In
small-town Centerville, police chief Cliff (Bill Murray) and deputies Ronnie
(Adam Driver) and Mindy (Chloe Sevigny) face petty crimes, such as the alleged
theft by survivalist Hermit Bob (Tom Waits) of ornery Farmer Miller’s (Steve
Buscemi) chickens. But when polar fracking sends the earth off its axis,
strange things begin to happen, culminating with the dead returning to life.
Now facing a zombie epidemic, Centerville must rely on its overmatched police
force, a film-loving gas station owner (Caleb Landry Jones), a well-provisioned
hardware store owner (Danny Glover), and a bizarre, sword-wielding Scottish
mortician (Tilda Swinton).
Though The Dead Don’t Die is the first wide
theatrical release of writer/director Jim Jarmusch’s nearly four-decade career,
it is no mainstream affair. Outrageous characters, lackadaisical pacing, dark
humor work to preserve Jarmusch’s idiosyncratic style, and those who have grown
to appreciate it will find plenty to like here. On the other hand, the
uninitiated may find themselves wondering what the hell they just watched.
As
mentioned, The Dead Don’t Die is not
a tightly plotted film. It takes its time establishing characters and setting,
the aesthetics never fully reinforce the danger that the story suggests, and it
all builds to an abrupt conclusion many will find unsatisfying. It’s central
conceit (polar fracking = purple moon and zombies) is ludicrous even by the
standards of the genre, and its criticism of consumer culture – the zombies cry
out for coffee and wifi rather than brains – is laughably (in both senses of
the word) heavy-handed. One is better off viewing this as a parody of clumsy
speculative message movies than such a movie in its own right.
Of course,
there is an all-too-easy antidote to the film’s various lapses and
transgressions: don’t take it too seriously. Freed from expectations, The Dead Don’t Die is a lot of fun.
Murray is in peak deadpan form for most of the film until exasperation
overtakes him at the end, and he is matched, underreaction for underreaction,
by Driver. Swinton showcases her immense versatility by playing her insane (Zelda
was practicing her swordplay before any inkling of zombies) role with gusto.
Not only are there fine performances, but there are also recurring jokes
(zombie victims are repeatedly speculated to be the results of predation by one
or more wild animals by each party to discover them), visual gags (6’2” Driver
speeds to the scene of a crime in small smart car, and amusing allusions (RZA
plays a deliveryman for “WuPS.” Then there’s the oft-played (and, in-universe,
oft-debated) title song by country crooner Sturgill Simpson. Love it or hate
it, its presence is the glue that holds this film together.
Despite
its higher-than-usual profile and very recognizable cast, The Dead Don’t Die is hardly Jarmusch’s opus, and those
unaccustomed to his quirks will find it all the more trying. But for anyone
inclined to forgive its meandering and goofiness, it’s a genuinely funny zombie
comedy that is worth watching for the cast alone.