Dead Man Analysis

Dead Man Review

If one goes by the rule that every cinematic or theatrical production is either a drama or comedy, Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man would be a very difficult movie to categorize. Even more difficult would be determining whether or not the film could be considered a western. Generally, westerns include a hero, villain, sidekick, Native Americans, and a myriad of other colorful supporting roles fitting for the time period of The Wild West. While Dead Man has many of these qualities, it does not follow the traditional western storyline. For example, the main character or hero of the story, William Blake, does not seek to solve any societal differences or save a damsel in distress; instead, he only tries to survive as long as possible. For

At the beginning, he was the scared and reserved would-be accountant. However, much like the new characters that kept appearing every time Blake woke up on the train, he turned into the epitome of the crazy world he had been dropped into near the end of the story. If Blake had not have undergone this change, he undoubtedly would have been killed at the beginning when Charlie Dickinson accidentally shot Thel and there would have been no story. Although the argument could be made that Charlie’s shot did in fact kill

After being shot a second time, Blake knew that his journey could go no further. It was at the end of the film that William Blake finally “died”; however, it could easily be argued that the character died many different times throughout the movie. The train was a symbol of transitioning to the otherworld or purgatory which was one form of the character’s death. Another form would have been when Charlie’s bullet pierced Blake’s heart. Yet another would have been Blake transitioning to a different personality. The final form of death was when Blake’s soul left the otherworld. Although it was very difficult to see Nobody being killed, Blake could no longer be concerned with the existence of anything happening in the world he had previously “lived” in. For these reasons, the end of the movie was mostly a tranquil affair.

In summation, Jim Jarmusch’s film Dead Man was a creative masterpiece that broke the mold of what defined a western and caused viewers to question everything they were watching. The fact that this film harmoniously combined drama, comedy, and created its own genre with roots based in one of the greatest film genres in American history is a testament to the director’s ingenuity. This film taught many different lessons, but the most important of all would be not to travel with