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

Color:

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 names of the two marshals that Blake (Johnny Depp) kills are Lee and Marvin, an homage to Lee Marvin.

Goofs:

Continuity: The straps on Thel's dress while she's talking to Charlie.

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:

Referenced in L.A. Without a Map (1998)

Soundtrack:

Billy Boy

Filmed Poetry

Jim Jarmusch is one of my favorite directors, and Dead Man is probably the greatest work he has ever done. Very rarely does a film come alive with a sense of poetry. The only other film I can compare it to would be Wim Wenders' Wings Of Desire. The film moves like a dream, floating and spinning around you. Neil Young's electric score churns like a ghost train and pushes the film farther. There isn't one performance that is wrong, nor is there ever a false moment. From start to finish this film pulls you into it's dream land, and carries you along on clouds until the finish.