I had decent expectations for this one and I realized going in it wouldn’t be an action spectacle but I wasn’t prepared for just how slow and ultimately uninteresting it would be. It just felt like scene after scene of nothing happening. A seemingly endless procession of the two main characters not saying or doing anything, always accompanied by a violin soundtrack blaring on and on. Viggo and Vicky both have interesting characters with complex backgrounds but these are only ever teased and not really used for anything. It ultimately felt like the movie hid several far more interesting stories than the one it chose to tell.

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.

This is true to the actual wild west than most westerns. Bravo to Mortensen for telling a true to life story. (If you are looking for the typical rich guy is the good guy BS western instead of reality, you'll be sorely disappointed.) The acting and directing is fantastic, but this need to go back and forth constantly throughout a timeline becomes tedious to follow along. In this case, it becomes more of a distraction, particularly in the beginning of the film. The viewer is left guessing which part of the timeline they are "in" and frankly it's more work than it's worth. Starting at the almost end and then going straight through from the beginning to the end would've been better. Normally I would subtract 2-3 points from the score just from the tedious back and forth. It's only necessary at minimums and should be avoided except as necessary. This was a bit too much. However, the story is compelling. So I've marked it a 9/10, but really feel that's the score for the story itself, the overall script albeit not the editing of the presentation. It's probably only a 7 if the constant back and forth becomes too annoying for the viewer. I'm grading the story, the acting and not the one editing mistake.

I thought this was a good story, technically well told. I can see why people that expected a traditional western could be bored by it, though. Would make a nice companion piece to The Sisters Brothers (another divisive western).

Brillant acting.Movie is quite ok but not a top 100