Dead for a Dollar (2022), directed by veteran filmmaker Walter Hill, is a modern Western steeped in the traditions of the genre, starring Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, and Rachel Brosnahan. Set in 1897, the film channels the spirit of classic frontier tales while injecting it with moral complexity and character-driven tension.
Waltz plays Max Borlund, a weathered bounty hunter hired to retrieve Rachel Kidd (Brosnahan), the wife of a wealthy businessman who claims she’s been kidnapped by Elijah Jones, a Black Buffalo Soldier gone AWOL. But Max soon uncovers a different truth: Rachel wasn’t abducted—she willingly fled an abusive marriage and sought refuge with Elijah.
Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Joe Cribbens (Dafoe), a slick-talking outlaw and gambler with a personal grudge against Max. Their shared history fuels a simmering tension, adding layers of danger and old resentments to an already volatile situation.
As the story unfolds, Max is torn between duty and conscience, forced to question the true meaning of justice. Does he honor his contract, or protect those wrongly labeled as criminals? The film explores classic Western themes—honor, freedom, and redemption—with a nuanced, contemporary perspective.
Visually, Dead for a Dollar evokes the sun-scorched grit of the Old West, with sweeping desert vistas and tense shootouts rendered in stark, deliberate compositions. While its pacing is more meditative than action-packed, the film rewards patient viewers with rich character moments and morally charged drama.
Anchored by strong performances—Waltz as the introspective lawman, Dafoe as the charismatic rogue, and Brosnahan as the fiercely independent woman—Dead for a Dollar stands out as a thoughtful, unflashy return to the roots of the genre. It’s a Western that values character over spectacle, and conscience over clichés.