The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) ***1/2

A slow-moving romantic western, The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) is Viggo Mortensen's sophomore film as director. Handsomely shot by Marcel Zyskind (2010's The Killer Inside Me (review)) and elegiacally scored by Mortensen (who also wrote the screenplay and stars), the film features fantastic performances by Vicky Krieps and Viggo, and satisfyingly reunites three Deadwood (2004–2006) alumni. The bursts of violence sprinkled throughout the picture hit that much harder due to the languid pace of this tender drama. Despite a non-linear presentation and at times female-centric viewpoint, TDDD doesn't set out to reinvent, but it's quite pleasing for fans of the genre.

Recommended for fans of The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007), The Proposition (2005) (review), and Killers Of The Flower Moon (2023) (review).