Down by Law (1986)
Genre: Comedy / Crime
Duration: 107 minuten
Country:
United States / West Germany
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni
IMDb score:
7,6 (56.950)
Releasedate: 20 September 1986
Down by Law plot
"It's not where you start - It's where you start again."
"It's a sad and beautiful world" says a grinning Roberto as he introduces himself to Zack (Tom Waits), a failed disc jockey drowning his sorrows on a New Orleans street corner. Not long after, they will end up in jail with one Jack, a wretched pimp. The void of life in prison is filled with drawn-out scenes around cigarettes and matches, crazy language games and strange conversations. These activities are always set in motion by the always cheerful and eager to learn Roberto (Roberto Benigni), an Italian con man who hardly speaks English. Because of him, something of friendship develops between the three. They devise a plan to escape.
Actors and actresses
Zack
Jack
Roberto
Laurette
Bobbie
Gig
Preston
Nicoletta
Detective
Reviews & comments
Movsin
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- 8104 messages
- 8304 votes
Initially, the film reminded me of "Stranger than Paradise" in which two not so motivated men are also shown and where the environment and the atmosphere here certainly do not brighten up: poor rooms, a deserted city, a barred prison cell and later an empty one. house, which resembles the latter, in the middle of a half-dead forest.
Only when Benigni joins it does it really become a comedy with many funny scenes and sayings ("Billiard ball no. 8 is the best...to kill someone...). The bright Italian, with his witty phrases in the picturesque Italian American, by far the smartest of the three, usually finds the solution (how exactly they escaped is not really important) and also finds happiness.
Very simple story but beautifully and fascinatingly elaborated in the typical and recognizable Jarmusch style.
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 30809 messages
- 5350 votes
Jim Jarmusch made wonderful films such as Night on Earth, Broken Flowers, Ghost Dog and Only Lovers Left Alive. But I don't like his black and white movies. Like the somewhat disappointing Dead Man, I'm not convinced by his approach without color. Which can nevertheless be an added value. Here it is more of a form to hide some clumsy acting. The beginning seemed promising, but the characters aren't captivating enough on their own for the time they're given. It only gets interesting in prison when the trio interacts. But then it becomes cliche again. Those characters aren't that exciting either, and there's not much atmosphere being built up. A missed opportunity, although Tom Waits' music does make up for it.
Fisico (moderator films)
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- 9974 messages
- 5386 votes
Not so much my thing this movie. Rather a setback. No idea if Roberto Benigni has anything to do with it, but he hasn't positively influenced the film for me. The scenes before and in prison were the most fun and the most captivating. Besides that, I didn't think it was much soup. Where atmosphere and balance were still good in the beginning, it slowly turns to colder. Not my thing, especially when the balance is lost. A missed opportunity for me, too bad...
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