Down by Law | | Cast : | Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni | | Director : | Jim Jarmusch | | Studio : | Criterion Collection | | Format : | Black & White, Widescreen | | Released Date : | October , 1986 | | DVD Released Date : | October 22, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | March 17, 2005 | | Summary | Beatnick Noir | Content
 | I haven't seen all of Jarmusch's films, but I've seen plenty (Ghost Dog, Mystery Train, Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man) to know this is probably gonna go down as my favorite of them all. Jarmusch and photographer Mueller do a brilliant job setting everything up. Its style is as classic and effective as the film noirs of the 1950s, including the seedy characters, the dialogue, and the moody jazz courtesy of John Lurie, one of the film's stars. Story wise, we're dealing with two lowlifes, a pimp and a recently fired DJ, who don't know each other, who are each set up and sent to prison for crimes they didn't commit. They are thrown in a cell together, and eventually an Italian who accidentally killed a man after cheating at a game of cards (hit him with an 8-ball--CLASSIC!) and find a way to escape. John Lurie is the pimp, Tom Waits is the DJ, and Robert Benigni makes his American film debut as Bob, the Italian. (Ironically, he is the kindest, funniest, most jovial of the trio, yet he is the only one who actually is guilty of the crime he's in for).
I've read the other reviews, and I'm dissapointed in why some people don't like the film. First off, I believe that Criterion has once again given us a top of the line DVD transfer. The extras are great for folks that are into the "hows" and "whys" of a film, as I am, and the transfer itself is clear and beautiful to watch.
The acting may not be the best (Lurie was adequite), the dialogue and storyline are right out of the 50s, and help the mood of the entire thing. The characters are introduced perfectly so that we don't really need to know why they're being set-up. Our imagination can do the walking for us there. We know they're both kind of shady guys, and there are any number of reasons why someone would wanna see them put away, or use them so that someone else doesn't get caught.
And as far as the reviewer wondering why we don't see the dogs, only hear them; don't see the escape, only the afterwards; and don't see the prison, only their cell, the answer is simple: its an indie film made before indie's were all the rage. Jarmusch could only afford so much, and I find that he did an incredible job giving us all the necessary information without having to show us everything that was going on. The only thing I might raise an eyebrow to is Bob and Nicoletta (Benigni's real life wife) falling in love in under an hour or two. But hey, sometimes, if its worth it, you gotta suspend reality. The chemistry between the two characters is enough for me to believe they're in love, so who am I to argue!
All in all, this is one of my favorite movies to watch. Criterion did a great job with this DVD, and at the very least, its a fun flick in the noir tradition, with a bit of a smart-ass underworld, beatnick edge to it.
...but that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 25, 2005 | | Summary | Down By Law DVD Dissapointment | Content
| The movie itself is just as good i remembered it. But the Criterion Collection DVD package, however, is so totally not worth the $40 plus postage i paid for it. I've gotten so much more bang for my buck with other "special edition"-type DVDs. i found the interviews and "extra" stuff dull. I want my money back. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 02, 2004 | | Summary | beautifully shot, poorly acted, terrible dialouge | Content
| i really like the aesthetic of this film, but not much else. the dialogue in particular is really trite. the characters are all hackneyed caricatures - john lurie as an unconvincing pimp, tom waits as a burnt-out DJ, and roberto benigni as a crazy italian guy. i didn't believe these might be real people for one second - they are very clearly "characters". the film is beautifully shot in black and white, but jarmusch leaves out a few things that would make this film more convincing. waits and lurie meet in prison after each was set-up for different crimes, but the film never delves into why they were set-up. we see very little of the prison aside from their cell. we don't see the escape until they're in the tunnel. we never see any police or dogs, we just hear them. the coming together of nicoletta and roberta is ridiculous.
2 stars for the cinematography, 0 for everything else. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 24, 2004 | | Summary | Benigni steals the show! | Content
| This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.
Down by Law is a nice film. It has some excellent scenes of Louisiana swampland and impressive photography. The title is an African American slang term from the 1920's meaning to to protect one from danger.
The story follows 3 men who are incarcerated in a Louisiana prison and make a sucessful escape. There is a nice culture clash with Benigni as one of the escaping prisoners and the 2 others who are Americans.
The film is written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and stars Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni and John Lurie who was the star of his show, "Fishing with John" also on Criterion. Benigni, virtually unknown outside Italy when the film was made in 1986, remained little known until writing, directing ans starring in his film, "La Vita e Bella" or "Life is Beautiful."
The DVD contains some great special features also.
Disc 1 contains the film, with an optional French language soundtrack. Roberto Benigni again provided the French dialoge for his character. It also has a track with only the music on it. There is also a theatrical trailer and an introduction by Jarmusch.
Disc 2 has a slideshow of Polaroids from the production and shows notes that were written on the back. There are also still photographs from location scouting. There are audio recordings of telephone conversations Jarmusch had in 2002 with the actors where he reminisces about making the film. There is a music video of Tom Waite singing "It's All Right With Me" written bo Cole Porter, footage of the press conference at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, a 2002 interview with director of photography Robby Müller, and finally Jarmusch himself answers questions submitted by fans to Criterion in 2002 during DVD production.
This is a great DVD for Benigni fans and for those who like cool scenery. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 19, 2003 | | Summary | Not only moody, but moody New Orleans | Content
| Great movie, inspired casting, subtle direction.
"Down By Law" also perfectly crystalizes the lower echelon life experience in New Orleans, which is pleasantly surprising given that it's so elusive, and, that none of the principals are natives. Although Tom Waits did spend a lot of time here - I saw him and Rickie Lee Jones perform together while they were living here in the 9th Ward, so maybe that counts for something in terms of him getting into character.
BTW, just as an aside, Italians LOVE this movie. Not just because of Benigni (like any big star in his home country, there are mixed feelings about him) but because the film is so wonderful. |
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