Dead man

Jarmusch establishes a surreal tone for this visually poetic and highly idiosyncratic meditation on life and death and the loss of innocence. ‘Dead Man’ is the tale of William Blake, a naïve Ohio accountant who travels west to a primitive frontier outpost called Machine in expectation of a job that’s already been filled. Within a short space of time Blake is involved in a showdown and finds himself wounded and on the run. Pursued by malevolent bounty hunters, and badly wounded, Blake is accompanied on his hallucinatory journey by Nobody - an Eastern educated Indian who believes his new friend is the dead British poet and mystic William Blake. Gradually, Blake comes to fulfil his designated role as the most wanted man in this corner of the west, all the while preparing for life’s ultimate journey aided by Native American spiritualism. Accompanied by the haunting music of Neil Young and filmed in tunning black and white by cinematographer Robby Muller, ‘Dead Man’ is a lyrical film that acts as mordant comment upon American life.

Credits: Producer, Demetra J. MacBride ; director, writer, Jim Jarmusch ; photography, Robby Muller ; music, Neil Young ; editing, Jay Rabinowitz.
Cast: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen, Lance Henriksen, Mili Avitlal, Michael Wincott.