Dead Man
"Genuinely Outstanding!" -L.A. Weekly
Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow, The Astronaut's Wife) delivers a remarkable performance in this highly acclaimed tale of adventure and intrigue in the wild, wild West! A young man in search of a fresh start, William Blake (Depp), embarks on an exciting journey to a new town...never realizing the danger that lies ahead. But when a heated love triangle ends in double murder, Blake finds himself a wanted man, running scared -- until a mysterious loner (Gary Farmer) teaches him to face the dangers that follow a "dead man." With an outstanding supporting cast including Gabriel Byrne (End Of Days, Stigmata) and Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear), and a sizzling soundtrack by Neil Young, Dead Man is another motion picture triumph from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.
Member Reviews
Good thoughtful oddball of a movies - lookingjust
Very beautifully shot, with a great performance by George Farmer. Nice odd western, has hints of the Deadwood style - the western as a mud-filled, excrement heavy cesspool of half insane (or all insane in many cases), man-dominated refuge of the odd and the losers of society. The final scenes in the west coast village and seashore are particularly wonderful tributes to the lost way of life of the first nations people of the coastal areas - rarely seen in Westerns.Some Are Born To Sweet Delight ... - Al_Stech
Jarmusch doesn't disappoint. I understand that Jarmusch apprenticed for Wim Wenders, which you could argue places him in the same "school" (if you want to stretch and call it that) as directors like Wenders himself as well as Fassbinder and Herzog, and I think it shows most in this film. There are many parallels to Herzog's "Aguirre" here: a central character we know to be doomed, deliberate directorial messing with our perception of time (in Aguirre, we get the scene of the bubbling river, in Dead Man we get the train sequence), and very carefully planned incidental music that is almost a character in itself (this time from Neil Young instead of Popol Vuh). There's even a scene where a horse is abandoned along the side of a river as the main character floats away in both films! The careful attention to detail and aesthetic in the way shots were framed reminded me of Fassbinder a bit too. This is a mesmerizing film, and while it probably won't appeal to fans of the mainstream, it is a feast for fans of the slowly deliberative art film.
* This movie also gets bonus points for including a scene that has Iggy Pop wearing a dress.Very original, though takes time to get used to - Lone_Wolf
I still don't know what to think of this movie...it has accurately been described as the Apocalypse Now of westerns, but it really is not nearly as good as Apocalypse Now. It is sometimes maddenly slow, and it actually never really evolves. About the only transformation is that of Depp, who slowly grows madder and madder. He starts off skidish and ends up an unblinking murderer, but other than that there is no plot really to speak of, which made it hard to keep interest in. The score was really very good, by Neil Young, though it is occasionally too repetitive. The direction is really nice, featuring well done black and white photography. But in the end Dead Man really doesn't bring anything to the table, and it ends up accomplishing little. Still, it was nice to watch for the slow decent into madness (ala Apocalypse Now), as well as the score and direction. Not a bad movie by any means, and I should also mention the casting was fantastic, but it doesn't do anything to warrant being memorable or even re-watchable, though maybe that what I need to give it as the film was very different and against the grain...
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Good thoughtful oddball of a movies - lookingjust
Very beautifully shot, with a great performance by George Farmer. Nice odd western, has hints of the Deadwood style - the western as a mud-filled, excrement heavy cesspool of half insane (or all insane in many cases), man-dominated refuge of the odd and the ...Some Are Born To Sweet Delight ... - Al_Stech
Jarmusch doesn't disappoint. I understand that Jarmusch apprenticed for Wim Wenders, which you could argue places him in the same "school" (if you want to stretch and call it that) as directors like Wenders himself as well as Fassbinder and Herzog, and I think ...Very original, though takes time to get used to - Lone_Wolf
I still don't know what to think of this movie...it has accurately been described as the Apocalypse Now of westerns, but it really is not nearly as good as Apocalypse Now. It is sometimes maddenly slow, and it actually never really evolves. About the only ...