Dead Man

A Western drama with existential overtones? Admittedly, that sounds a bit bizarre, but I can't think of a better analogy. American independent film legend Jim Jarmusch delivers the dreamy, melancholic and hypnotic journey of a man facing his own destruction, with no shortage of dark humour. The aforementioned hypnotic, genre-defying mood of the film is brilliantly illustrated by the soundtrack of legendary guitarist Neil Young and his ambient guitar sounds. The pacing and the way the story unfolds may not be to everyone's taste, but these elements are what make this film a very interesting experience. Today, this Jarmusch film is already a cult classic. (13.04.2003)

Ein Schwarz-Weiß-Essay über einen Mann, der für die ewige Nacht geboren wurde. Zwei Stunden visuell fesselnder Sequenzen, die angehalten und als stilisierte Filmbilder betrachtet werden können. Der mystische Subtext der Geschichte wird durch die rätselhaften Reden des Indianers verstärkt, der spricht und doch nichts sagt. Johnny Depp liefert eine Essenz sparsamer Schauspielerei, die er zumeist nur mit seiner Mimik betreibt (na ja, wenn jemand den Kopf dafür hat). Jarmusch hat ein seltsames, traumhaftes Fresko über eine Reise in den Tod, zu der der Held namentlich bestimmt ist, zum Leben erweckt. Gleichzeitig hat er ein Panoptikum an seltsamen Gesichtern und Menschen wiederbelebt, die dem gängigen Klischee des "Wilden Westens" völlig widersprechen. Diesen Film kann man nicht passiv anschauen, man muss ihn genießen wie einen guten Tabak... Tabak, den William Blake nicht hat. Warum ist das so? P.S. Im Nachhinein muss ich sagen, dass sich Jarmusch stark an den innovativen Ansatz von Cormac McCarthy anlehnt, dessen raue Poesie des Weges in die Barbarei in dem Film stark zu hören ist. Für mich persönlich ist das ein weiterer Grund, diesen Film zu lieben. (30.01.2004)

Melancholy with a surprisingly unsatisfying final impression. The flawless guitar riff is slightly overused, and the slowness of the storytelling is senselessly exaggerated in the end. Jarmusch had a perfect idea, but he couldn't pull it off at the last moment. (01.01.2006)

The balance of my encounters with Jim Jarmusch's work hasn't been particularly encouraging in the last decade. He received a total of five stars for three films, and I preferred to avoid his latest piece altogether. It used to be different, and a rewatch of Dead Man, which fascinated me in the 90s, was supposed to bring an explanation of whether he had changed or if I had. It's not nostalgia, but I fell in love with Dead Man again. Jim's later titles bore me, but Dead Man is full of tension, has an incredible atmosphere, and at the same time, is not devoid of Jarmusch's typical minimalist poetics and the existential dimension of Blake's journey into nonexistence. The hero of the anti-western is not a hardened adventurer but a shy young man without knowledge of the environment, who is not looking for a cowboy job, but rather an accountant, and desperately does not fit into the surrounding world. His escape from the anger of a wealthy industrialist leads him to an Indian named Nobody, who, due to his abduction in childhood and his upbringing in a white civilization, feels the same rootlessness and loneliness as the main character. Together, they head towards the ocean, facing hired killers and preparing to accept their destiny. Jarmusch's direction gives the landscape a mystical touch, the camera sometimes has a hypnotic effect, and the overall impression is enhanced by Neil Young's simple but impressive music. Johnny Depp is the perfect fit for the lead role. His resigned, slightly absent expression fits perfectly into the Jarmusch world. Overall impression: 90%. (19.11.2019)

The black and white camera and wannabe intellectual dialogues don't necessarily make a quality and unique film, and that is exactly the case with Dead Man, which I am not afraid to describe as a heavily unengaging and absolutely repulsive borefest. All that take about having to “feel” the film is nonsense, there simply isn't much to feel. The plot is banal, the performances are somewhat dull (Depp’s being the only decent one) and the point? Nothing. Jarmusch simply throws the viewer into a pond and let them splash around up to their ears without helping or even hinting at anything, and he doesn't realize that the water in that pond is quite dirty and getting out of it is not an easy task at all. The only exception would be if they intended for it to be a pure comedy, but that doesn't fit. Two painful hours in front of the television screen. (13.11.2007)

My first encounter with Jim Jarmusch, which hopefully gave me a fairly detailed idea of his work. Dead Man beautifully captures the nature of the protagonists and combines the various genre elements in an interesting way, so that a western drama with a touch of fantasy should not be a big obstacle for the viewer, and thanks to the great atmosphere, the black-and-white styling and the score, every fan should feel like a fish in water. Precisely by not being afraid to inject a certain amount of absurdity into a number of scenes, Jarmusch sets a solid foundation for his somewhat lengthy narrative, based mainly on dialogue and moods. If Tarantino had made this, he would surely have injected an even greater dose of violence into the story, with more space for acting and thinking, and most importantly, he would have spiced up the slightly soporific dialogue a lot more. But that would have made Dead Man lose its specific charm and become a completely different film, which would be a great shame. In spite of the long-winded narrative and, from my point of view, a downright weird ending, this is a wonderfully twisted and unforgettable movie. 80% (20.10.2012)

The film has its own poetry that either fits you or not. It fit me because there is quite good gore that I like and it looks quite good even in black and white. Johnny Depp doesn't unnecessarily draw attention to himself, but lets the film itself and Jarmusch's style speak. It's worth it. (22.03.2016)