Rating: 
Summary: Go ride the future
Review: Haunting. Ethereal. Intellectual. Scathing.Drama. Comedy. Western. Adventure. All these words may be used to describe Dead Man, but none of them used alone will begin to capture the beauty of this film. It is not your standard Hollywood "movie", but then, Jarmusch is in no way your typical director. Dead Man takes us along as observers as well as companions on this trip through one man's spiritual journey, the end of which ultimatley culminates in death. But the man is dead throughout the film, not physically so, but in spirit, and he is on the last journey he will ever take, and the most important--for this will lead him to the place where the veil between worlds is thin, or nonexistent. He must beomce an outlaw, hunted, through the same experience which first killed him, and he must, as his guide Nobody said, "learn to speak through your gun instead of your words. " Therefore, his gun becomes his tounge, and his words, death. Johnny Depp's performance is incredible, very probing, getting straight to the heart of the character and taking us along. From the horror when he shoots Charlie, to the shock when he realizes he is, in truth, a "dead man", to the peace which he finds when his journey is over--he captures all of these, and more. Many a shot is a panning of his face, and words are sparse--his eyes speak as if they had tounges. However, he looks much more Native American than Gary Farmer in his role as Nobody ever could, providing a rather disconcerting note. In fact, Depp does have Cherokee blood in him, and I do not think Farmer has any Native blood. Jarmusch, the director of many indie films, and a cult moviemaker, has truly created a masterpiece here. I can say quite assuredly that it should become one of the remembered films, in ten years, twenty, thirty. The only thing which surprises me is that there are not more people writing in as college students who have seen this in a class-- has it been used anywhere? And if so, where? Anyhow....see this film. You will feel much better for it. Metaphysical, deep, stirring....all the adjectives in the world will not make up for seeing it, over and over. See it. And buy it. It will truly be a gem in years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Jarmush's masterwork
Review: His best piece. This is classic Jarmush. I would not expose a person new to Jarmush to this piece, but if you liked or loved any of his other works, you will truly savor this one. Dead Man distills his unique flavor of visual and audible quirks into a fine blend. You need to have some idea of what to expect (i.e. Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law, Mystery Train), but once you do, and you want it, this film will satisfy you like no other Jarmush film (including GhostDog).
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Western Classic, First Rate Entertainment!
Review: This is an extremely well done modern western, with an excellent cast(Jonny Depp, Robert Mitchum, Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop just to name a few) and unusual story. Shot in black & white (which gives it an edgier feel)this film about a man from Cleveland who comes to the west for a job only to find himself wanted for a murder is entirely unique. Great shoot outs, no reserves on the violence, and a much more truthful account of the history of the west (smallpox in blankets given to Indians, shooting buffalo from trains as target practice)make for some first rate entertainment. If you like westerns at all I highly recommend this film, it will give you hope that the genre hasn't completely died.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment ?
Review: I wish I could avoid meeting people for whom this movie is "disappointment".
Rating:
Summary: Not your usual western
Review: Loved this movie! From the opening train trip to the ending boat trip it was full of surprising characters and surprising dialogue. This is a movie that should have a cult following (maybe it does!). Johnny Depp and Gary Farmer were magnificent. Other character portrayals by Robert Mitchem and Gabriel Byrne were scene stealers. The three hoodlums practicing drawing their guns in the conference room was hysterical. This is a movie you'll see something new or different every time you view it!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of the `90's
Review: I can't understand why this film was so panned when it was released. I think time will be kind to this film and it will soon be recognized as a landmark of 1990's cinema. It's a haunting journey into the soul of America, deconstructing the myths of the American West along the way. Everything hit's the right notes, from the humour to the gruesome violence. It stands alongside 2001 as one of the great spirit journey films.
Rating:
Summary: ... Mystery western? Pthht!
Review: Dead Man is extremely rich and well acted, full of literary and visual allusion, with surprisingly fresh dialogue - some of which is taken, tongue in cheek, from the poetry of William Blake. There may be a lot of schtick, but it is heady schtick. Unlike many directors, Jim Jarmusch seems genuinely interested in his characters and actors, and less concerned with the story or how the plot will "work out." In this case, the story unfolds incidentally as a product of many strange conversations. If you find this kind of storytelling unnerving, Dead Man may not be for you. Otherwise I urge you to try it...this is a beautiful flick!
Rating:
Summary: Riding The Pinto Pony
Review: In World War One, the American troops combined the Irish imagery of death -- Going West -- with the American experience. When a man died he was "riding the pinto pony." In "Dead Man," we ride that pony. Elegantly filmed, beautifully acted. You will either love this movie or hate it. If you hate it, you will be maddened because you didn't get it. Put it away, and try not to think about it.. If you love it, you will watch it repeatedly, and its voice will grow with every viewing. Measured, hypnotic, and very true to the West that faded away at last in 1970. The characters are familiar from life, but they are cursed with complete freedom, and they all have guns. The score will either pull your nerves out, one-by-one -- or you will not be able to get it out of your head.
Rating: 
Summary: Journey.........to death
Review: Wonderful movie. Poetic. Metaphors in here are fabulous. This one is a stark tale of one man's journey after he is dead, although he is not yet physically dead because he must complete his journey to where the sea and sky meet before his body can fail him....He learns to speak through his gun instead of his words, and he does so wonderfully. [The only thing that spoiled this for me was that I kept thinking of the feminist view of a gun. No elaboration.]This film, too, although it may seem dark and sad from the description, is really a laugh. Iggy Pop's role is one of the best. And, of course, Johnny Depp is always wonderful, but in this one he truly shines. This is not a movie to rent if you are just loking for something with which to pass the time, or to veg out in front of. You have to WATCH this one, and I really hope you do. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Dead Man - Dead Funny!
Review: With more visual and narrative flow than "Down By Law" or "Mystery Train," "Dead Man" is Jarmusch's tour de force. Framed in beautiful black and white, this warped and surreal Western is decorated with some of the most intriguing and enigmatic characters in recent memory. The movie checks in at a cross point somewhere between Lynch's "Eraserhead" and the Coen's "The Big Lebowski," but topples both with its beautiful cinematography and butonous black humour. Some may be turned off by its length and apparently slow moving plot, but those with patience will be rewarded the darkest and funniest journey into the decayed heart of the 'American Dream' since "Easy Rider."
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