THE DEAD DON’T DIE (2019)
The major attraction of THE DEAD DON’T DIE is the large cast of well-known and talented actors. That includes Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Adam Driver and Chloë Sevigny—just to name a few of my personal favorites. And it wouldn’t be a Jim Jarmusch film movie without throwing in a few musicians; Rza, Tom Waits, and Iggy Pop make short but memorable appearances. It really lives up to the tagline “The greatest zombie cast ever disassembled.”
I want to say the movie has a slow start, but actually the whole thing feels pretty slow. THE DEAD DON’T DIE isn’t what I think of as a typical “horror comedy”. I’m used to the SCARY MOVIE types where they push the already far-fetched horror movie conventions so far into the absurd they become laughable. The staples of the genre include over-the-top action, overacting, and beyond ridiculous circumstances. Jarmusch, as per his modus operandi, seems to go in the complete opposite direction with much of the comedy coming from the non-reaction and general banal tone of the movie. The actors’ deadpan deliveries and almost casual responses might have you wondering if it’s really a comedy at all.
The action takes place in Centerville, your average small town in rural America.
It seems like a mundane place with not much to do and not much to it. There’s just one diner, a motel, Bobby’s Gas and Stuff, at least one farm, other likely necessities—and, oddly enough, its own juvenile detention center.
The police department consists of just three officers while, back at the station, one of jail cells is being used to store a dead body because the funeral home is full with two dead golfers.
Chief Cliff Robertson (Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (Driver) confront Hermit Bob (Waits) in response to a call from local Farmer Frank Miller (Steve Buscemi) about a missing chicken. Despite having shot at them, Robertson dismisses Bob as harmless, and the two cops make their way back to the station. It’s around this time we start to get hints things aren’t quite right. The sun is still up at 8pm, watches and cell phones aren’t working, animals are acting strange, and there’s a chance polar fracking has altered the Earth’s rotation. Essentially, it’s the end of the world. But the world can’t end without zombies.
Before we get to the zombies, we’re introduced to the rest of the cast: Rounding out the Centerville PD is Officer Mindy Morrison (Sevigny). Farmer Frank Miller is a stereotypical ignorant hick, “Make America White Again” red baseball cap included. Played by Buscemi, he’s a bit more animated than the rest of the cast and good for a few laughs. Bobby (of “Bobby’s Gas and Stuff”), alternately called ‘Frodo’, is the always necessary somewhat geeky movie-buff character (played by Caleb Landry Jones).
Another character is the strange and mysterious newcomer, Zelda Winston (Swinton), who serves as the town mortician and, while possibly being the most deadpan character, she turns out to be one of the most comedic elements in the movie. There’s also the hardware store owner, diner employees, residents of the detention center, and other minor characters including the hipsters that just happen to be passing through town as things go sideways.
If you’re looking for a fun gut-busting kind of comedy, this is not it. My best description for DEAD DON’T DIE’s sense of humor it would be “subtly absurd”. There are a few laugh-out-loud moments, but mostly I’d say it’s good for a few slight chuckles. It plays with stereotypes, breaks the fourth wall, and throws in a few unexpected twists. It also includes the much-needed social commentary. We are led to believe the cause for the variety of disturbances were caused by fracking.
We also see human behavior reflected in the zombies. While these zombies readily attack and eat people, they also gravitate to the places and things they craved in life. The zombies chug coffee, look for wifi, and one poses for pictures.
While I enjoyed THE DEAD DON’T DIE, it is definitely not for everybody. I could see it being a bit underwhelming to some viewers. I can’t really identify one specific aspect about Jarmusch’s movie for why I liked it.
But what I liked most about it was that, when it ended, I felt unsettled. Which for me has always been the sign of a good parody—because that feeling comes from seeing and thinking in a different way, and now turning that gaze onto the world around me.
