Dead for a Dollar: Willem Dafoe and Christoph Waltz team for Western

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Howdy, pardners. Whispers around the old watering hole say that Christoph Waltz (Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight) and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, Platoon, Spider-Man) are saddling up to star in the Western thriller Dead For a Dollar from Walter Hill (The Warriors, Bullet to the Head).

Directed and written by Hill, Dead For a Dollar is set in New Mexico Territory, Chihuahua, in 1897. Per Deadline, the story will follow Max Borlund (Waltz), a famed bounty hunter, hired to find and return Rachel Price, the politically progressive wife of Nathan Price, a successful Santa Fe businessman. Max is told she has been kidnapped by an African American army deserter, Elijah Jones, and is being held for ransom in Mexico. When Max goes south of the border he soon runs across his sworn enemy, expatriate American Joe Cribbens (Dafoe), a professional gambler, sometimes outlaw, who Max had tracked down and sent to prison years before.

When Borlund finds Rachel and Elijah hiding deep in the wilds of the Mexican desert, he discovers that Rachel has willingly fled from an abusive husband, and the runaway soldier is, in fact, her romantic partner. Max is now faced with a dilemma: does he return the wife across the border to the man who hired him, or does he aid Rachel’s bid for freedom and fight off ruthless hired guns and his longtime criminal rival.

My guess? Borlund is going to guns blazing in the spirit of true love.

Dead For a Dollar marks Hill's first directorial project in five years after helming The Assignment starring Michelle Rodriguez. Jeremy Wall is set to produce alongside Kirk D’Amico and Carolyn McMasters. Matt Harris co-wrote the script with Hill.

With a strong director and two Hollywood powerhouses to lead the film, Dead For a Dollar sounds like something special in the making. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one.