Conway Twill-Dead Man

"Might I have the pleasure of your name....before I have you run through?" "Course, can't put much stock in a man who spends most part of a conversation talkin' to a bear." "You know what will be said about this in Spain, don't you?" "I collect swords, you see. I take them from the men I've killed." "Childhood's over the moment you know you're gonna die." "You ask God for help and I'll stop the moment he shows up."

WARNING: THERE ARE VIDEOS AND PHOTO GALLERIES ON THIS PAGE AND IT MAY LOAD SLOWLY

It is said that Michael Wincott is an actor who "lives the character" and he himself says, "You have to be careful so you don't make your character dull and predictable. Sometimes you have to bend the script a little." Well, just watch three different movies and you'll see three different characters, but not Michael. He blends in like a chameleon. Mind you, a gorgeous one.

This section of michaelwincott.org delves into some of the memorable characters Michael has so deftly brought to life. There are screen capture photo galleries, Flash videos, and my review of the film.

Everyone's favorite chatterbox . . .

Conway Twill from Dead Man

"Dead Man" directed by indie filmmaker, Jim Jarmusch looks and sounds like no other traditional Western movie in memory. Shot in Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and California, the starkly contrasted, almost tunnel-vision, effect of the black & white photography is just one of the disorienting elements of the journey. Scattered throughout the film are countless references to classic literature, music and musicians, and it is rife with social commentary. For intense reviews and further discussion of the complexity of “Dead Man”, just Google it. For our purposes here, I won’t delve as deeply as I previously have on this film and its multifaceted behavior and narrative. This site is devoted to Michael Wincott and so we will talk about the character he plays in “Dead Man”, the bounty hunter, Conway Twill.

In order to get to him, however you have to know a brief synopsis of the story. Johnny Depp plays William Blake, a somewhat shy accountant who leaves behind the only home and civilization he has ever known to take a job in the middle of nowhere in the frontier. Upon his arrival after a train ride more aptly located in a Twilight Zone episode, he finds out there is no job. The disillusioned Blake meets a pretty girl outside the saloon and proceeds to go to her room. When her boyfriend finds them, he shoots her and in self defense, Blake shoots him, but is also injured. Unbeknownst to Blake the man is the son of the “owner” of the town. (Robert Mitchum in his last film role. He is hilarious.)

Fleeing the town and suffering from the gunshot, a dazed Blake encounters a Native American named Nobody. “My name is Exaybachay. He Who Talks Loud, Saying Nothing. I preferred to be called Nobody.” Played by Gary Farmer in one of his best roles. (He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best supporting actor.) Nobody is not really interested in helping the “stupid f*cking white man” until he thinks the man is really the poet William Blake. Turns out this Indian is the most well-spoken and educated man in the movie. So Nobody helps the dying man and leads him on a journey to find his place on “the other side”.

Upon finding out about the death of his son and the theft of a valuable Pinto horse, Mitchum’s Mr. Dickinson orders up a trio of bounty hunters to fetch Blake and the horse. This is where Conway Twill enters the story. Right off the bat you know he’s going to be the comic relief. It is sometimes needed in the film, however much of the story and situations create humor, if not unintentionally.

The trio of bounty hunters embark to find William Blake albeit they don’t seem to be in much of a hurry. Pacing of the movie and the characters is slow, and the hypnotic effect created by Neil Young’s guitar soundtrack adds to the delirium making you feel a little like you shared Nobody’s peyote. BUT, the comical ramblings (mostly ad-libbed, I’m sure) of Conway Twill, along with his interaction with the always dark and menacing Lance Henriksen deliver some relief. 'Course you can't put much stock in a man who spends the most part of a conversation talkin' to a bear... talkin' to a goddamn bear.”

Conway wears layers of clothes and layers of hair, but there is a sensitive side as well as he sleeps with a teddy bear and dreams of his mother’s pies. He can’t read or write, and doesn’t have social graces. In fact, it seems hard to believe that he is a notorious gunslinger. (BTW: gun holsters are sexy on just about any guy, am I right?) Well Twill rambles on a bit too much around Henriksen’s Cole Wilson and does in fact get shot, cooked, and eaten. Given the stories told about Cole Wilson, we can only hope that was all . . . right?

Poor William Blake with the help of Nobody finally makes it to “the other side” with the oddball collections of characters each playing a part in the journey. Don’t miss the scene with the pelt wearin’ possum eatin’ trappers it’s got great lines by Billy Bob Thornton and a cross dressed Iggy Pop. “What's a Philistine? Well, it's just a real dirty person.” “Well Sally, I don't give a pig's ass what anybody says, I still say you make a hell of a pot of beans.”

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Principle filming is listed at only a month and a half. Stated budget for “Dead Man” is $9million. Sadly the gross box office is under by about $7million. This doesn’t take in account of home video releases and re-showings. “Dead Man” was nominated for a Golden Palm award at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival and won the Screen International Award at the European Film Awards. The cult following of this film is phenomenal, and it continues to be a source of discussion and study throughout the world.