My third Jarmusch, and he is becoming a director who's style I respond very positively too. That said, I have a hard time thinking I will love any of his films more than I loved this one. I had never even heard of Dead Man, or Jarmusch for that matter, until arriving on Mofo. This western has everything I look for in a film. It is a simple story littered with interesting characters. The protagonist is on a life changing journey, and that journey has spiritual elements. There is also a large amount of humor, which for me adds so much to the characters and feel of the film.
I say this story is simple, and the narrative itself is very simple. There is however a large amount to be mined from this film thematically. I am not going to even begin to tell you I understand everything that Jarmusch is trying to get across here. I have been thinking about the tobacco thing for over 24 hours now and I am no closer to understanding what in the world it is a metaphor for. I still love that aspect of the film though. Tobacco becomes a running gag and even though I never get the meaning behind it I still enjoy it.
I also don't know exactly what Jarmusch is trying to say about violence in Dead Man. He uses violence here exactly the way I like to see it used. Sparingly, but in jarring and graphic bursts. Blake Leaves a large amount of dead bodies in his wake on his journey. Like I said earlier he is on an obviously spiritual journey, to say it is a journey towards enlightenment would not be a stretch at all. For this reason I kept expecting the violence to eventually end, but if anything it ends up getting worse the farther along the journey he goes. I am not exactly sure what this means to the film thematically, but again I thing it is interesting to chew on and the not understanding never frustrates me the way it does in other films.
I have talked about the spiritual journey of Blake a couple of times. This is the most engaging aspect of the film. His relationship with Nobody is so great to watch. I love these kind of cryptic relationships where the wise man is teaching the protagonist life lessons and he doesn’t even realize it. Nobody is a great character and I was very pleased when he returned after leaving for a moment. The shot of Blake finding him again is also one of the best in the film. I won't say, so as not to ruin it, but I found the mind and eye tricks Jarmusch was playing there very fascinating.
Nobody isn't the only great secondary character in the film. In fact I can't think of a single character that I didn't enjoy. They are all acted very well, are interesting, and many of them are very funny. They all add something fascinating to Blake's journey and I love every single one. Depp as Blake is perfect. This is my favorite performance of his ever, and he is an actor that I have liked pretty well at times in his career.
I probably shouldn't talk about Dead Man without mentioning the score and cinematography. The electric guitar score is awesome. It is never over done and fits the tone of the film perfectly. I guess I should say it shapes the tone of the film perfectly. I also really liked the black and white cinematography. The movie looks amazing and there are some really incredible shots. The stroll through the white trees and the train at the beginning being the most memorable. There is a shot in this film that I hated. It is a quick shot but it sticks out like a sore thumb in a film I otherwise found perfect. It is when Blake falls out of the hotel window. We get a quick wide shot of the night sky and it couldn't look more artificial. It is similar to the helicopter shot in Rear Window. It is quick and doesn't mean much but I won't forget it and wish I could. Other than that I can't speak highly enough about the look of the film.
I am delighted to have a new favorite film to talk about and think about. I expected to like this movie but wasn't prepared for just how much I would love it.
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