A gem of a flick landed earlier this year starring Bill Murray and Adam Driver as small town cops who wind up over their head when their beloved hometown is overrun with … zombies! The Dead Don’t Die is a rarity in that it combines a few genres in one delightful package—comedy, horror, suspense and at this point it’s safe to say that zombie movies have their own subgenre of horror. If that is intriguing, just wait until you hear where this bombastically brilliant story comes from—writer-director Jim Jarmusch (Paterson, Only Lovers Left Alive).
His instant classic has arrived on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download formats for all of you who missed this slice of movie magic. For the rest of us who did take it in, leap at the opportunity to add this flick to your home video collection. First, if the big three—Murray, Driver and Jarmusch—are not enough to get you to pull the trigger on this flick, then the rest of the all-star cast should do it.
The marketing campaign for the film hit the nail on the head when it said, (I’m paraphrasing) “the greatest cast ever assembled for a zombie film.” It sure is, I mean, beyond Driver (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and Murray (too many timeless classics to list!), there is Tom Waits, RZA, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Carol Kane, Iggy Pop, Selena Gomez, and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton). Just a few folks with supreme talent in this puppy, am I right?!
Things are amok in this fictional hometown (Centerville) that might as well be labeled, Anytown, USA. First of all, it’s light outside way longer than it should be. That sun is showing no signs of going down and as Driver and Murray start their shift, it is unnerving to say the least. Once the sun does disappear and the moon makes her mark, it is hanging lower and brighter than … well, ever! Then, folks who should be dead aren’t anymore and they are trolling around town looking for one thing and it rhymes with chains. Before the community becomes overrun, our two savvy policemen know they’re on to something unique, but it never seems real that it could be zombies. For example, when they pull into the town’s most popular diner, there are a few bodies strewn about and it appears as if it was an animal attack. Driver’s Officer Ronnie Peterson gets right to it. “Zombies,” he says when asked by Murray’s Chief Cliff Robertson. The chief of police thinks his partner is off his rocker, but before long it becomes clear.
The zombie apocalypse is upon us and the only thing separating the walking dead from the rest of the world is Peterson, Robertson and Sevigny’s Officer Mindy Morrison. Lucky for them, they have a little help in the form of the town’s mortician, Swinton’s Zelda Winston. She’s pretty fierce when it comes to working a samurai sword and she seems to take great joy in wielding it. Lucky for her, there’s quite a few “walkers” (as they’re called on The Walking Dead) around just dragging their feet as they march towards her and her beloved weapon.
Jarmusch is an actor’s director and it never fails when the word gets around that the filmmaker has finished his latest script, that his phone starts ringing with stars looking to be a part—any part, however small—of his latest cinematic sensation. That is obvious witnessing The Dead Don’t Die. Some of these roles are merely like a thumbtack on a globe. The thing is these “small” parts are so richly written that between the prose, the character arc (yes, Jarmusch even gives his tiny parts much to work with) and the vital role these parts play within the kaleidoscope of the film, it is every actor’s dream opportunity.
What the auteur achieves with his latest is such blinding joy that it’ll become contagious. Don’t be surprised if the flick becomes a topic of conversation with friends and family with you serving as the one extoling the movie’s virtues. The Dead Don’t Die is funny, sure, but it also is packed with heart, insight into the human spirit, a tribute to law enforcement and many other elements that I’ll spare you the nitty gritty details for fear of spoiling a single moment of enjoyment for the viewer.
For more on the quality of the film itself, don’t miss my theatrical The Dead Don’t Die review.
Even though the film is truly an ensemble, the two leads command much of the attention. Watching Murray wielding a shotgun and blowing away zombies is a blast. But everything that leads up to those moments is almost funnier and more compelling. Bill Murray: Zombie Hunting Action Star starts off our look at the film’s bonus features. The EPK-type interview finds Murray waxing poetic about the joys of kicking zombie butt and his (hilarious) fears of being typecast as an action hero. Love you, Bill, but don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. Our only issue with this featurette is that it is too short. Like way, way, way too short. It clocks in at 81 seconds.
Behind-the-Scenes of The Dead Don’t Die is a solid look at the making of the zombie invasion comedy that comes at you in six parts! The undead have a reputation for being on the not-so-limber side of the equation. This is no World War Z zombies, but still, stretching is always recommended for those of us alive and the walking dead. Zombie Tai Chi starts off the sextet of BTS featurettes showing how our zombie actors got all sorts of physically ready. In that vein, Growl Practice is exactly as it sounds—the actors tasked with portraying zombies show that the old adage that practice makes perfect is never truer than when it comes to nailing that zombie moan! Undead Symphony is not the latest symphonic effort from John Williams, but it is a fantastical featurette that gives us two whole minutes of zombies making gargling noises.
A Spin Around the Set is a neat 360-degree look at one of the sets in the film and truly feels like you are there. Think it’s fun to see zombie actors limber up and work those vocal cords? You’re going to want to witness Craft Services as those zombie thespians make their way to lunch—in costume. (1:00): Zombies lumber towards lunch.
Lastly, Finger Food finds a zombie extra diving into a gory prosthetic. That is certainly one way to ensure your work as an extra actor is seen by the masses.
Saving the best for last, Stick Together, has the cast and crew waxing poetic about the genius that is Jarmusch. Many of these thespians have worked repeatedly with the helmer and after witnessing The Dead Don’t Die and these bonus features, it is easy to see why. There’s also a nice exploration of what sets this zombie film apart from all the other brain sucker cinematic experiences.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A