DEAD FOR A DOLLAR: A Review Of The New Walter Hill Directed Western

Introduction

For fifty years, writer/director Walter Hill has been telling exciting genre stories. Whether behind the camera or on the printed page, he has written and directed a slew of action films that have since gone on to become cult classics, and in some cases, classics. Starting in 1972 with the Steve McQueen classic The Getaway, and continuing through with The Warriors (1979), 48 Hrs (1982), Red Heat (1988), and Wild Bill (1995), Hill has remained a consistent and relevant director who puts every dollar of his usually modest budget up on the screen. 

Recently turning eighty years old and taking a six-year hiatus between feature films, Hill is back with his latest feature, Dead for a Dollar. Starring Christoph Waltz, Rachel Brosnahan, and Willem Defoe, the film is a return to the Western genre that the director loves to revisit so much. However, those expecting the action of Hill classics such as The Long Riders (1980) or Southern Comfort (1981) may be disappointed as his latest effort is more preachy and less about violence and action than these previous films.

Synopsis

Dead for a Dollar tells the story of famed bounty hunter Max Borlund (Christoph Waltz). In 1897 deep in the territory of New Mexico, Max visits Joe Cribbens (Willem Dafoe). A legendary bank robber, horse thief, and an all-around bad guy, Max has sent Cribbens to prison. However, Cribbens is scheduled to be released and vows vengeance against Max. The two tentatively make an agreement to stay out of each other’s path. Still, it’s only a matter of time before Cribbens seeks his ultimate revenge and goes after Max.

Meanwhile, Max has been hired to find Rachel Kidd (Rachel Brosnahan). Wife to successful businessman Martin Kidd (Hamish Linklater), Rachel has been kidnapped and held for ransom in Mexico. Her kidnapper, Elijah Jones (Brandon Scott), is a soldier and deserter. Accompanying Max on his travels is Alonzo Poe (Warren Burke) who also happens to be a friend of Elijah’s. Poe pleads with Max that Rachel wasn’t kidnapped. Rather, she has run off with Elijah in order to get away from Martin, who has been abusive and unfaithful. Rachel hopes to collect $10,000 in ransom and then escape to Cuba with Elijah.

All parties soon head for Mexico where Max and Poe find more trouble. They are confronted by Tiberio Vargas (Benjamin Bratt), a vicious Mexican crime lord who wants a piece of the ransom before agreeing to let the men through his territory. He also will be the catalyst for a final showdown between Max and Cribbens that was inevitable. As Dead for a Dollar hurtles toward its conclusion, Max begins to question the very nature of his mission, and his loyalties, as he learns more about Rachel’s harrowing story.

Analysis

For better or for worse, Dead for a Dollar has a lot of moving parts. Subsequently, some side characters feel forced and are never fully realized. While the film is visually pleasing, often paying homage to the stunning John Ford westerns of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Hill never manages to build a true sense of tension or danger. Further, written by Walter Hill and Matt Harris, the screenplay relies too much on exposition, not allowing for the drama to unfold naturally.

Hill dedicates Dead for a Dollar to Budd Boetticher and it’s pretty clear as to why. Both directors were able to churn out a series of moderately budgeted westerns that were gritty and turned a profit. Boetticher directed numerous Randolph Scott-starring westerns for Columbia Pictures in the 1950s and Waltz is clearly a stand-in for Scott in this film. If there is anything positive to be said about Hill’s latest effort, it’s that it’s a clear and at times thoroughly enjoyable homage to those great films of so many decades ago. The film’s racial undertones are largely ignored, save for the bullwhip scene involving Poe, which is particularly effective.

Throughout all of the faults of Dead for a Dollar, there is no denying that Walter Hill has not lost his touch when it comes to directing compelling action scenes. Here, the action, particularly the film’s climax, is brilliantly orchestrated and carried out by Hill. Cinematographer Lloyd Ahern II has been collaborating with Hill on a regular basis since Trespass (1992). Ahern II is back for Hill’s new film and does an exemplary job of bringing the stunning New Mexico vistas to life. 

Performances

The cast of Dead for a Dollar makes the most of the somewhat cliched screenplay. Waltz and Defoe, in particular, play well off of each other, especially at the beginning of the film. Defoe, out of all the cast, appears to be having the most fun. Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fame expertly portrays a liberated and outspoken woman during an era in history where there were so few. Waltz has certainly set the bar high with his now legendary Oscar-winning performances in Inglorious Basterds (2009) and Django Unchained (2012). Here, however, it seems like the actor is merely phoning it in.

Hamish Linklater is delightful as the mustachioed husband who is pure evil personified. His scenes in the film are mostly a series of cliches. However, Linklater, much like Defoe, seems to be enjoying himself immensely. On the other hand, Benjamin Bratt, as the ruthless Mexican warlord, acts as if he’s in a Sergio Leone western. Unfortunately, he doesn’t carry the gravitas of an actor like Lee Van Cleef. This is needed in order to pull off this type of one-note performance. Part of the blame can also be placed on the underwritten screenplay.

Warren Burke and Brandon Scott both deliver serviceable performances. Yet, most of their on-screen time is spent delivering useless exposition that wouldn’t be needed if the film’s characters had been better fleshed out in pre-production. Another example of this is the character of Esteban (Luis Chavez). An underling and message-man for the evil Tiberio, Esteban, literally, only shows up when the audience needs to be told what’s going on because the film’s numerous sub-plots and side stories are getting too confusing.

Conclusion

Walter Hill takes the viewer on a visually stunning ride. He hints at such western classics as The Searchers (1956) and High Noon (1952). However, the director never fully commits to the bit and the result is an impressive cast that has little to do or say. Unlike the masterworks of Sergio Leone or Sam Peckinpah, we are never really rooting for the hero. Nor are we rooting against the villain. Getting weighed down by exposition and subplots that never really go anywhere, Dead for a Dollar becomes predictable genre fare. It’s not a horrible film by any stretch of the means. However, it is one you’ll soon forget after viewing.

Dead for a Dollar is a production of Polaris Pictures, CHAOS, and Myriad Pictures. It was released theatrically and on streaming platforms on September 30th from Quiver Distribution.

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