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starring: Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Ellen Barkindirected by: Jim Jarmusch
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786303832616
Format: Black & White, Original recording reissued, NTSC
ISBN: 630383261X
Label: Polygram Video
Manufacturer: Polygram Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Polygram Video
Release Date: February 11, 1997
Running Time: 107 minutes
Sales Rank: 20300
Studio: Polygram Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1986
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
After creating one of the breakthrough movies of the American independent cinema, Stranger than Paradise, Jim Jarmusch stayed right in the same minimalist, oddball, black-and-white groove. Down by Law takes place in Louisiana, where two losers (musicians Tom Waits and John Lurie) find themselves stuck in a jail cell together. One day they are joined by a boisterous Italian (Roberto Benigni), and the chemistry changes--suddenly an escape attempt is on the horizon. Conventional drama is not Jarmusch's intention; one of the emotional high points of this movie is the three guys marching around their prison cell shouting, 'I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!' Yet the deadpan style creates its own humorous mood, underscored by melancholy (also underscored by the music of Lurie and the gravel-voiced songs of Waits). This was the first American film for Roberto Benigni, the Italian comedian (Life Is Beautiful), and he lights it up with his effervescent clowning. Jarmusch has said that Down by Law forms a loose trilogy with Stranger than Paradise and the subsequent Mystery Train, a triptych of disaffected, drifting life in the United States. Few filmmakers have ever surveyed ennui so entertainingly. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Melancholy delight
This won a lot of raves when it came out. As usual, not much happens. But you get a lot of profound, elongated moments when meaningful glances are made that seem to add up to more than they appear. They don't, but it's fun to watch a young Tom Waits. Great soundtrack, as usual. Pretty silly, really. Especially the Italian restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Many extras for buffs only, though the phone interview of Tom Waits is funny.
Rating:  - Summertime, and the livin's not easy
This b&w treasure, starring a very young (and ALWAYS fabulous) Tom Waits & Roberto Benigni, features a brief bit at the beginning showcasing the talent of an equally young (playing totally crazed) Ellen Barkin. The action takes place in & around New Orleans and the Bayou, with a fair section set in the Orleans Parish Prison, where, more than ever actually planning an escape, Waits (Zach), Benigni (Bob), and John Lurie (Jack) build a working relationship. Unlikely? Maybe. Dysfunctional? ... Read More
Rating:  - Please enter a title for your review
Of all the artists in any medium who seem to get a lot of credit for doing very little Jim Jarmusch takes the cake. This movie seems like something thrown together as a lark by a few buddies after a few beers. I guess advocates of anti-hollywood artyness needed a new posterchild and Jarmusch was in the right place at the right time with the right haircut.
Rating: - Jarmusch at his best
On Stranger than Paradise, one could be forgiven if they felt Jim Jarmusch was being a little pretentious. As minimalist no budget film making, there were lots of those so called artsty shots that cojure up a laundry list of foreign art house directors. But Stranger than Paradise was not only a watershed moment for the American indie film, it also set the stage for Jarmusch as a great indie film director and it was the stepping stool for the great Down by Law, arguably his best work.
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Rating: - Down by Law
An oddball road movie with three of the quirkiest characters you're likely to encounter, "Law" is a hilariously deadpan portrayal of hipster cool on the skids. Waits is perfectly cast as Zack, a struggling record spinner with a gravelly voice like Wolfman Jack's, and long-faced New York musician Lurie is excellent as the scowling, caustic Jack. Of course, irrepressible Italian comedian Benigni steals virtually every scene he's in (which is pretty much the second half of the movie), but the three have ... Read More
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