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Synopsis:
Three oddball prisoners (Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni) escape through the Louisiana bayou.
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Genres:
Review:
Jim Jarmusch’s character-driven prison-break film — a follow-up to his groundbreaking debut, Stranger Than Paradise (1984) — has many fans, but I’m not one of them. None of the three lead characters is especially appealing, and since we never get a chance to know any of them particularly well, we don’t really care what happens to them. Most annoying of all is Benigni’s chirpy immigrant “Roberto”; while many find his riffs in this film (i.e., the “I scream for ice cream” chant) hilarious, I found them insufferable.
Down By Law clearly bows towards surrealistic impulses, with several moments in the film conveniently defying reality: the three prisoners easily escape from their cell (we’re never shown how); they conveniently happen upon an Italian restaurant — with a friendly, beautiful, single owner — in the middle of nowhere; etc. These leaps of logic are mildly amusing, and Robby Müller’s gorgeous black-and-white cinematography is a wonder to behold; but ultimately, these elements weren’t enough to keep my interest.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- Beautiful black-and-white cinematography of the Louisiana bayou
- The opening tracking shot, accompanied by Tom Waits singing an infectious blues ballad
Must See?
Yes. While I’m not personally a fan of Jarmusch, he’s widely acknowledged as a maverick of American independent cinema, and this remains one of his best-known early films.
Categories
(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)
Links:
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Posted on January 21st, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews
Not a must — the reasons are well stated in the accurate overview here, and this may be among the rare times I won’t go back and watch the film again before adding a response. I didn’t think much of it the first time, and the overview reminded me of why. After seeing five of Jarmusch’s films, I’ve concluded he doesn’t have much to say as a filmmaker and would probably be better (perhaps rather good) at curating films in some capacity. (”Ouch!” — and I’m sorry.)
Around the time Peary’s book was published, Jarmusch had made quite a splash with ‘Stranger Than Paradise’ (admittedly interesting and the one I would sit through again). He was so hyped that it’s understandable Peary would include ‘STP’ and ‘DBL’ in his book. No doubt many film fanatics will think Jarmusch’s post-’STP’ work noteworthy enough to watch. Fine then; just remember it’s never a good sign when Benigni is in the cast.
Agreed. I look forward to rewatching “Stranger Than Paradise” simply to see if I still find it as quirky and original as I did years ago; otherwise, I’m unimpressed with Jarmusch. I found his much-lauded recent film — “Broken Flowers”, with Bill Murray — to be especially disappointing, given the intriguing storyline and a cast of stellar supporting actors.