Dead Man

Jim Jarmusch, USA/Germany/Japan, 1995, 121 minutes

Jim Jarmusch’s meditative western ponderously weaves its narrative around the exploits of a certain William 'Bill’ Blake (Johnny Depp). Arriving at the industrial town of Machin seeking employment at the town’s steel-works, Blake soon gets more than he bargained for as he is unwillingly forced to kill a man and flee into the wilderness pursued by three deadly killers (ably played by Lance Henriksen, Michael Wincott and Eugene Byrd), sent by the steelworks’ owner John Dickinson(a commanding performance by Robert Mitchum).

The film is replete with surreal twists, as Depp’s character comes under the enigmatic guidance of a Native American named 'Nobody’ (Gary Farmer, in a role he would later reprise in Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai),and quirky performances, notably from Billy Bob Thornton, Jared Harris and punk legend Iggy Pop. The downbeat atmosphere is complemented by the stark monochrome photography, and Robert Muller’s expert cinematography earned him a New York Critics Circle award in 1996. In addition Neil Young’s sparse, Sonic Youthesque guitar score helps to accentuate some of the film’s haunting imagery.

Ultimately this 1995 Cannes Golden Palm nominee is a curio’s delight, with sly references to Depp’s character’s namesake’s poetry, numerous intriguing cameos (including Crispin Glover, Gabriel Byrne, John Hurt and Steve Buscemi), and assured direction. The performances of the ensemble cast and the mournful, otherworldly ambience that Jarmusch successfully conjures up however, make this western worthy of investigation, and its complex intermarriage of tragedy and farce provides some thought-provoking, off-beat entertainment.

Review by Ben 'Cheap Hack' Wilkinson
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2004