Written & Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. June 17, 2019 10:15 PM
"The Dead Don’t Die", the latest from the maverick indie filmmaker, Jim Jarmusch, uses the concern for the environment and the lethal damage that could occur to the planet if we continue to ignore the destructive signs as a starting point for this droll comedy. And one potential result, according to the director, could be the rise of those formerly dead, flesh-eating creatures called
zombies. This idea seems like it could be a witty and quirky satire in the hands of Jarmusch and with a remarkable cast of highly idiosyncratic actors on board, it appeared like the film would be a fun, creepy ride. But while the writer/director authentically captures the eerie trappings of the genre, "The Dead Don't Die" remains half-baked with Jarmusch seeming like he was never able to fully work out exactly what he wanted to accomplish with this horror-comedy.
Our story takes place in the very small town of Centerville and the most urgent call of the day for Police Chief, Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) is from Frank Miller (Steve Buscemi). This surly and casually racist farmer has called them complaining about his missing chickens and blames
Hermit Bob (Tom Waits), the town's eccentric loner, for their loss. The police officers go in to the woods where Bob lives and try to talk with him. But he's far from cooperative.
As Robertson and Peterson drive back to the station, they notice that it is still daylight at eight in the evening. And to add to the strangeness of the day, their watches and cellphones have suddenly stopped working. A news report by Posie Juarez (Rosie Perez) warns that pets have begun to violently attack their owners while Miller discovers that all the animals on his farm have disappeared.
Once it finally becomes dark, dead bodies begin to rise from the grave with a hunger for flesh. We see two zombies (Sara Driver and Iggy Pop) enter the local diner at closing time where they maul the waitress, Fern (Eszter Balint) and Lily (Rosal Colon), the overnight cleaner before drifting mindlessly towards the coffee.
The next morning, their bodies are discovered by regular customer, Hank (Danny Glover) who owns the hardware store. Robertson and Peterson are called along with Officer Mindy Morrison (Chloë Sevigny) to the crime scene. Unable to understand what happened, most of them think that perhaps some animal attacked them. But Peterson confidently provides what he thinks is the most obvious answer; zombies.
Mr. Jarmusch has made his career taking familiar genres and cleverly twisting them in unexpected and offbeat ways. While this singular artist has been making films since 1980, he has only completed thirteen features to date. But what he has accomplished has been intriguing and distinctive which includes his version of a road movie ("
Stranger Than Paradise"), a period western ("
Dead Man"), a modern samurai film ("
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai"), a romantic-comedy ("
Broken Flowers") and a vampire movie ("
Only Lovers Left Alive").
With "The Dead Don't Die", you are expecting this filmmaker to deliver some insightful wit and oddball humor to this chilling tale of the living dead. But Mr. Jarmusch's script feels like a really rough draft where he still needed a little more time to fine-tune some of the characters, the plot and create a satisfying ending. The actors appear to improvise much of their dialogue while delivering them in same deadpan manner. This only adds to the sluggish pacing and listless energy, making the film move slower than the zombies.
The real motivation for Jarmusch to make "The Dead Don't Die" seems to be the opportunity to hang out with his actor buddies. The cast is filled with many of his previous collaborators (Murray, Driver, Sevigny, Buscemi, Waits and Tilda Swinton who appears as a Scottish, samurai mortician) and he made some new friends with Glover, Carol Kane, influencer, Luka Sabbat and actress/pop singer, Selena Gomez. While they seem to be enjoying themselves and do their best to enliven these proceedings, the performers are unable to really get the blood pumping.
Despite the efforts of Mr. Jarmusch and his enthusiastic cast, "The Dead Don't Die" manages not to be scary or funny or even particularly inspired. And this is surprising coming from a filmmaker who has made his career by delivering interesting and unusual stories to cinema. Sadly, there is no life to be found in this quirky tale of the undead.
