It is 1890, the year of the census, and a man named Strindler appears in a small Arizona desert town. He is paying money for the names of dead Mexicans. No one knows why.
Dead Souls is the new film from Alex Cox, the director of Repo Man and Sid and Nancy, and it plays in UK cinemas for one day only on Wednesday 4 November.
It is rough around the edges, and that is exactly the point.
Movie at a Glance
- UK release: One-day event screenings on Wednesday 4 November 2026 (Screenbound Pictures)
- Director: Alex Cox
- Writers: Alex Cox and Gianni Garko
- Starring: Alex Cox, Zander Schloss, Merritt Crocker and María Robles
- Runtime: 89 minutes
- Genre: Western, satire
Viewer Match
- Best for: Alex Cox fans and lovers of strange, low-budget westerns.
- Maybe skip if: You want a polished, conventional western.
- Mood and pace: Wry, scrappy and eccentric.
- Cinema or streaming? Cinema on the day if you can; otherwise watch for its home release.
- Spoiler level: Spoiler-free.
A Census of the Dead
The premise, which echoes Gogol, gives Cox room for satire about bureaucracy, greed and who gets counted. He also plays Strindler himself, with relish.
The film has the ramshackle energy of his best work.
Riotous and Rough
Reviews have called it a riotous swan song, and also wondered whether it is really good. Both are fair. It is funny, angry and unpredictable, but the low budget shows and the pacing wanders.
Fans will forgive a lot for the personality on screen.
One Day Only
Check your local cinema for Wednesday’s screenings. For more of this week’s films, see this week’s Weekly Cinema Pack, and for tonight’s picks, see What to Watch Tonight.
Spoiler-Free Verdict
Dead Souls is a scrappy, eccentric and often very funny western from a true cult film-maker. It will not convert anyone, but his fans will have a ball.
- Performances: 7/10
- Direction: 7/10
- Screenplay: 7/10
- Score: 6.5/10
- Cinematography: 6.5/10
- Entertainment Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 7/10
Star rating: 3.5/5
Verdict badge: One for Fans
One-line verdict: A riotous, ramshackle cult western.
Watch the Official Trailer
Watch the official UK trailer.
What is your favourite Alex Cox film? Tell us.