Before this film I had had one experience of a Jim Jarmusch film, 'Stranger Than Paradise' (1984). I hated that film. My opinion may change of I was to watch it again, but my disliking of the film is very much putting me off that idea. However, I was fully sold on the 'The Dead Don't Die' (2019) from the trailer. The cast was ridiculously strong and it looked like it could be very funny. I was a little tentative as I had disliked 'Stranger Than Paradise' so much, but I wasn't about to let that get in the way of me watching a film that I felt I would enjoy. And I am glad it didn't stop me. 'The Dead Don't Die' is a bit of a mess and a little all over the place, but it was a lot of fun and I had a few really big laughs when watching it. The film follows Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver), two police officers in the small town of Centerville, as they go about there business on the first day of a global crisis. Due to fracking on the polar ice caps, the world's axis has been flipped, causing longer daylight hours, poor phone, tv and radio reception and, as you probably guessed, a zombie outbreak. The rest of the film follows Robertson, Peterson and a host of other characters as they fight against this zombie outbreak.
That narrative description may seem loose and not in depth, but it is about as well as I possible could have given that there is barley a narrative to be had in this film. It is pretty much a film about characters surviving a zombie apocalypse. There are no true character arcs or stories to follow, it is a film filled with bizarre and interesting characters fighting zombies. This does lead to the film feeling messy and all over the place and means you can never really connect with characters or get properly invested. It also has a sloppy conclusion which is trying to make some sort of point which falls a little flat on it's face as there is no real set up. However, despite these problems, I had so much fun watching this I don't even care so much. The characters are all so bizarre and fun to watch that it was enough for me to just be along for the ride with them, no matter how nonsensical and bonkers that ride often turned out to be. There is a twist towards the end of this film that comes so far out of left field that it really feels like the film is diving into farce, but because it fits with the rest of the bonkers nature of the film you just go along with it. There are also several moments of fourth wall breaking, including one really early in to the film on which sets the tone going forward and don't feel forced or jarring. And it was also genuinely funny. I had several laugh out loud moments during the film, and even with the jokes that didn't hit that hard I was getting good giggles. There are a lot of jokes that are politically fuelled so you may find it less funny than I did depending on your political leanings. Fortunately, I agreed with the statements made by the film and so was more than onboard with these jokes.
Of course, funny writing can only get you so far. You need funny actors to make sure those jokes stick. And this film is chock full to the brim. Of course Bill Murray's comedic credentials are well known and he is very funny in this film, even if his performance is much more understated than in many of his classic and legendary comedic performances. Tilda Swinton is brilliant as Zelda Winston, a scottish Undertaker with a liking for samurai swords, Steve Buscemi his weird and wonderful self as Farmer Frank Miller, a racist bigot who pretends to not be, and then you have Danny Glover, Chloe Sevigny, Caleb Landry Jones and Tom Waits all putting in good performances. It is a stellar cast who all play their roles very well. But there is one man who steals the show from them all, and that is Adam Driver. His character is so dry, so dead pan and just so set in what he believes and Driver plays this perfectly. He gets all the biggest laughs with his dead pan delivery and execution of the script. He is exceptional in the role comedically. He may not be tested dramatically in the role, but his sense of comedy in this role is perfect. I really enjoy him as an actor and every role I see him in just keeps him going up in my estimations. Also, I don't think there is anything visually as funny as Adam Driver driving a red, convertible SMART car.
'The Dead Don't Die' is by no means a perfect film. It is narratively a complete mess, structurally unsound and also unable to get across its message in concise and meaningful way. But I honestly overlook all of these problems, which would usually be a big turn off when deciding whether I enjoy a film or not, because the film was so much fun. I never felt bored and the time zipped by. The jokes landed more often then they didn't and al the actors were able to pull these comedic moments brilliantly. The film had some of the biggest laughs I've had at the cinema in a while and that is big praise in itself. So, I would definitely recommend the film although i'm not sure you need to rush out and see it. The viewing won't be enhanced by seeing it in the cinema but it is enough fun that you should seek it out on VOD. Was it good enough to make me go back to watch 'Stranger Than Paradise'? Probably not. But it has made me more interested in other Jarmusch work, which I would not have said 48 hours ago.