USA 2026 – streaming on Amazon
This is an intentionally offbeat and satirical Western that feels less interested in gunfights and stand-offs, and more so in the moral rot underneath the mythology of the Old West. It’s a strange and often provocative film, closer in spirit to a political fable than a traditional genre piece.
It’s a lean, meditative western that feels both literary and rebellious. It refuses to romanticise the frontier, rather, it strips the genre down to moral ambiguity, dry irony, and psychological tension.
The performances are all good, but some stand-out, notably, Cox, who also directs (as Strindler), Boracho (Zander Schloss), Prosecutor (Levee Duplay), The Widow (Sarah Vista).
The Prosecutor brings a sharp, unsettling presence to the film that contrasts nicely with Cox’s more eccentric, weary energy.
Dead Souls is rough and unapologetic. The pacing meanders, conversations stretch out, and moments of humor collide with bleak observations about power and corruption. One can’t help but think of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, though whether that’s intentional or not I am unsure.
Cox isn’t chasing elegance; he’s poking at the bones of the genre, asking what the Western looks like when stripped of romance and replaced with filing, hypocrisy, and a quiet cruelty.
Anyone looking for a classic Western will be disappointed, but those keen for an unconventional take with social critique, Dead Souls is intriguing, zany and special.
The tone is reflective, darkly mocking, and quietly unsettling. It is about consequence more than conflict. It doesn’t try to entertain in the usual way, but it succeeds indirectly.
IMDb rating 6.3 / 10 – My rating 7 / 10
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