As he slowly backs away from an acting career, Viggo Mortensen has found his way behind the camera. In 2020, there was his work on “Falling,” a tough but meaningful examination of relationships put under the weight of dementia. For “The Dead Don’t Talk,” Mortensen pursues a western, also scripting this story of a partnership between decent people as it goes through trials of trust, separation, and comfort. This isn’t an Eastwood-ian take on revenge, though aggression does play a part in the tale, with Mortensen much more interested in the development of characters as they deal with the joys and misery of life, especially during a time of national unrest. “The Dead Don’t Hurt” is atmospheric and attentive to emotional expression, lacking a brisk pace. The reward for such patience is another deeply felt picture from Mortensen, who delivers a film of grace and personality, offering a few genre kicks between long stretches of behavioral examination. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

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