Dead Man (1995)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A meek accountant on the run becomes a walking dead man after a violent encounter, leading him on a spiritual journey across the American frontier.
The story
William Blake, an accountant from Cleveland, Ohio, travels by train to the frontier company town of Machine for a promised job. Upon arrival, he finds the position already filled and is driven away at gunpoint by the company owner, John Dickinson. Jobless and desperate, Blake meets Thel Russell, a former prostitute. After a violent confrontation with Thel's ex-boyfriend results in Thel's death and Blake being wounded, he flees the town on a horse. He is soon encountered by an enigmatic Native American man named Nobody, who believes Blake is the reincarnation of the visionary English poet William Blake.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
William Blake, an accountant from Cleveland, Ohio, travels to the frontier town of Machine for a job but is driven away by the owner, John Dickinson. After a tragic encounter with a woman named Thel and her ex-boyfriend, Blake is wounded and flees. He meets Nobody, a Native American man who believes Blake is the reincarnation of the poet William Blake. Nobody decides to escort the 'walking dead' Blake to the Pacific Ocean for a ship burial. Along the way, Blake experiences a vision quest, kills two U.S. Marshals, and encounters a bigoted missionary. Blake's condition deteriorates until he reaches a Makah village. He is placed in a canoe with a Native American funeral dress. As he drifts out to sea, he watches the bounty hunter Cole Wilson kill Nobody, and Blake dies.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States; Germany; Japan
- Original languages
- English; Cree; Blackfoot
- Directors
- Jim Jarmusch
- Writers
- Jim Jarmusch · writer
- Cast and characters
- Johnny Depp · William Blake; Gary Farmer · Nobody; Billy Bob Thornton · Big George Drakoulias; Iggy Pop; Crispin Glover; John Hurt; Michael Wincott; Lance Henriksen
- Genres
- acid Western; Western; black-and-white; road movie
- Themes
- Reincarnation; Spirituality; Prejudice; Death
- Tone and mood
- Psychedelic; Acid Western; Monochrome
- Premise and plot tags
- Western; Road Movie; Reincarnation; Spiritual Journey
- Source material / true-story basis
- Rudy Wurlitzer's unproduced screenplay Zebulon
- Reception
- Initial critical response was mixed, but retrospective reviews have been generally positive. It is described as an acid western and an important American movie of the 90s.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 70% · review count: 53; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Independent Spirit Awards · Best Film · 12th · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was shot entirely in monochrome.; Neil Young composed the soundtrack while watching the movie footage.; The name 'Nobody' is a reference to the James Brown song 'Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…