. It was kind of Awesome seeing what she was going through and very sad.
The movie has a very nice slow step. It's not boring it. Just takes its time with the characters to make you feel for them in their little moments like in the scenes where they are talking to each other it feels like they are just waiting for i other to respond but they cannot find the right words. It is very naturalistic dialogue.
The reason I went to see the movie was because I heard it was viggo mortensen's passion project. It has been on he's been working on for some time. I had fought out truly at least what is written on Wikipedia then it was he who directed written the story and made the music. I don't know about the music part, but that really made me want to watch it because this is his Vision
Even if life is not perfect and doesn't go the way you wanted you can still find the nice moment in it and find what is worth protecting and caring about I really enjoyed this movie and didn't think it would be this good. I really think that vigoo Mortensen did a good job with this movie.
Seeing two different perspective throughout the movies that combined to a really fought out story and I really enjoyed the woman she was the real main character. It was kind of Awesome seeing what she was going through and very sad.
The movie has a very nice slow step. It's not boring it. Just takes its time with the characters to make you feel for them in their little moments like in the scenes where they are talking to each other it feels like they are just waiting for i other to respond but they cannot find the right words. It is very naturalistic dialogue.
The reason I went to see the movie was because I heard it was viggo mortensen's passion project. It has been on he's been working on for some time. I had fought out truly at least what is written on Wikipedia then it was he who directed written the story and made the music. I don't know about the music part, but that really made me want to watch it because this is his Vision
Even if life is not perfect and doesn't go the way you wanted you can still find the nice moment in it and find what is worth protecting and caring about I really enjoyed this movie and didn't think it would be this good. I really think that vigoo Mortensen did a good job with this movie.
If it weren't for this important turn of events... the film would have turned out great. It is unbearable to watch such scenes and such people. As for the film itself, up to the third act it is a clever, mature and believable melodrama, and it should be noted that it is magnificent. There are not many events in the film, but everything looks real, as in life, without ostentatious exaggeration. I enjoyed the simplicity and sincerity of what was happening and the amazing acting. The film is sad, although the characters' relationships are filled with emotions, however, in my opinion, they remain undisclosed, as if there is not enough depth of feelings. The final sadness and the silent son ... the film simultaneously gives beauty and leaves a feeling of disappointment due to sadness and understatement.
- filmtravel101
- May 19, 2024
- Permalink
This movie is a great piece of art. It tells the story about 2 people trying to build their lives at the frontier. Sadly their dream get's interrupted when the civil war is starting. When Olsen (viggo mortensen) returns home from the war both start to realize that everything has changed. Everything in the movie felt natural and it was beautifully shot. If there would be a negative point for me then it would be that the first 30 minutes in the movie felt a bit confusing because there were some flash forwards and flash backs all in the mix. I give the movie an 8/10. I highly recommend this movie if you are a fan of the western genre.
What to expect when watching this movie: 1. A classic tale of revenge 2. Beautiful landscapes and nature.
3. A very intimate love story 4. All the ingredients of an good old fashioned western. (and yes a good shootout!)
What to expect when watching this movie: 1. A classic tale of revenge 2. Beautiful landscapes and nature.
3. A very intimate love story 4. All the ingredients of an good old fashioned western. (and yes a good shootout!)
- valentin-vdg
- May 13, 2024
- Permalink
- stevendbeard
- May 31, 2024
- Permalink
Same story told a million times but in an incredibly boring way. No action at all, just two hours of back story.
Just watch emily blunt series the English instead. Basically the same story but told far better with actual action scenes.
I just waited for this movie to start for two hours then it ended.
Same story told a million times but in an incredibly boring way. No action at all, just two hours of back story.
Just watch emily blunt series the English instead. Basically the same story but told far better with actual action scenes.
I just waited for this movie to start for two hours then it ended.
Just watch emily blunt series the English instead. Basically the same story but told far better with actual action scenes.
I just waited for this movie to start for two hours then it ended.
Same story told a million times but in an incredibly boring way. No action at all, just two hours of back story.
Just watch emily blunt series the English instead. Basically the same story but told far better with actual action scenes.
I just waited for this movie to start for two hours then it ended.
- liverpool26
- Jun 9, 2024
- Permalink
Set during the American West, Danish carpenter and sheriff of Elf Flats, Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen) mourns the loss of his French Canadian wife Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) and rides off with their son Vincent (Atlas Green). As the two ride westward, we learn the circumstances which brought Vivienne and Holger together and the tragic circumstances that ultimately befell them.
The Dead Don't Hurt is the sophomore directorial feature for Viggo Mortensen after 2020's Falling which also sees him write, score, and co-star in the film. Mortensen said his aim was to create a character study of a resilient woman in the time of the old west and found the performer in Vicky Krieps who is very much front and center here. The Dead Don't Hurt is a very slow and methodical film (even by the standards of Westerns which are traditionally more deliberately paced) but for those willing to put in the time they will be rewarded with an engaging character study with a strong but tragic emotional payoff.
In terms of structure, The Dead Don't Hurt let's the audience know from the outset exactly what kind of mood they're in for as we see from the opening where Vivienne's story regrettably ends up. While the opening act features what feels like a very traditional western opening with Mortensen's Holger stoicly burying his wife and then turning in his sheriff's badge to the mayor before riding off, Mortensen throws the audience for a loop by often flashing back to the past to tell Vivienne's story in how she met and built a life with Holger in a subversion of the Western revenge narrative which the film deconstructs. Vicky Krieps is fantastic in the role of Vivienne as she carries a quiet sadness from the loss of her fur trapper father as a child and her relationship with Holger is well constructed in that the gentle but slightly hardened manner in which Holger carries himself reminds her of what she once saw in her father. The movie takes many elements familiar to traditional westerns but plays them in a more low key setting where the ugliness of the situation is more cold and matter of fact as land grabs and saloon brawls are often more one sided with justice seldom if ever delivered. Solly McLeod is positioned as the closest thing we have to a villain storywise as he creates a truly reprehensible sadist and bully whose bereft of any redeeming qualities and while there is a payoff for him Mortensen positions him as something pathetic and barely worth the time.
The Dead Don't Hurt is not an easy sit as it is very deliberately paced and places more focus on character and atmosphere than narrative or drive, but it's a very raw and uncompromising look at the struggles of a family during the American west and their resilience in the face of hardship even as tragedy overcame them.
The Dead Don't Hurt is the sophomore directorial feature for Viggo Mortensen after 2020's Falling which also sees him write, score, and co-star in the film. Mortensen said his aim was to create a character study of a resilient woman in the time of the old west and found the performer in Vicky Krieps who is very much front and center here. The Dead Don't Hurt is a very slow and methodical film (even by the standards of Westerns which are traditionally more deliberately paced) but for those willing to put in the time they will be rewarded with an engaging character study with a strong but tragic emotional payoff.
In terms of structure, The Dead Don't Hurt let's the audience know from the outset exactly what kind of mood they're in for as we see from the opening where Vivienne's story regrettably ends up. While the opening act features what feels like a very traditional western opening with Mortensen's Holger stoicly burying his wife and then turning in his sheriff's badge to the mayor before riding off, Mortensen throws the audience for a loop by often flashing back to the past to tell Vivienne's story in how she met and built a life with Holger in a subversion of the Western revenge narrative which the film deconstructs. Vicky Krieps is fantastic in the role of Vivienne as she carries a quiet sadness from the loss of her fur trapper father as a child and her relationship with Holger is well constructed in that the gentle but slightly hardened manner in which Holger carries himself reminds her of what she once saw in her father. The movie takes many elements familiar to traditional westerns but plays them in a more low key setting where the ugliness of the situation is more cold and matter of fact as land grabs and saloon brawls are often more one sided with justice seldom if ever delivered. Solly McLeod is positioned as the closest thing we have to a villain storywise as he creates a truly reprehensible sadist and bully whose bereft of any redeeming qualities and while there is a payoff for him Mortensen positions him as something pathetic and barely worth the time.
The Dead Don't Hurt is not an easy sit as it is very deliberately paced and places more focus on character and atmosphere than narrative or drive, but it's a very raw and uncompromising look at the struggles of a family during the American west and their resilience in the face of hardship even as tragedy overcame them.
- IonicBreezeMachine
- Aug 10, 2024
- Permalink
- lozanoderrick
- Jun 7, 2024
- Permalink