Dead Man (1995)

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

10 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Western

Tagline:

No one can survive becoming a legend.

Plot:

On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange Indian named "Nobody" who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.

Plot Keywords:

William Blake | Accountant | Native American | Small Town | Factory

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	William Blake
Gary Farmer	...	Nobody
Crispin Glover	...	Train Fireman
Lance Henriksen	...	Cole Wilson
Michael Wincott	...	Conway Twill
Eugene Byrd	...	Johnny 'The Kid' Pickett
John Hurt	...	John Scholfield
Robert Mitchum	...	John Dickinson
Iggy Pop	...	Salvatore 'Sally' Jenko
Gabriel Byrne	...	Charlie Dickinson
Jared Harris	...	Benmont Tench
Mili Avital	...	Thel Russell
Jimmie Ray Weeks	...	Marvin, Older Marshal
Mark Bringleson	...	Lee, Younger Marshal (as Mark Bringelson)
John North	...	Mr. Olafsen

Also Known As:

Dead Man (Germany)
Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for moments of strong violence, a graphic sex scene and some language.

Runtime:

121 min | Australia:115 min | Argentina:120 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Japan

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Denmark:15 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:Refused Classification (original rating) | Australia:R (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:R (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Applegate River, Oregon, USA

Company:

Pandora Filmproduktion

Trivia:

The character Thel is also taken from a William Blake poem called "The Book of Thel".

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the opening titles, after the train ride, Billy Bob Thornton's last name is incorrectly spelled "Thorton".

Quotes:

[first lines]
Train Fireman: Look out the window. And doesn't this remind you of when you were in the boat, and then later than night, you were lying, looking up at the ceiling, and the water in your head was not dissimilar from the landscape, and you think to yourself, "Why is it that the landscape is moving, but the boat is still?"

Movie Connections:

References Pumpkinhead (1988)

Soundtrack:

Billy Boy

Touching, well achieved work of art

This is Jim Jarmusch at his best. I re-watched this movie a week ago and I'm still amazed by how Jarmusch gets under my skin and makes me think. Jarmusch plays with one of his favorite themes here: death. But of course, he's not limiting himself to that. He's questioning the western as a genre, he puts music in this movie in a way that makes it necessary for the viewer. Without Neil Young's guitar, this movie just isn't the same.

Johnny Depp plays William Blake an accountant from Cleveland lost in the west after some strange quiproquo. Blake is shot and dying throughout the movie. Helped with an Indian named nobody, he finds himself on his way to the other world. Lots of resilience shown by Blake, getting stronger and stronger as the difficult times are approaching. As much as the accountant never seemed to have evolved, he's taking bigger and bigger leaps as death is overshadowing him. Touching tale of friendship, resilience, death and guns! This movie is an all time great