Down By Law [VHS]

Down By Law [VHS]
by Jim Jarmusch

Down By Law [VHS]
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Product details

Actor: Ellen Barkin, John Lurie, Nicoletta Braschi, Roberto Benigni, Tom Waits
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writer: Jim Jarmusch
Producer: Alan Kleinberg
Producer: Cary Brokaw
Producer: Jim Stark
Producer: Otto Grokenberger
Producer: Russell Schwartz
Producer: Tom Rothman
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, NTSC, Original recording reissued
Running Time: 107 minutes
Release Date: 1997-02-11
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Polygram Video
Studio: Polygram Video

VHS Movie Reviews of Down By Law [VHS]

Movie Review: A fine work of the independent American scene which unexpectedly evolves from drama to absurdism
Summary: 4 Stars

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.)

Movie Review: amazing movie!
Summary: 5 Stars

Jim Jarmusch is a genius. This is by far my favorite of all his movies. All three actors give their characters life, and the story puts the viewer through a series of emotions. At times I laughed, at times I cried. This is one that I can watch again and again.

Movie Review: Tom Waits at his best
Summary: 5 Stars

This DVD was purchased as a gift for a friend who is a moviemaker. It is a must see for Tom Waits fans as he is the writer, director, and producer. He also wrote the music of course. This film contains one of the best male/female fight scenes. Ellen Arkin (Loretta) gives an over-the-top performance when she starts throwing Tom Waites (Zack's) worldly possessions out the window. This little low-budget film is a comic masterpeice of epic proportions.

Movie Review: Melancholy delight
Summary: 4 Stars

This won a lot of raves when it came out. As usual, not much happens. But you get a lot of profound, elongated moments when meaningful glances are made that seem to add up to more than they appear. They don't, but it's fun to watch a young Tom Waits. Great soundtrack, as usual. Pretty silly, really. Especially the Italian restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Many extras for buffs only, though the phone interview of Tom Waits is funny.

Movie Review: Summertime, and the livin's not easy
Summary: 5 Stars

This b&w treasure, starring a very young (and ALWAYS fabulous) Tom Waits & Roberto Benigni, features a brief bit at the beginning showcasing the talent of an equally young (playing totally crazed) Ellen Barkin. The action takes place in & around New Orleans and the Bayou, with a fair section set in the Orleans Parish Prison, where, more than ever actually planning an escape, Waits (Zach), Benigni (Bob), and John Lurie (Jack) build a working relationship. Unlikely? Maybe. Dysfunctional? Definitely. Entertaining? Always.
The first half may seem a little slow paced to some; if one is a bit patient, the film is WELL worth it. The music is low-key jazz with Tom Waits singing, and the atmosphere pure poverty-stricken, stifling, Southern summer.
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Summary of Down By Law [VHS]

After creating one of the breakthrough movies of the American independent cinema, Stranger than Paradise, Jim Jarmusch stayed right in the same minimalist, oddball, black-and-white groove. Down by Law takes place in Louisiana, where two losers (musicians Tom Waits and John Lurie) find themselves stuck in a jail cell together. One day they are joined by a boisterous Italian (Roberto Benigni), and the chemistry changes--suddenly an escape attempt is on the horizon. Conventional drama is not Jarmusch's intention; one of the emotional high points of this movie is the three guys marching around their prison cell shouting, "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" Yet the deadpan style creates its own humorous mood, underscored by melancholy (also underscored by the music of Lurie and the gravel-voiced songs of Waits). This was the first American film for Roberto Benigni, the Italian comedian (Life Is Beautiful), and he lights it up with his effervescent clowning. Jarmusch has said that Down by Law forms a loose trilogy with Stranger than Paradise and the subsequent Mystery Train, a triptych of disaffected, drifting life in the United States. Few filmmakers have ever surveyed ennui so entertainingly. --Robert Horton

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