Willem Dafoe, Christoph Waltz, and Rachel Brosnahan- by looking at the top billing of this film and the name of the director, it's not wrong to expect a decent film. But this movie fails at almost every aspect, from the cookie-cutter revisionist western storyline to bad editing, it's atrocious, maybe only apart from the acting. There are so many unnecessary scenes that even someone who doesn't know the ABC of film editing would agree to the fact that there are so many needless scenes. And also, this film feels like it's overrun by at least 20 mins, good editing would've kept the runtime under 90 mins, just like most of Budd Boetticher's famous westerns, whom this film is dedicated to.

Considering the cast of excellent actors and a reputable director it's hard to imagine this western turning out as unwatchable as it appears it is. Most dusters have a mix of character development and action and this one one is about 96% filler with scenes about nothing. This film could've used the help of a Quentin Tarantino to add some inspiration to an actual story. To categorize this movie as a thriller western is a blatant fabrication of fact. And the set production was abysmally cheap. What were they thinking here on a shoestring budget? Every scene is talky like some kind of Broadway play yet lacking in any witty banter which is typically required when it's just a stage play. This is a real waste of time and talented actors.

And it's not a pretty sight. In case you didn't know, Walter Hill is a legendary director known for such classics as Southern Comfort, The Warriors, 48 Hours, Last Man Standing and Crossroads. He hasn't made much recently so I was really excited to hear of Dead for a Dollar. I was further encouraged by Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe taking on the roles of protagonist and antagonist respectably. However I was badly disappointed by the result. Apparently based on true events, Dead for a Dollar is a low budget badly written western with heavy overtones of racism and sexism. Christoph Waltz doesn't give a convincing performance as the bounty hunter with a heart however Willem Dafoe does better. The rest of the cast are as wooden as the appalling sets and the whole is shot with all the visual flair of a PSA regarding hemeroids.