Trailer for Alex Cox's Western Film DEAD SOULS Offers a Strange Ride Across the Old West
A trailer has been released for Alex Cox’s upcoming western Dead Souls, the latest indie film from the filmmaker best known for cult classics like Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Straight to Hell, Walker, and Highway Patrolman.
At 71 years old, Cox is back with another Western, but this time he's also stepping in front of the camera as the film's lead.
Set in Arizona in 1890 during the year of the U.S. census, the story follows a mysterious drifter named Strindler, played by Cox. Or maybe it's "Swindler." Either way, his arrival immediately puts the town on edge after he starts offering cash in exchange for the names of dead Mexican laborers.
Nobody seems to know why he's collecting them, and that mystery fuels the film's strange and unpredictable journey.
The official synopsis explains: "Here at this border town in 1890, Strindler (Alex Cox) – or is it "Swindler"? – raises eyebrows when he offers to pay a pretty penny to add to his list of names.
“Wandering affably from saloon to ranch, Strindler exercises the old adage that money talks – but sometimes too loudly. Between the town drunk, hot-headed cowherds & local outlaws, Strindler soon finds himself tangled up in his own tall tales."
The film is described as a thoughtful trip through the American borderlands, where greed, violence, and ambition shape every corner of the landscape. Cox's frontier tale follows Strindler as he wanders across the West paying people for the names of dead Mexicans, leaving everyone he meets wondering what his real motives are.
Dead Souls is also a loose adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's 1842 novel of the same name. While it features the familiar ingredients of a classic spaghetti Western, including pistol duels, corrupt officials, and dusty frontier towns, it also leans into dark satire and unexpected tonal shifts.
Adding another fun connection to the genre, legendary spaghetti Western actor Gianni Garko shares a co-writer credit on the project.
Joining Cox in the cast are Zander Schloss, Dick Rude, Edward Tudor-Pole, Merritt Crocker, Maria Robles, Karen E. Wright, and Eric Schumacher.
The trailer doesn't reveal a whole lot about what's really going on, which honestly feels fitting for a film built around mystery and eccentric characters. If you're already a fan of Alex Cox's unique filmmaking style or you're curious about an unconventional Western with a strange premise, this looks like one worth keeping on your radar.
Following a festival run last year, Dead Souls is now playing in select U.S. theaters through Kino Lorber and will be arriving on VOD soon.