By John Corrado

Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt, which had its world premiere at TIFF last year, is now being released on Digital platforms across Canada and the United States this week from distributor Shout! Studios.

Mortensen’s second directorial effort, following his underrated 2020 debut Falling, The Dead Don’t Hurt is a foray into the Western genre. The actor stars as Danish carpenter Holger Olsen, who falls in love with French-Canadian florist Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) in San Francisco in the 1860s. The two start to build a life together, but are separated by Holger’s decision to fight for the Union in the Civil War.

I saw this one when it played at TIFF, and it’s pretty clear that this was a passion project for Mortensen, who does quintuple duty as director, writer, producer, star, and composer. It’s a gorgeously shot film, utilizing a mix of locations in British Columbia, Ontario and Mexico to stand in for the Old West. Mortensen and Krieps carry the film with strong performances. It’s worth checking out for fans of the Western genre, and worthy of a second look following its festival run last year.

The official trailer is below, and you can read my full review of the film from TIFF right here.

The Dead Don’t Hurt is available for digital purchase in Canada and the United States as of July 16th, and will be available for digital rental on July 23rd.