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Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Ellen Barkin ... see more see more... , Vernel Bagneris , Richard Boes , L.C. Drane , Ralph Joseph , Eliott Keener , Carrie Lindsoe , Billie Neal , David Petitjean , Rockets Redglare , Timothea , Joy N. Houck Jr , Alan Kleinberg , David Dahlgren , Jay Hilliar , Alex Miller , Archie Sampier , Adam Cohen

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 me... read more read more...eting 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! ~ John Voorhees, Rovi

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94% liked it

20,966 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

24 critics

R, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Jim Jarmusch

Release Date: October 1, 1986

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DVD Release Date: October 22, 2002

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Stats: 1,411 reviews

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"Down by Law" - Italian poster "Down by Law" John Lurie as Jack Lurie, Benigni, Waits Waits, Lurie, Benigni John Lurie as Jack Tom Waits and Ellen Barkin Benigni, Braschi, Waits, Lurie Lurie, Waits, Benigni Benigni, Waits, Lurie Waits, Lurie, Benigni Tom Waits as Zack Tom Waits as Zack Benigni as Bob Down by Law Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni Down by Law
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Flixster Reviews (1,411)

  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    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.
  • ajv2688
    January 24, 2011
    ajv2688
    Yes, I did only see the beginning of this movie, but I was so bored with the beginning that I couldn't watch the rest of it.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    January 7, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Had to watch it for a film class. Semi-interesting.
  • ebs90
    December 26, 2009
    ebs90

    Down by Law is a comedy about three "innocent" men breaking out of prison. The important thing is not the escape, it's the trail of situations that they leave behind as they go. Jarmusch's humor consists on portraying with amazing naturality the awkwardness of the interaction

    ... read morebetween these three inmates who may or may not like each other very much, but who are too concerned (or at least so they think) with safekeeping their privacy and getting out to give each other much thought.

    Cool is a basic word. And a basic theme. Not only are these scenes written and filmed with a great sense of 'coolness', which translates as the perfect distance between the spectators and the characters, but the two American characters themselves are consistently preoccupied about remaining, at all times, cool.


    Jack (John Lurie) and Zack (Tom Waits) live in New Orleans; Jack is a pimp and Zack is a DJ. Both seem to lead lives that could be very torrid, but they are, on the contrary, kind of bored with them. In a very Jarmusch style, they need a change. And they find it traveling, although not quite as they might have expected: both get accused of crimes they didn't commit. They could defend themselves, but they don't, because they just don't care, so they get sent to prison. They share a cell in which their two strong-minded personas clash over and over, until an odd Italian named Roberto -the one real criminal of the trio- gets locked in with them.


    Roberto's loud, careless personality gives Jack and Zack a jolt, and puts them in a concealed state of complicity to amuse themselves with him -but not too much, of course. However, soon they find that Roberto has a plan to escape. And so they break out and start a tedious yet hilarious journey across the marshes and dirt roads of Louisiana. All the while wearing suits that read Orleans Parish Prison.


    The truth is that Jack, Zack and Roberto don't appear to regard each other very much. They don't show any signs of really caring, except when they're caught up in discussions about absurd subjects. Their journey develops as they make sudden, impulsive decisions about where to go after a fight. These are the moments that can make you laugh out loud: not quite the situations, but the attitudes, their ridiculous efforts to project leadership, and how they always end up getting pulled together into disaster despite their wish to go separate ways.


    Of course, by the end, there's a bond between them that many miles of disagreements couldn't possibly have prevented. But the great thing about how Jarmusch depicts this is that he never addresses it directly. It shows by the end in the way they insult each other -they couldn't just all of a sudden engage in a group hug!


    Without a doubt, Down by Law has a terrific screenplay. Roberto Begnini has the funniest, most absurd lines, but Jack and Zack's characters have all the necessary bite and self-consciousness -and cool- to become equally engaging characters. However, almost the same amount of credit has to be given to Begnini, Tom Waits, and John Lurie, for their excellent facial expressions, comedic timing, and overall smoothness. Although one could probably guess Jarmusch tailored the characters especially for his friends, it isn't less true that they reciprocated the honor with their best performances.


    There's a great deal of talent involved in this movie, combined -fortunately- with elegance and a clear head. John Lurie's music, Tom Waits's songs, and the brilliant cinematography make this film a stylistic gem. It's so helplessly Jarmusch. So helplessly cool. An entertaining story of human interaction, just like Stranger in Paradise, but with a slightly more cheerful, or at least defined, outlook.
  • SirPant
    August 27, 2009
    SirPant
    I scream, we scream, we all scream for ice cream! This is by far the funniest prison break film ever. The three leads are on impeccably good form and, I know I've said it before, but Jarmusch is the coolest filmmaker alive. I can't think of a more suitable word that could describ... read moree him as well.
  • bbcfloridabound
    April 21, 2008
    bbcfloridabound
    Want to see what New Orleans used to look like, Great shots, of NO in the Sixties. Really enjoyed seeing gas prices 32 cents. Facial expressions in prison worth the watch, feel this way when talking to one of my Female freinds at times. Ha. To expensive for my collection.
  • kenstachnik
    December 2, 2007
    kenstachnik
    Endlessly watchable. Benigni is the shit in this movie.
  • drago25
    May 25, 2007
    drago25
    The thing I really like about Jim Jarmusch's films is that are almost always like contained worlds, completely down to earth and true to life, and he also excels at shooting in distinctly American settings. This film is no exception. In it is the story of three inmates; Tom Waits... read more as Zack, John Lurie as Jack, and Robert Benigni as, well, Roberto! It's the very cool, and often hilarious, story of three different people stuck in one place, who then have to work together when Roberto finds a way to escape the New Orleans prison they've been put in. Having Tom Waits starring in your film can never be a downside, and Roberto Benigni is absolutely hilarious - "I scream-ah, you scream-ah, we all scream-ah for ice cream-ah" - I really like John Lurie too, who also starred in the excellent Stranger Than Paradise; and like that film, Jarmusch's writing and directing excels when working with three main characters, it really is a perfect number to work with. If you like Jarmusch at all, check this sucker out.
  • puffchunk
    April 23, 2007
    puffchunk
    Waits is perfect.
  • purplemegan
    February 9, 2007
    purplemegan
    It was pretty good. It was all artsy and in black and white. And it had cool music.

View All Down by Law Reviews

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
January 11, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

The Jim Jarmusch penchant for off-the-wall characters and odd situations is very much in evidence. Full Review

Pat Graham
January 11, 2008
Pat Graham, Chicago Reader

On the whole I've had more fun in Cleveland. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

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. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A true original that kind of grows on you. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Pure pleasure for comedy connoisseurs. Full Review

Paul Attanasio
January 1, 2000
Paul Attanasio, Washington Post

It's not that the movie doesn't move fast enough, it's that while it dawdles, it doesn't give you enough to dwell on. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
October 18, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

[An] odd, funny, strangely mesmerizing three-part comedy. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
August 12, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Stylish hipster comedy that delivers the laughs. Full Review

Tim Brayton
March 2, 2008
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

Every single incident in the film is meaningful. Full Review

January 11, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Director-writer Jarmusch's characters are insignificant antiheroes adrift in an America that is both sad and beautiful. Full Review

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    • Roberto: I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream!
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Down by Law Trivia

  • ROBERTO I scream. You scream. We all scream. For ice cream. what 1986 jim jarmusch movie??  Answer »
  • Who directed indie classics Stranger Than Paradise, and Down By Law in the 1980s?  Answer »
  • Which musician had acting roles in 'Down by Law', 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', 'Mystery Men' and 'The Cotton Club'?  Answer »
  • Who directed this movies? *Dead Man *Down by Law *Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai  Answer »
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