Dead Man

Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch delivers another edge-of your-seat (not!) minimalist comedy. Johnny Depp stars as William Blake, a young 19th century accountant who heads way out west and promptly gets into a shootout which leaves two people dead and Blake nearly so. Unjustly accused of the murders, Blake tries to stay one step ahead of the law, the bounty hunters, and the grave, while he's forced by circumstances to become a gunslinger against his own nature. Dead Man has enough wonderful moments to nearly recommend it (and the Neil Young score--though sparse--is great). But ultimately this Dead Man spends too little time walking and too much just standing still. Optional. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Aug. 2, 2011—Echo Bridge, 121 min., R, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1995's Dead Man features a solid transfer and stereo sound. Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (16 min.), and an instrumental music video. Bottom line: minor Depp and minor Jarmusch, but the Neil Young score is still wonderful in this Blu-ray debut.] [Blu-ray Review—Apr. 17, 2018—Criterion, 91 min., not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1995’s Dead Man features an excellent transfer with a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include select-scene audio commentary by production designer Bob Ziembicki and sound mixer Drew Kunin, a new Q&A with director Jim Jarmusch (48 min.), footage of Neil Young composing and performing the film’s score (30 min.), an interview with costar Gary Farmer (27 min.), deleted scenes (15 min.), new readings of William Blake poems by cast members including Mili Avital, Alfred Molina, and Iggy Pop (8 min.), a photo gallery, and essays by film critic Amy Taubin and music journalist Ben Ratliff. Bottom line: a definitive edition of this minor Jarmusch film featuring a fine Neil Young score.]