Dead Man [R]

Accountant, William Blake travels to the far western reaches of America to the town of Machine, where he soon learns that the job he was promised was filled over a month ago. Feeling dejected and alone, William beds a prostitute and is then shot when her ex-fiancé walks in on them. Wanted for murder and terribly wounded, William flees the town and begins travelling with an outcast Native American named Nobody who believes William Blake is really the dead English poet of the same name. With Nobody guiding him, William embarks upon a spiritual journey that may be the death of him. 

What a film. WHAT A FILM! Dead Man was a black and white masterpiece that successfully mixed the genres of action, western, comedy, and drama together. Both a physical and spiritual cross-country journey, it’s a really amazing, albeit confusing film. 

Accountant, William Blake travels to the far western reaches of America to the town of Machine, where he soon learns that the job he was promised was filled over a month ago. Feeling dejected and alone, William beds a prostitute and is then shot when her ex-fiancé walks in on them. Wanted for murder and terribly wounded, William flees the town and begins travelling with an outcast Native American named Nobody who believes William Blake is really the dead English poet of the same name. With Nobody guiding him, William embarks upon a spiritual journey that may be the death of him. 

I think the best way to describe this movie is “mystical masterpiece”. I had seen it once before and, obviously, needed to see it again in order to understand the message and point that Jim Jarmusch was trying to get across to the audience… And I still don’t get it, but I LOVE it! I mean, how are you meant to watch this film? From a spiritual perspective, a logic perspective? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? Whichever way you look at it, Dead Man was an amazing film that kept you guessing and interpreting and that is where the film’s genius lies. 

Johnny Depp stars as William Blake. It has to be said (if it has not been said already) that I am a huge Johnny Depp fan because of what he can do. He is so versatile and there are few actors out there who can pull off as many characters as Depp can. In Dead Man, Johnny delivered a performance that was confused, adorably timid, and then finally at peace an on top. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! 

Starring Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, Alfred Molina, John Hurt, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen, Eugene Byrd, Michelle Thrush, Jimmie Byrne, Robert Mitchum, and featuring a brilliant lone guitar soundtrack by Neil Young, Dead Man was a delightfully confusing film filled with action, western influence, sex, violence, gunplay, murder, cannibalism, comedy, and spiritual journeys. Proving that you don’t need to understand the plot to realise filmmaking genius, it’s a real rare gem of a film!