The Dead Don't Hurt: love blooms in 'handsomely crafted' western
Viggo Mortensen writes, directs and stars in second feature film
Viggo Mortensen doesn't just star in this "sinewy, sombre, handsomely crafted" western. He is also its director, its writer and the composer of its score, said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. "With almost anyone else", the result might be a self-indulgent disaster, but Mortensen has a "self-effacing and even reticent quality" on screen that "works against that danger".
He plays Holger Olsen, a Danish immigrant in 1860s America who lives in a cabin he built himself near a frontier town in Nevada. One day, during a visit to San Francisco, he meets "the frank, unabashed gaze" of Vivienne (Vicky Krieps), a French-Canadian flower seller. The pair become a couple; but when Olsen decides to join the Union army and goes off to fight the civil war, Vivienne is left to fend off the attentions of a predatory local official.
The world the film evokes is one of "cynicism, brutality and bad faith", but the love between Olsen and Vivienne "blooms like a miraculous flower"; and Krieps and Mortensen's "rapport is just right: romantic, besotted with each other, and yet tough and without illusion".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Krieps (who was so good in 2017's "Phantom Thread") reminds us what a "talented and beguiling actress she is", said Brian Viner in the Daily Mail. And even if the way the story shifts back and forth in time is a bit befuddling, this is a strong piece of cinema.
Some may find that the film takes a slow and "circuitous route to get to the killing we know is coming", said Alistair Harkness in The Scotsman. But this non-linear plotting enables Mortensen "to put an intriguing female perspective on a traditionally masculine genre", in a film that teases out "a truer sense of the complexities involved in trying to make a go of life on the frontier than we're used to seeing in westerns".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump proposal to 'clean out' Gaza gets cool reception
Speed Read U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt rejected President Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians leave Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - January 27, 2025
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - golden eggs, fossil fuels, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Patmos: an island at the end of the world
The Week Recommends Small Greek island has a rich history and ties to the Christian tradition
By The Week UK Published
-
Alex James chooses his favourite books
The Week Recommends The Blur bassist shares works by Matt Parker, Mick Herron and others
By The Week UK Published
-
A first-timer's guide to London's go-to neighborhoods
The Week Recommends Roam the museums in Kensington and eat your way through Hackney
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger – a 'thin' yet 'heart-warming' sequel
Talking Point The second instalment of a local man setting up a community bank sees Rory Kinnear return
By The Week UK Published
-
Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: 'titans of Western art' reunited in 'standout' show
The Week Recommends Exhibition explores the complex artistic landscape of Florence at the turn of the 16th century
By The Week UK Published
-
Kyoto: 'total thrill ride' explores pivotal climate change conference
The Week Recommends Play centres on 'cut-throat diplomacy' surrounding the United Nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Back in Action: Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx star in 'highly processed' action film
Talking Point While the 'twist' is predictable, the performances are 'fizzily watchable'
By The Week UK Published
-
A Short History of British Architecture: Simon Jenkins' book 'gallops along'
The Week Recommends Simon Jenkins makes history come to life while describing his own interactions with architecture
By The Week UK Published