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Information
- Year
- 1995
- Runtime
- 121 min.
- Director
- Jim Jarmusch
- Genres
- Drama, Fantasy, Western
- Rating *
- 7.7
- Votes *
- 62,392
- Checks
- 10,962
- Favs
- 1,199
- Dislikes
- 110
- Favs/checks
- 10.9% (1:9)
- Favs/dislikes
- 11:1
Top comments
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Siskoid
Jim Jarmush's Dead Man, a black and white, slightly surreal picaresque western, leaves a lot to interpretation, and I reveled in its ambiguities. Johnny Depp plays William Blake, not the poet but an accountant who becomes a Wild West outlaw after being shot. Is he as dead as the title suggests and are we witnessing a death of the self through the prism of a western? Likely, as the characters we meet are absurd and their deaths could be seen as either psychological resolutions as one reflects on one's death, or else terminations brought on by brain death (note the death of the film's central duality just at the end). But it's more than that. Creating a confusion between this character and the English poet and painter evokes the death of a certain kind of man. Imperialist England gave us poetry and art. In Imperialist America, the only poetry is gun violence. As we move West in the film, modernism seems to slip away. Slow-paced and reflective, Dead Man still remains an achievement in absurdist humor, and should spark some conversations. It's filled with stars and includes a simple, but memorable soundtrack by Neil Young. And full props too for its realistic portrayal of Natives. 2 years 7 months ago -
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In 12 official lists
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This movie ranks #16 in 100 Westerns (BFI Screen Guide)
100 Westerns (BFI Screen…
16 -
This movie ranks #16 in The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon
16 -
This movie ranks #35 in Western
Western
35 -
This movie ranks #86 in 366 Weird Movies (Certified Weird)
366 Weird Movies (Certif…
86 -
This movie ranks #217 in Cahiers du cinéma - Yearly top 10s
Cahiers du cinéma - Year…
217 -
This movie ranks #228 in TimeOut's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
TimeOut's 1000 Films to …
228 -
This movie ranks #310 in Harvard University's Suggested Film Viewing List: Narrative Films (2012)
Harvard University's Sug…
310 -
This movie ranks #434 in 500 Essential Cult Movies
500 Essential Cult Movies
434 -
This movie ranks #501 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
They Shoot Pictures, Don…
501 -
This movie ranks #893 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See…
893 -
This movie ranks #915 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Films
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…
915 -
This movie ranks #1113 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
1113