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The Dead Don't Die

The Dead Don't Die

Movie · 2019 · 3 people

Jim Jarmusch wrote and directed The Dead Don't Die, an American zombie comedy from 2019. Known for its absurdist humor and self-aware, movie-referencing style, it follows a small town's police force in a futile fight against a sudden zombie invasion. It had its world premiere on May 14, 2019, as the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. Distributed by Focus Features, it reached North American theaters on June 14, 2019.

The story unfolds in the quiet town of Centerville. First the days grow longer, animals act strangely, phones and watches stop working, and the news speaks of mysterious phenomena. Then the dead climb out of their graves and attack the living. Three police officers and an undertaker are forced to team up. Bill Murray plays officer Cliff Robertson, Adam Driver plays Ronald Peterson, and Chloë Sevigny plays Mindy Morrison. Tilda Swinton is the undertaker Zelda Winston. Alongside Steve Buscemi and Danny Glover, the large cast includes Tom Waits, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Carol Kane, RZA, Austin Butler and Selena Gomez.

The title nods to a Sturgill Simpson album and song, which is heard several times in the film. It runs about 105 minutes, drew mixed reviews and earned roughly $15 million worldwide.

DirectorJim Jarmusch
Production companyFocus Features

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Steve Buscemi Steve Buscemi Film actor · 68 years old Tilda Swinton Tilda Swinton Actor · 65 years old Danny Glover Danny Glover Actor · 80 years old

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Jim Jarmusch uses the zombie genre not to scare but to play with the genre itself. This is an absurd, self-aware story packed with film references, moving at a slow, almost frozen rhythm that is clearly deliberate. Bill Murray and Adam Driver's dry, deadpan performances set the tone, and Tilda Swinton's Zelda Winston sticks in the mind for sheer strangeness. The trouble is that a cast this crowded, stretching from Tom Waits to Selena Gomez, is hard to give meaningful room, and some names seem to remain little more than an idea. Jokes like the repeated return to the Sturgill Simpson song start out clever but gradually fold into a gag that keeps repeating itself. That it opened Cannes and then drew mixed reviews comes as no surprise.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

If a zombie movie means tension and chases to you, this one will throw you. The town's police are stuck in a fight that's lost from the start, and the film plays it for dry laughs rather than suspense. The pace is slow on purpose. Some jokes really land, but the tension never climbs. I couldn't warm to the genre being treated this sarcastically; without Bill Murray and Adam Driver my patience would have run out much sooner.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

A zombie comedy in which the dead climb out of their graves and attack the living, so it is not for young children. The humour isn't the kind kids will get either; it is a dry humour that pokes fun at movies. Teenagers and adults can watch it. Because the pace is slow, don't expect a family film that keeps everyone glued to the screen.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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