Billy Bob's Filmography

DEAD MAN (1995)

Movie Quote
BIG GEORGE DRAKOULIOUS: You know I just, I can't drink whiskey like I usetacould. My old belly just ain't no count.

Plot
In what film critic Steve Erickson calls the BLADE RUNNER of westerns, Johnny Depp plays hapless, naive city slicker William Blake, the embodiment of The Songs of Innocence and Experience (little Depp, who made thee?) as he slogs his way across the Old West with a price on his head and a garrulous Indian and self-appointed spiritual guide named Nobody (the brilliant Gary Farmer) on his back. The Old West proves to be populated with a scary assortment of violent and demented types, including a trio of fur trappers who want Blake's pretty hide.

What Billy Bob Gets To Do
William Blake runs into a trio of sexually ambiguous fur trappers who have made themselves one weird-ass home on the range, led by Sally (Iggy Pop), the cross-dressing camp cook devoted to the Scriptures.  Billy Bob plays Big George Drakoulious, a filthy, dyspeptic mountain man around whom no one should drop the soap.  Intrigued by the newcomer's soft hair, the wooly Big George wants a piece of purty William Blake, which leads to a fierce exchange of hot lead between the trappers.  Spirit Guide Nobody (Gary Farmer) can only gaze upon the trappers and conclude, "Stupid White Men!"

Backstory
Remember Jim Jarmusch as the bespectacled fry cook who sells ol' Karl his first French fried potaters in SLING BLADE? Before that stellar turn, Jim Jarmusch directed Billy Bob in DEAD MAN, another existential western starring Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer (a real stand-out!), Lance Henriksen, Michael Wincott, Crispin Glover, Iggy Pop, Jared Harris, Gabriel Byrne, John Hurt, Alfred Molina, Eugene Byrd, Mili Avital, and Robert Mitchum. Can an existential western be packed with any more great actors? We also dig Neil Young's spooky score, which he performs himself. 

By the way, DEAD MAN makes four existential westerns to BBT's credit, counting ALL THE PRETTY HORSES, THE LAST REAL COWBOYS, and SOUTH OF HEAVEN, WEST OF HELL. TOMBSTONE is not existential, but it is a seriously cool western. 

Awards (for DEAD MAN)
Cannes Film Festival (Golden Palm, Jim Jarmusch) - 1995 - Nominated
European Film Awards (Screen International Award, Jim Jarmusch) - 1995 - Winner
Independent Spirit Awards (Best Cinematography, Robby Müller) - 1995 - Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards (Best Feature, Demetra J. MacBride) - 1995 - Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards (Best Screenplay, Jim Jarmusch) - 1995 - Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards (Best Supporting Male, Gary Farmer) - 1995 - Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Awards (Best Cinematography, Robby Müller) - 1996 - Winner

Relevant Links
IMDb Link
Miramax DVD Page
Miramax VHS rental Page
Jim Jarmusch Q&A
William P. Coleman Mathetmatics Page
Location, location, location!
A compelling, academic analysis of all the existential angst

Related Merchandise
Neil Young's soundtrack is a slice of guitar god heaven.