Down by Law

A black comedy about three men deceived by luck and given to their destiny, after a stint in prison and a daring escape.

Beautiful cinematography in black and white by Robby Müller, taking advantage of the photogeny of the decadent south and the Mississippi delta, excellent music, divided between the songs by Tom Waits and the soundtrack by John Lurie (from The Lounge Lizzards), both protagonists of the film, joined by the inimitable Roberto Benigni (and his wife and muse Nicoletta Braschi) adding a touch of chaos and humor to the story.

A cult film that looks even better as the years go by.

Wow, what a movie. Far away from Hollywood, Jim Jarmusch creates a world where you don't need drama, pathos and action to fascinate the watcher. Because fascinating is exactly what this movie is. A plot in the classical sense is almost completely missing; the scenes, in their simplicity sometimes reminding of theater, follow each other without ever creating real suspense; neither griping action nor complex dialogues are there to excite the spectator. And still, with ease Jarmusch fills more than a hundred minutes with a story you won't take your eyes off. It is hard to tell what the atmosphere of the movie is really based on, the characters, the setting, entirely in black and white, the music - probably all of it. Again, like in Jarmusch's later movie "Dead man", speed is an important factor: everything moves slowly, without haste, as there is no dramatic climax you could hurry towards; yet, boring is a word that certainly doesn't fit this piece of cineastic art. On the other hand, though some of the scenes seem quite surrealistic, it is not a really artistic movie breaking with all the traditional concepts of filmmaking; it is more a movie in classic shape with an unconventional story, not trying to shock, to confuse or even to make you think so much; this movie doesn't need all this to get your complete attention. You could probably speculate a lot about the meaning of the movie; to me, this seems highly unnecessary. Just let it unfold its atmosphere. Judge yourselves, but I was excited in a very special way by every scene of this motion picture, giving me one of my best cineastic experiences of the recent time.

Three men escape from jail and head out into the Louisiana bayous. What follows is their journey and their attempts to evade the law.

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, so you already know this is not going to be a conventional movie. Quirkily funny, with some great off-the-wall characters and good interplay between them. Plot is a bit random, though that's part of the movie's charm. The anarchy of the plot fits in well with the characters and general non-seriousness of the movie.

Good work by Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni in the lead roles.

I've been binging Jarmusch's filmography this week for the first-time knowing little about his films and style of storytelling. In my opinion, this is his greatest achievement. The cinematography is beautiful; all of the river-boating scenes looked incredible. The performances are all great, especially Benigni's who had me in tears from laughter. The pacing is also solid; how these three very different men form a bond is a marvel to experience. On the whole, the story is a unique take on the 'prison film' and operates in that perfect balance of quirky and realistic. If you're like me and you're ripping through Jarmusch films for the first time, I'd say this is a pretty great introduction to the man and his mind.

If i had to describe any aspect of this flick i'd say it was "crafted". Utterly sublime direction from Jarmusch, with a sense of desolation in the landscape that is captured so well, it's almost surreal. Waits is, simply put, a genius, and puts in a performance which would silence any who feel that "you can't be both an actor and a musician". Benigni and Lurie are both a delirius joy and deliciously despicable respectively. The use of Waits' music within the film only heightens the sense of dusty Americana, and hip oddball style. It reminds me that indie-film snobs have actually got something right for a change, and its cult classic status is rightly deserved. Exquisitely shot, with an excellent soundtrack and sterling performances. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Waits and Benigny. Also, it's the only film that makes me want ice cream....