Review of Dead Man (1995) by Marcusa. — 30 May 2006

I am not going to give this movie a 10, many people think something is great and give it 10 just because they dont want to compromise the film in any way. But I honestly believe an 8 is a realistic rating, Dead Man is unique and beautifully crafted (at the risk of cliched description).

Dead Man is something that bolsters dialogue with carefully composed shots, as if each shot and frame were a photograph constructed for us to get taken by one moment that is captured. The movie runs the risk of being over analysed but it does have many underlying conceptual notions, such as the expressions of life and death, Christian inverted ideals and the nature of self discovery and change.

Johnny Depp's William Blake is a believable one even in the surreal nature of his quest, and Gary Farmer's Nobody delivers his lines with a sense of lingering emotion as we struggle to catch up and connect to what he has said.

If we take the movie as something to focus on conceptually but something that appeals to the visual senses then there is no choice but to be mesmerised. It delves into the nature of American culture, American Indian culture, life, death, and the relationship they all have with each other, these notions ringing true for modern conflicts as well.

All whilst we as the viewer question the reality of the main characters situation and wonder these things about life and death yet still try to understand Blake's consciousness and thus the extent his journey endeavours.

Each scene ending with a fade as to suggest his fading consciousness and the physicality of his situation, we question whether he is dead or alive or seeking something else.