Film review by Kevin Patterson
Dead Man (R, 1996) Directed and written by Jim Jarmusch. Starring Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen.
Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man is an alternately haunting and hilarious film that follows one man, a meek accountant named William Blake (Johnny Depp), as he travels to the Western town of Machine to accept employment and quickly finds himself in the middle of a dangerous and increasingly out-of-control situation. The film looks a lot like a Western picture, but it possesses a dreamlike, hallucinatory feeling that often lets the audience wonder what is "really happening." From the opening moments of the film, in which the camera fades in and out on Blake's train to the twangy chords of Neil Young, it is clear that something is not quite right, and when a quirky stranger (Crispin Glover) approaches Blake to warn him against going through with his trip to Machine because "you might find your grave" there, we have a feeling he may be right.
Blake doesn't listen, however, and lo and behold, he finds that his promised position as an accountant has been taken. With almost no money left, he spends the night with a local woman, only to be discovered with her by an ex-boyfriend. A gunfight ensues, although, as in many of the gunfights in this film, it appears that none of the characters involved actually know how to use a gun. The woman's ex-boyfriend, shot by Blake in self-defense, turns out to be the son of the wealthiest man in town. He quickly sends three hired killers after Blake, who has escaped but is seriously wounded. From then on, the film follows Blake as he and a Native American who calls himself Nobody (Gary Farmer) try to outrun the killers, but the film retains its dreamy atmosphere to the end and usually seems more like a nature walk than an old-fashioned Western chase.
More bizarre episodes ensue, including several more awkward gunfights, a confrontation with three lowlifes who have an interesting take on the old story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and an odd running joke in which Blake is asked by almost every single character if he has any tobacco. Also recurring throughout the film are numerous references to the work of the famous poet William Blake, for whom Depp's character is at first mistaken by Nobody, and to ideas of Native American spirituality. And although it tiptoes to a vague and inconclusive ending, Dead Man never seems arbitrary or manipulative; the ending may not be typical Hollywood material, but it feels appropriate within this film's aesthetic.
All of this makes Dead Man an enjoyable viewing experience as a quirky, off-beat take on the Old West. Yet as with all such "art films," there is the issue of whether or not there is a deeper meaning to be found, and on this point the film is perhaps a bit too elusive. One popular interpretation is that Blake is in fact a "dead man" from very early on, perhaps after the initial confontation in Machine. But if that is the case, the film offers few clues as to what exactly the events in the rest of the film are meant to symbolize. The William Blake references and Native American spiritual concepts are interesting, but they never quite tie together into a single, coherent idea. Jim Jarmusch has a reputation as a very literate director, and perhaps he wants us to do our own homework based on what he has given us here, but if that's the case, he hasn't given us much to start from.
Yet with a film as subtle and skillfully directed as this, I cannot help but think that Dead Man might have lost some of its dreamy, mysterious atmosphere had it declared itself more clearly. While it doesn't quite hit the mark as an intellectual experience, it does at least succeed in echoing the haunting spirit of the romantic ideas that it references. And as a cinematic experience of mood, style, and imagery, it is no less than remarkable. Grade: A
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