American independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch has created a cult following with his films characterised by unusual plots and sometimes bizarre film making style. However, those qualities are very reason why his films aren't everyone's cup of tea. That includes even those viewers more accustomed to unconventional styles of film making. Their tolerance was put to the test with Dead Man, Jim Jarmuch's 1995 western.
Protagonist of the film is William Blake (played by Johnny Depp), Cleveland accountant whose parents have died. In search of a new life, he travels westwards, to the city of Machine, equipped with some cash and letter promising him job in local steelworks. When he arrives, Dickinson (played by Robert Mitchum), the steelworks owner, explains him that the job has been already taken. Left without money, Blake finds some sort of comfort in Thel (played by Mili Avital), flower vendor and former prostitute. But this happiness is short-lived because of Thel's jealous and violent ex-boyfriend Charlie (played by Gabriel Byrne) who attacks two of them. In a resulting shootout Charlie and Thel are killed and Blake wounded. It turns out that Charlie was Dickinson's son and grieving father hires professional killers to avenge his death. Blake is forced to hide in the wilderness where he is found and befriended by Nobody (played by Gary Farmer), eccentric Indian who mistook Blake for a famous English poet with the same name. Two of them begin their long journey westwards that becomes littered with corpses and spiritual discoveries.
If unconventionality is the only thing required from films, Dead Man could aspire for the status of masterpiece. Black-and-white photography by Robby Muller provides surreal, dark and foreboding atmosphere which is usually not associated with the wide open spaces of American West. Jarmusch fills the screen with unusual and bizarre characters and in the same time depicts some naturalistic details usually not displayed in films about Old West. Surreal atmosphere is maintained by introduction of bizarre characters (cross-dressing killers, cannibalistic assassins) that look like they wandered from David Lynch's film. Somewhat strange casting choices (Robert Mitchum playing villain in one of his last roles, Iggy Popp as assassin, John Hurt as steelworks official) are here side by side with actors who seem more at home in Jim Jarmusch's films – Johnny Depp as protagonist baffled with a bizarre events and Gary Farmer as his eccentric spiritual guide.
Unfortunately, viewers who want to spot all those amusing details must arm themselves with a lot of patience. Beginning of the film, with endless train ride, shows that the pace of the film is going to be glacial, thus making Dead Man last longer than its nominal two hours of running time. Later, the viewers would also have to endure Neil Young's musical score which gives new meaning to the word "irritating". At the end of Dead Man, most viewers would probably be happy that the it is over, and that is hardly the recipe for good film, no matter how unconventional the reputation of its maker is.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on June 3rd 2003)
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i adore this movie