Down By Law [M]

Zack; a laid-back, unemployed DJ finds himself in jail after being set up into driving a car with a dead body in the trunk. Jack; a pimp finds himself in jail after being set up for underage perversion. And Bob, an Italian tourist finds himself in jail after committing murder in self-defence. The three find themselves in the same cell and, although not getting along well at first, they spark up a strange friendship and manage to pull off an escape together. Once out, they are faced with wandering the swamps of Louisiana in each other’s company until an opportunity arises for them to go their separate ways. 

Doesn’t sound like much does it? But Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law is a must-see for all Jarmusch fans as well as anyone who likes a taste of the simple and the relative. I really only hired this movie because it had Tom Waits in it and I LOVE TOM WAITS! But when I realised, halfway through, that this was from the same man who brought us Dead Man well, then I was glued to the screen admiring the black and white, the grittiness, the simplicity, and the intriguing soundtrack done by Tom Waits and John Lurie. Earning its place in The Book, this movie is AWESOME! 

Zack; a laid-back, unemployed DJ finds himself in jail after being set up into driving a car with a dead body in the trunk. Jack; a pimp finds himself in jail after being set up for underage perversion. And Bob, an Italian tourist finds himself in jail after committing murder in self-defence. The three find themselves in the same cell and, although not getting along well at first, they spark up a strange friendship and manage to pull off an escape together. Once out, they are faced with wandering the swamps of Louisiana in each other’s company until an opportunity arises for them to go their separate ways. 

Jarmusch’s cinematic style is very distinctive; filmed in black and white, there is a real rawness and grittiness to Down By Law, almost an amateurish feel, which was apparent in Dead Man as well and, because it’s such an acquired taste and arty and so not mainstream, it hammers home this feeling that this, here, is a movie that is worth watching; this is something different and relative. 

The film is founded upon a deceptively simple basic story and filmed with very long takes, which gives that feeling that much of it is improvisational and really raw, relative, and real. It’s wonderfully simple and clever filmmaking! It’s untold genius! 

Starring Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni in his first American movie, Down By Law is a really beautiful film in that it tells the story of these characters with shattered or trying lives and it’s through being falsely accused and serving jail time and being on the run, that opens these doors for them, offering them the chance to start again fresh. It’s really, very lovely. Filled with memorable characters, comedy, drama, and numerous bouts of awkwardness that requires audience perseverance, it was a really great movie. I mean it was really something!