Review of Down by Law (1986) by Christopher C — 01 Nov 2009

Jim Jarmusch's DOWN BY LAW is one of the arthouse productions that the American director made his name with in the 1980s. As the film opens, we see how a small-town pimp (John Lurie) and an itinerant DJ (Tom Waits) get themselves arrested after they've each accepted a job from a seedy friend. They subsequently end up sharing a jail cell, into which one day an Italian immigrant (Roberto Benigni) is also placed. The plot of the film is the developing camaraderie between these three men. The Italian's bumbling antics act initially aggrevate his cellmates -- Benigni's role serve as comic relief against the morose behavior of the other two characters. DOWN BY LAW begins as a drama portraying the underbelly of a Louisiana town, but by the end it has transformed into absurdist comedy.

Lurie's acting is fine, representing his character convincingly as a pathetic d-bag. Benigni might seem like he's playing himself, but his English is reputedly much better than the broken phrases he offers in the film. Nicoletta Braschi appears as the Italian's love interest, a role that must have been easy to play since Benigni and her are married in real life. I've never thought Tom Waits was a great actor, however.

This is an entertaining film, with many fine touches. If I rate it less than a full five stars, it's just because I can't completely get into these black and white portrayals of contemporary lowlifes (I have a problem with early Kaurismaki for the same reason--his aesthetic was very similar to Jarmusch's.).