The film was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.[11]
In its theatrical release, Dead Man earned $1,037,847[3] on a budget of $9 million.[2] Then, it was the most expensive of Jarmusch's films, due in part to the costs of ensuring accurate period detail.
Critical responses were mixed. Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half (out of four) stars, noting "Jim Jarmusch is trying to get at something here, and I don't have a clue what it is".[12] Desson Howe and Rita Kempley, both writing for The Washington Post, offered largely negative reviews.[13] Greil Marcus, however, mounted a spirited defense of the film, titling his review "Dead Again: Here are 10 reasons why 'Dead Man' is the best movie of the end of the 20th century."[14]
Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum dubbed the film an acid western, calling it "as exciting and as important as any new American movie I've seen in the 90s"[15] and went on to write a book on the film, Dead Man (ISBN 0-85170-806-4) published by the British Film Institute. The film has a 70% approval rating on website Rotten Tomatoes based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's consensus reads: "While decidedly not for all tastes, Dead Man marks an alluring change of pace for writer-director Jim Jarmusch that demonstrates an assured command of challenging material".[16] Metacritic reports a score of 62 out of 100 from 20 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[17]
In July 2010, The New York Times chief film critic A. O. Scott capped a laudatory "Critics' Picks" video review of the film by calling it "One of the very best movies of the 1990s."
The Criterion Collection added the film to their collection, due to its "profound and unique revision of the western genre".[18]
