Review of Dead Man (1995) by Xgary X — 13 Aug 2012

The wild west gets the Jarmusch treatment in this road movie without a road that sees eastern city accountant Johnny Depp finding himself wanted for murder and on the run in an unfamiliar wilderness and society that seems to be constructed from pure, undiluted death.

The usual quirky mix of oddball characters and surreal images you'd expect from Jarmusch, Dead Man is most certainly not your typical western. Shot as westerns should be in black and white (echoing the best works of Ford and Mann) Depp's journey encounters a supporting cast to die for including Gabriel Byrne, John Hurt, Gary Farmer as his cryptic gibberish spouting Indian guide, Lance Henriksen as a psychopathic cannibal bounty hunter, Iggy Pop and Billy Bob Thornton who supply the funniest gun fight I've ever seen, Robert Mitchum as a psychotic horse lover and Alfred Molina as a despicable "missionary" who form the rich tapestry of weirdness that is this film.

I felt it ran out of steam a little as the ending is a little anti-climactic, but the journey there was so engaging it was worth it. Strange and beautiful.