Dead Man
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Movie Reviews of Dead Man
Movie Review: Uncomfortably compelling
Summary: 5 Stars
While admittedly not everyone's cup of tea, Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man" is a much deeper movie than most viewers are likely prepared for. Indeed "Dead Man" works on multiple levels with the protagonist (played by Johnny Depp) aptly named William Blake, the same as the English poet. Blake is, in a true sense, a nowhere man in a nowhere land. His parents have died and has left his native Cleveland to venture west to the end of the railroad line. Possessing nothing he is venturing to nowhere, unsure of what he will find or what he is seeking, aside from the prospect of a job. Upon his arrival Blake discovers he has missed his opportunity and doesn't fit in to this new world. It is here where Blake's destiny begins to unfold with the help of his Amerindian guide (the aptly named) Nobody.
By turns the movie is almost like an ancient epic, requiring a journey to the underworld, except Blake is by no means heroic, nor is it preordained he will survive his journey. The movie is also very Taoist, reminding me of the expression "He who feels punctured, must have been a bubble," which in a sense means a person cannot be imposed upon or invaded by external forces if he believes there are no outside forces. In Taoism 'that' and 'this' mean the same thing as the world and I are one entity. There is a certain serenity that Blake finds, and its hard to know if that comes from being shot and loosing blood or what, yet his is neither uncomfortable or startled. It was as though he anticipated what was to come and some ways was merely fulfilling it. In the end Blake becomes the gunslinging poet, comfortable with his destiny, rather than being the casual observer. The incredibly complimentary soundtrack, by Neil Young, helps to set the dynamic tension and mood of the film. Consisting solely of distorted electric guitar feedback (similar to his "Weld" release) and minus any vocals, the music is by turns scattered and fragmentary.
"Dead Man" often unfolds at a glacial pace which can be confounding to most viewers accustomed to a much quicker paced movie, yet patience will ultimately be rewarded. But for cineastes the use of symbolism and metaphors in the movie will have leave them spellbound.
Movie Review: A Brilliant Movie on Every Level
Summary: 5 Stars
The more times I see Dead Man and the more I think about all of its powerful subtleties the more I love it. It is rare to find a movie with so much depth. Many people, after the first viewing, will walk away confused for this is not a typical brainless Hollywood movie. You do not see this film and then, as soon as it's over with, forget about it. Dead Man is the kind of movie that you see a second or third time and discuss with others. There is so much to think about and discuss on so many different levels. It deals with everything from Native American beliefs and traditions concerning shamans and tobacco to the technological progression of mankind and its effect on the natural world to the fundamental concepts of life and death to the meaning and morality of violence. It deals with death as a concept with different views of it influenced by cultural relativity. As an American I have a certain worldview that is relative to the life that I lead and the society that I live in but this movie offers a glimpse into an alternate perspective where death is just another part of life. It is believed to not necessarily be the end, which is represented by the tradition of sending the dead or dying person in a boat with food and supplies; as if it is the beginning of a new journey.
Neil Young's score paired with the film style of high contrast black and white serve to further enhance the tale. They both add to the rugged and strange atmosphere.
Dead Man as a whole is an entirely striking experience that leaves the viewer full of philosophical questions. Any William Blake or Dante educated viewer will be impressed with the way allusions and even direct quotes are slipped so casually and fittingly into the film.
Anybody with an open and inquisitive mind will walk away from this film very impressed. It is such a relief to see a film that seems to think unlike most mainstream movies (though I would hardly call this film mainstream) these days with their predictable plotlines and mindless moral points. Any movie that makes me think as much as this one did is sure to have done something right.
Movie Review: Outstanding! The most Haunting and Original movie of the 90s
Summary: 5 Stars
It is the late 1800s, and our hero from the east, William Blake (a mesmorizing Johnny Depp) walks into the town of Machine wearing a fancy new suit and ready to start his new life with his promised job as an accountant...The streets are muddy, the women are treated terribly...and everyone seems to be on the verge of insanity. Welcome to the Wild West.
I wont go too much into the plot, but William is rejected from the job he had been promised and is left with no money and no place to stay. He gets involved unknowingly in a love triangle and ends up fleeing the town as a wanted man for the murder of two citizens.
As William flees, he is aided by a remarkable Native American who calls himself "Nobody" (played to perfection by Gary Farmer). He is also hunted by three men who cliam to be the best killers in the West.
The cast, incredible. The direction, impeccable. The soundtrack, perfect (although some would argue that it simply sounds like a bunch of noise being made by a guitar). The script is witty enough to lighten the often heavy mood of the film, and the characters are very colorful (one of my favorites is the too friendly and very creepy Crispen Glover character, just see what kind of feeling you get from this friendly guy who has perhaps been working on the coal train too long)
Now I realize that this movie may not be everyone's cup of tea (just look at the undeserving editorial review of the DVD and VHS), but everyone I know who has watched it has been either captivated, disturbed, enamored, or just plain creeped out. Either way, nobody I know has left a viewing of this movie with a feeling of indifference. Love it or Hate it, it leaves its mark.
A note on the "R" rating-it is well deserved. The movie may not be very gory or have alot of sexual content, but the violence in it is very disturbing and real. Just a note.
This movie is not only for arthouse movie goers or Jim Jarmusch fans...and not a movie just for guys either. I am a younger girl who was suggested this movie, and was simply captivated by it.
Give it a try!!
Hope you found this review helpful
Movie Review: Completely Different, A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Jim Jarmusch, the director who brought us "Coffee & Cigarettes" and "Broken Flowers" delivered this new-spin on western movies sometime in the '90s. The movie didn't really get good reviews and a lot of people didn't like it apparently. Truth is, I just wanted to check it out because Johnny Depp(he's my favorite actor, you see?) was in it. While it's unique, both as a movie and as a western...I don't see what critics saw in it that turned them off. The movie opens on a train, where we meet William Blake (Depp) who appears to be the only nicely dressed and clean guy on the train. A dirty man (Crispin Glover) talks to him for a few moments, where we learn that Blake is traveling from Cleveland where his parents have just died. He's been promised a job, but when he arrives...He's turned down and laughed at by John Dickinson (Robert Mitchum); John Hurt is there to as John Scholfield, Dickinson's assistant or something. Anyway, Blake begins walking around when he meets a young woman named Thel (Mili Avital). Thel and Blake go to her place and soon her fiancee (Gabriel Byrne), who also happens to be Dickinson's son,
shows up and kills Thel; but is quickly killed by Blake. Blake took a bullet, however, so he wanders into the woods and passes out. When he wakes, he's greeted by an indian named Nobody (Gary Farmer) who begins to teach him how to survive as a "dead man." Meanwhile, Dickinson hires three men to find and kill Blake. From there, we follow the men and Blake. Along the way Blake runs into characters played by a whole array of names including
Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, and Alfred Molina. In case you hadn't noticed, William Blake is also the name of a famous poet and painter. Nobody points out this and it's referenced several times throughout the movie, but it's never finalized on whether Depp is the famous poet/painter or not. This movie is not for all tastes, it's slow moving and it's in black & white. I, myself, loved every second of it. There's a great score by Neil Young too and a great ending. Don't trust the critics, check this movie out.
GRADE: A-
Movie Review: Hilarious!
Summary: 5 Stars
So you've got the people who think this film is self-imporant drivel. It is, but so much of any art is self-important drivel. Then there are the other's who proclaim it a masterpiece, a meditation on the intrusion of European man into the New World, and a commentary on William Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell". Well, it's that too.But what cracks me up is that so many people blithely dismiss Gary Farmer's performance in this film. Perhaps he's not "indian" enough. I believe that his role was intentionally made as a slap in the face to America's perception of the Native American. We are made to expect a lithe, sinewy, loin-cloth clad, brown-skinned fellow spouting pseudo-mystic back-to-nature platitudes. What does this film give us but big Gary Farmer. Sure he's spouting seemingly pseudo-mystic pronunciations, but so many of these are just an example of Nobody's incredibly biting humor. ("How did you know I was here?" "Often the stench of white man precedes him.") It may take a slight perceptory switch to understand how funny Farmer actually was in this role. Bravo to Farmer and Jarmusch for creating a role that makes a real person of a Native American, and not a simple conformity to the cozy idea of an "indian". For the record, Farmer is very much Indian. Cayuga, to be exact.
But alright, I'm with the "meditation" people on this movie. The relaxed, black and white approach of this movie points to the symbolic aspects of the film. Every scene is a furthering of the journey of our protagonist William Blake. Joseph Campbell would be flying about the room with this movie.
I also enjoy Neil Young's meandering guitar score. I liked it so much I bought the soundtrack.
DEAD MAN is as sure an example of any as Jarmusch's desire to understand the intersection of a culture he was raised in and others he doesn't know. While it may seem overwhelmingly bleak to some (How could it not? Look at the outcome.), it's probably one of the most understatedly humorous examples of the form you'll ever see.