Vivian (Vicky Krieps) and Holger’s (Viggo Mortensen) peaceful life on the American frontier is shattered when the Civil War breaks out.
It is not unusual for a Western film to begin with a character on horseback. However, in Viggo Mortensen’s second film as director (and writer and composer), this guy doesn’t wear a Stetson helmet but rather a metal helmet with a visor, and wears mail armor. It’s a striking, awe-inspiring image: a chivalrous knight from medieval legend, galloping through a primeval forest. This is our first clue that Mortensen’s take on a later but no less mythical historical period – the Wild West – will have a very different flavor from most other horse operas.
Not that this stops Mortensen from playing with his famous archetypes. His Persian vision (and it’s not a spoiler to say it’s a vision) is quickly followed by a gunfire spilling out of a saloon in a familiar dusty frontier town, literally perpetrated by an assassin in a black hat. There is talk of manifest destiny and progress, and some examination of the immigrant experience on the margins of society. Additionally, the story culminates in a violent confrontation seemingly fueled by revenge. But, for the most part, Dead Don’t Hurt is concerned with the more positive motives of acceptance, tolerance, and love. Despite some brutal outbursts (in one case related to the plot, which is troubling), this is, for the most part, a remarkably gentle film.
Vicki Krebs and Viggo Mortensen make a compelling and engaging duo
At its tender core stands Vivian Le Cody (Vicky Krebs), a French-Canadian flower seller who abandons her life in San Francisco after being attacked by her arrogant fiancé to settle in Elk Flats, Nevada, with Danish ex-soldier Holger Olsen (Mortensen). ), after they fall in love at first sight. Vivian is no less determined and independent than her strong, individual lover, and their relationship is presented as a union of equals. Krebs and Mortensen make a compelling and engaging duo, although after Holger heads off to “fight slavery” in the Civil War, the film is carried out by Krebs, with Vivian having to deal with the predatory interests of the aforementioned Man in the Black Hat. Gooder: The spoiled son of a tough rancher, portrayed with irredeemable rudeness by Sully Macleod (Tom Jones).
Where The Dead Don’t Hurt gets a little unstuck is in its structure, which stutters over three time periods. That’s not to say it’s difficult to follow, but the way it suddenly jumps from time to time, sometimes for very short and episodic scenes, undermines the dramatic momentum. Fortunately, this doesn’t irreparably distract from the powerful and heartfelt romantic drama, which takes a primarily sentimental approach in refining its genre.
A Western that hits many of the expected beats but does so in an unexpected way, centering around a tender, loving relationship rather than gunplay and determination.
