Down by Law

1986

Down by Law

Critics Consensus

Funny, original, and thoroughly cinematic, Down by Law represents writer-director Jim Jarmusch at his most ingratiating and evocative.

Down by Law Photos

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Movie Info

Jim Jarmusch follows his groundbreaking Stranger Than Paradise with another rambling, character-driven film with a twisted sense of humor. Set in a seedy New Orleans summer, Down By Law details the meeting of three unlikely convicts and their just as unlikely escape. Zack (Tom Waits) is an out-of-work DJ who is accused of murder when a body is found in the trunk of a stolen car he was hired to drive across town. Jack (John Lurie) is a pimp set up for a fall by a competitor. These two sullen souls are locked in a cell with Roberto (Roberto Benigni), a cheerful Italian immigrant who happens to have killed a man. The chemistry between the members of this loosely bound "team" is fascinating: Zack and Jack are forever laughing at Roberto, yet they rely on his energy and good will to escape their dire situation. The three mismatched miscreants eventually bust out of jail and head into the Louisiana bayous. Tired and hungry, they separate to search for food: Waits goes one way, Lurie another, and the frightened Benigni decides to risk stepping into a ramshackle diner. Somehow or other, he winds up in the arms of gorgeous Italian girl Nicoletta Braschi -- and is even able to provide new clothes and escape routes for his astonished comrades!

Rating:

R
Genre:

Art House & International, Comedy, Drama
Directed By:

Jim Jarmusch
Written By:

Jim Jarmusch
In Theaters:

Oct 1, 1986 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Oct 22, 2002
Runtime:

107 minutes
Studio:

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

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Cast

Tom Waits
as Zack

John Lurie
as Jack

Roberto Benigni
as Roberto

Ellen Barkin
as Laurette

Nicoletta Braschi
as Nicoletta

Jay Hilliar
as Guard

Billie Neal
as Bobbie

Rockets Redglare
as Gig

Vernel Bagneris
as Preston

Timothea
as Julie

L.C. Drane
as L.C.

Joy N. Houck Jr
as Detective Mandino

Carrie Lindsoe
as Young Girl

Ralph Joseph
as Detective

Richard Boes
as Detective

David Petitjean
as Cajun Detective

Adam Cohen
as Uniformed Cop

Alan Kleinberg
as Corpse

Archie Sampier
as Prisoner

David Dahlgren
as Guard

Alex Miller
as Guard

Eliott Keener
as Guard

Jay Hilliard
as Guard

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Critic Reviews for Down by Law

All Critics (29) | Top Critics (8) | DVD (7)

Down By Law is oddly heart-warming, magnifying moments of unexpected camaraderie between kindred spirits who don't immediately ID each other as such.

Sep 11, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Vadim Rizov
Little White Lies
Top Critic
The Jim Jarmusch penchant for off-the-wall characters and odd situations is very much in evidence.

Jan 11, 2008 | Full Review…

Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic
On the whole I've had more fun in Cleveland.

Jan 11, 2008 | Full Review…

Pat Graham
Chicago Reader
Top Critic
After the initial establishment of character and atmosphere, the laughs come thick and fast, most notably from the marvellous [Roberto] Benigni.

Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…

Time Out
Top Critic
The excitement (of Down by Law) comes from the realization that we are seeing a true film maker at work, using film to create a narrative that couldn't exist on the stage or the printed page of a novel.

May 20, 2003 | Rating: 4.5/5

Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic
Pure pleasure for comedy connoisseurs.

Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…

Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic
Jim Jarmusch's uneven but stylish comédie noire is an astute mixture of prison picture, road movie and downbeat screwball.

Sep 12, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

David Parkinson
Radio Times
Down by Law is a delight, right down to the unexpected last scene.

Sep 9, 2014 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

Martin Chilton
Daily Telegraph (UK)
Mutual irritation merges into grudging friendship, and the wit manages to be both broad and smart, soulful and silly, subtle and raucous, all at the same time.

Sep 8, 2014 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

Emma Johnston
Total Film
Perhaps it's not what you expect from a prison movie, but Jim Jarmusch has always adhered to his own personal vision.

Aug 21, 2012 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

Christopher Long
Movie Metropolis
[An] odd, funny, strangely mesmerizing three-part comedy.

Oct 18, 2008 | Full Review…

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Stylish hipster comedy that delivers the laughs.

Aug 12, 2008 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

View All Critic Reviews (29)

Audience Reviews for Down by Law

Sep 30, 2015

Down By Law is another great Jim Jarmusch film. Like the others, you are either going to feel the vibe or you won't. I find myself agreeing with many of the negative reviews -- sometimes the acting feels ad-libbed, sometimes it does feel like it has a student film quality to it, sometimes it does not end up so cool as it wants to be. But then again, so what? The film has an authenticity to it and many great little moments that would probably not be in it if the cast and crew were not going for it. Down By Law is an all-time great comedy adventure.

Robert B Super Reviewer
Aug 31, 2012

Odd tale with gorgeous cinematography. Benigni steals the show.

Hugo S Super Reviewer
Nov 29, 2011

Jim Jarmusch is the king of cinematic understatement. His films -- at least, his early ones -- are always composed of long takes, nuanced characters and rambling dialogue, and they never really seem to be headed anywhere. "Down by Law" is in glorious black-and-white (courtesy of cinematographer Robby Muller) and features understated humor at its finest. John Lurie, Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni are great as Jack, Zack and Bob and give us one of the best movie trios of all time. Basically, the film itself is nothing more than these the lives of these characters before, during and after their time in prison, and it's just as enjoyable as Jarmusch's previous effort, "Stranger Than Paradise."

Stephen E Super Reviewer
Oct 27, 2011

Jarmusch's greatest film in my opinion, it features great performances from the three lead roles (especially Tom Waits who is one of my favorite artists) and beautiful black and white shots of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou.

Graham J Super Reviewer