''Down by Law'' is a 1986 American

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

independent film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

John Lurie John Lurie (born December 14, 1952) is an American musician, painter, actor, director, and producer. He co-founded the Lounge Lizards jazz ensemble; has acted in 19 films, including ''Stranger than Paradise'' and '' Down by Law''; has composed ...

, and

Roberto Benigni Roberto Remigio Benigni (; born 27 October 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. He gained international recognition for writing, directing and starring in the Holocaust comedy-drama film ''Life Is Beautiful'' (1997), f ...

. The film centers on the arrest, incarceration, and escape from jail of three men. It discards jailbreak film conventions by focusing on the interaction between the convicts rather than on the mechanics of the escape. A key element in the film is

Robby Müller Robby Müller, NSC, BVK, (4 April 1940 – 3 July 2018) was a Dutch cinematographer. Known for his use of natural light and minimalist imagery, Müller first gained recognition for his contributions to West German cinema through his acclaimed c ...

's slow-moving camerawork, which captures the architecture of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and the

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

bayou to which the cellmates escape.

Plot summary

Three men, previously unknown to each other, are arrested in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and placed in the same cell. Both Zack (Waits), a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

, and Jack (Lurie), a pimp, have been set up, neither having committed the crime for which they have been arrested. Their cellmate Bob (Benigni, in his first international role), an Italian tourist who understands minimal English, was imprisoned for accidental manslaughter. Zack and Jack soon come to blows and thereafter avoid speaking to each other. Bob has an irrepressible need for conversation. He hatches a plan to escape, and before long the three are on the run through the swamp surrounding the prison. Hopelessly lost and with a simmering hatred between Jack and Zack almost causing the party to split up, they are brought together by Bob's ability to provide food. The trio eventually chances across a house in the forest, the residence of Nicoletta (Braschi). Bob and Nicoletta instantly fall in love, and Bob decides to stay with her in the forest. Zack and Jack go their separate ways—an unspoken, begrudging friendship hanging between them as they part.

Cast

as Zack *

as Jack *

as Roberto *

Nicoletta Braschi Nicoletta Braschi (; born 19 April 1960) is an Italian actress and producer, best known for her work with her husband, actor and director Roberto Benigni. Life and career Born in Cesena, Braschi studied in Rome, Rome's Academy of Dramatic Arts ...

as Nicoletta * Ellen Barkin as Laurette * Billie Neal as Bobbie *

Rockets Redglare Rockets Redglare (born Michael Morra; May 8, 1949 – May 28, 2001) was an American character actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared in over 30 films in the 1980s and 1990s, including a number of independent films and mainstream films, such ...

as Gig *

Vernel Bagneris Vernel Martin Bagneris (born July 31, 1949) is an American playwright, actor, director, singer, and dancer. Early life Bagneris was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. He is the third child of Gloria Diaz Bagneris and Lawrence Bagneris, Sr. ...

as Preston * Timothea as Julie * L.C. Drane as L.C. * Joy N. Houck, Jr. as Detective Mandino * Carrie Lindsoe as Young Girl * Ralph Joseph as Detective * Richard Boes as Detective * Dave Petitjean as Cajun Detective

Production

The cinematography is by

, who subsequently worked with Jarmusch on ''

Mystery Train "Mystery Train" is a song written and recorded by American blues musician Junior Parker in 1953. Originally performed in the style of a Memphis blues or rhythm and blues tune, it was inspired by earlier songs and later became a popular rockabi ...

'' (1989), ''

Dead Man ''Dead Man'' is a 1995 American acid western film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Michael Wincott, Lance Henriksen, Gabriel Byrne, Mili ...

'' (1995), and '' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' (1999). The film stars musician

, along with Jarmusch regulars

and

. Benigni and

, whose characters fall in love in the movie, later got married in real life.

Release and reviews

''Down by Law'' was entered into the

1986 Cannes Film Festival The 39th Cannes Film Festival was held from 8 to 19 May 1986. The Palme d'Or went to '' The Mission'' by Roland Joffé. The festival opened with ''Pirates'', directed by Roman Polanski and closed with '' El Amor brujo'', directed by Carlos Saura ...

. It was dedicated to

Pascale Ogier Pascale Marguerite Cécile Claude Colette Nicolas (26 October 1958 – 25 October 1984), better known as Pascale Ogier, was a French actress. She won the Volpi Cup, and posthumously received a César Award nomination for her role in the 1984 fi ...

and Enzo Ungari. The film has an 87% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 7.61/10. The website's consensus reads, "Funny, original, and thoroughly cinematic, ''Down by Law'' represents writer-director Jim Jarmusch at his most ingratiating and evocative." A reviewer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it a "fable of poetic density", with "extraordinary performances" by the three main actors. Roger Ebert of ''The Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film three stars out of a possible four. He said ''Down By Law'' was overlong, but with an undercurrent of sly humor that balanced out the grim material; a "true original that kind of grows on you", and "an anthology of pulp images from the world of film noir."

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack was written and performed by John Lurie, backed with a small jazz ensemble, released as LP on

Crammed Discs Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 375 albums and 275 ...

(Made to Measure, Vol. 14, 1987) ;Additional songs featured: *"

Crying Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secr ...

", written by Roy Orbison and

Joe Melson Joe Melson (born May 1935) is an American singer and a BMI Award-winning songwriter. Life and career Joe Melson was born in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas, United States. He was reared on a farm until he was sixteen. He attended high school in ...

, first lines performed by Tom Waits alone in a car as he imagines deejaying, just before he is stopped by police. *" Jockey Full of Bourbon", written and performed by Tom Waits (from the album ''

Rain Dogs ''Rain Dogs'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in September 1985 on Island Records. A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City, ''Rain Dogs'' is generally considered the middle ...

'', 1985), the whole song plays over otherwise soundless

tracking shot A tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. In cinematography, the term refers to a shot in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly that is then placed on rails � ...

s of New Orleans neighbourhood streets. *" It's Raining", produced and allegedly written by Allen Toussaint, performed by

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

. In the breakfast scene Roberto chooses the song from a juke box and dances with Nicoletta to it.Breakfast scene from ''Down by Law''
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, at 1:20. *"Tango Till They're Sore", written and performed by Tom Waits (from ''Rain Dogs''), final song.

References

External links

* * *
''Down by Law: Chemistry Set''
an essay by Lucy Sante at the Criterion Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Down By Law (Film) 1986 films 1980s English-language films 1980s buddy comedy films 1986 independent films 1980s comedy road movies American black-and-white films American buddy comedy films American independent films American comedy road movies Films directed by Jim Jarmusch Films set in Louisiana Films set in New Orleans Films shot in New Orleans Southern Gothic films Fictional portrayals of the New Orleans Police Department 1986 comedy films 1980s American films