I just got done watching "Dead Man" in my Development of Film class at the school, so I was curious about Jarmusch's early work. I saw "Night on Earth" and "Ghost Dog," and I was very impressed with those two films. I wasn't too impressed with "Dead Man," but I still felt curious to check out this movie.
"Mystery Train" moves along at a pace identical to that of "Night on Earth." It has those usual Jarmusch trademarks: characters from a foreign country, culture clashes, episodic rhythm, etc. Jarmusch is a very talented screenwriter, and he's good at engaging his audience with dialogue that is crisp (and sometimes quite funny) but at the same time brutally realistic. You can never watch a Jarmusch film and say to yourself, "Man, people don't talk like that in real life!"
Though highly identical to "Night on Earth," I found that film much more engaging in comparison, and I could've help but ponder that while watching this movie. Don't get me wrong, I liked "Mystery Train," but NOE had a certain quality that made it a lot more entertaining, despite the fact that it was two hours long (give or take). I guess I just found the interactions between the characters in that movie more interesting. In this film, I found them interesting as well, but the scenes would drag out at points. Both films move at a leisurely pace, but the minutes seem to go by slower when watching this one.
Nevertheless, it was well-made, with some nice uses of 3-figure composition. Jarmusch makes good use of the camera, preventing us from feeling like we're watching a photographed play--even though many scenes fixate on one location. The soundtrack is cool, and it's interesting how Jarmusch used The King to tie the stories together. The performances are good, and one of my main curiousities--before viewing the film--was seeing Steve Buscemi in one of his early roles. I love Steve, he's one of our coolest actors.
Overall, I recommend the film. It definitely has its moments. I just thought it dragged at points, and if you had the choice between this movie and "Night on Earth," I recommend you choose the latter.
My score: 7 (out of 10)
"Mystery Train" moves along at a pace identical to that of "Night on Earth." It has those usual Jarmusch trademarks: characters from a foreign country, culture clashes, episodic rhythm, etc. Jarmusch is a very talented screenwriter, and he's good at engaging his audience with dialogue that is crisp (and sometimes quite funny) but at the same time brutally realistic. You can never watch a Jarmusch film and say to yourself, "Man, people don't talk like that in real life!"
Though highly identical to "Night on Earth," I found that film much more engaging in comparison, and I could've help but ponder that while watching this movie. Don't get me wrong, I liked "Mystery Train," but NOE had a certain quality that made it a lot more entertaining, despite the fact that it was two hours long (give or take). I guess I just found the interactions between the characters in that movie more interesting. In this film, I found them interesting as well, but the scenes would drag out at points. Both films move at a leisurely pace, but the minutes seem to go by slower when watching this one.
Nevertheless, it was well-made, with some nice uses of 3-figure composition. Jarmusch makes good use of the camera, preventing us from feeling like we're watching a photographed play--even though many scenes fixate on one location. The soundtrack is cool, and it's interesting how Jarmusch used The King to tie the stories together. The performances are good, and one of my main curiousities--before viewing the film--was seeing Steve Buscemi in one of his early roles. I love Steve, he's one of our coolest actors.
Overall, I recommend the film. It definitely has its moments. I just thought it dragged at points, and if you had the choice between this movie and "Night on Earth," I recommend you choose the latter.
My score: 7 (out of 10)