A Jim Jarmusch absurdist take on the zombie genre might seem like a radical idea, but only to those who have never seen a zombie movie. George Romero's "Dead" films kind of tackled this before, starting with the satirical and bleakly funny "Dawn of the Dead." Except "Dawn" was released in 1978 and what followed in its wake were many, many iterations of the zombie genre done with sometimes savvy humor and an absurdist tone. "Shaun of the Dead," anyone? "The Dead Don't Die" is absurdist in largely mediocre ways, so mediocre in fact that I can't call it absurdist. It feels like pre-programmed absurdist claptrap. And Jarmusch is one of the few cinematic kings of absurdism, so color me disappointed.
There's the small, boring town of Centreville where not much happens at all where you have one diner, one gas station, one motel, etc. The only bright spot of lively energy comes from the local mortician, a samurai-wielding woman named Zelda (Tilda Swinton, of course). She's such an original character that I'd preferred if she was the lead of this movie. Instead Jarmusch (who wrote and directed) aims his focus on two rather standard-issue police officers and they are both played by Bill Murray and Adam Driver! These two actors can burn the screen with their larger-than-life personalities yet there is not much charisma on display here and not much chemistry between them - they are low-key yet they are nothing more than robots with the barest of wit emitted from their lips. Another officer, the frightened and easily spooked Mindy (an exceptional Chloe Sevigny), shows sympathy in this indifferent town. Nobody seems to care when zombies attack and munch on bloody entrails - if this is meant to be absurdist, too little and too late since Romero beat Jarmusch to the punch several decades ago.
A motley crew of characters, including Selena Gomez (motel occupant travelling with two guys), Larry Fessenden (motel owner), and a creepy homeless man as only Tom Waits can play him, basically arrive on screen and disappear - they are like ghosts and we never feel invested in their fates. The film looks washed-out with a gray scale I have seen one too many times in far too many similar horror tales. Other than an otherworldly surprise presence and Swinton's colorful characterization, there is not much to latch onto in "The Dead Don't Die." I did get a kick out of seeing a Samuel Fuller gravestone that Iggy Pop popped out of. That's a witty reference that will make sense only to cineastes. Zombie fans, steer clear.
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