Popular reviews

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  Review by Grooveman ★★★★★ 5

  Tom Waits should be in every film.

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  Review by k(arst)en ★★★★½

  ideal male friend group

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  Review by tru ★★★★★ 1

  i scream you scream we all scream for ice cream

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  Review by Mary Conti ★★★★★

  Part of Jim Jarmusch January: A Director's Retrospective

  Down by Law follows three men, each from their own movie. Zack (Tom Waits) is from a movie about the blues. Jack (John Lurie) is from a noirish gangster film. Bob (Roberto Begnini) is from an unseen European film, but we can probably guess it is a comedy. Together they end it up in the archetypal American prison film, and here is where all the magic happens.

  After the success of Stranger Than Paradise, Jarmusch returned with this even more polished and upbeat film. While it doesn't have that film's attention to lack of detail, this one is far more funny and infectious in energy. The humor is still very deadpan, but…

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  Review by Darren Carver-Balsiger ★★★★ 4

  This is exactly the sort of cinema that I find so comforting. It's not really anything, just a mixture of cinematic influences and ideas presented with an emphasis on mood and technique. The cinematography, black and white and slow, is beautiful and elegant. There's parts that didn't work for me, and it seems too meaningless (for both the characters and the audience), but Down by Law is an unresolved, laidback gem. Very easy viewing.

  My Top Films of the 1980s

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  Review by Gonzo ★★★★½ 13

  The Good: If I had to come up with a list of my all-time favorite cinematic characters, Zack (Tom Waits), Jack (John Lurie), and Bob (Roberto Benigni) would be in it. Especially Bob. I love Bob. Who doesn't love Bob? I fucking love Bob. Benigni is a freaking riot in this. Every single line he utters is pure comedic gold. Excellent writing and direction by Jim Jarmusch. Impeccable black-and-white cinematography by Robby Müller (Paris, Texas). Awesome, awesome soundtrack, featuring 'Jockey Full of Bourbon' and 'Tango Till They're Sore' by Waits. A treasure trove of memorable scenes and quotes: "It is a sad and beautiful world."; "Not enough room to swing a cat. Cat. The animal."; "Jack! Do you have some…

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  Review by theriverjordan ★★★★½ 19

  “Down by Law” is a crossroads film. It captures the moment of standing at an intersection as midnight arrives. And out of the darkness, walk three demons - each with a different punchline to the same joke.

  Those three demons being: Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni. And as demons do, each one comes into “Law” bearing his own style of roguish temptation.

  Director Jim Jarmusch claims that his third movie is the only one made with ‘American money;’ preferring international financiers, since they have less strings attached.

  It’s fitting that Jarmusch made a deal with his own sort of devil for “Law;” since the film has the ambiance of seduction and danger that comes in the moment before…

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  Review by Paul Elliott ★★★★½

  Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Down by Law develops excitement from its usage of cinematic language. Starring Tom Waits (as a jobless disc jockey), the movie accomplishes a wonderful task of discovering humour within the smaller elements from everyday life rather than visual or verbal comedy. Robby Müller’s luxurious black-and-white cinematography progresses a fairly unstructured scenario into something undeniably fascinating, and his positioning of the camera facilitates both the actions and reactions of the characters beautifully. Down by Law rides a narrow line between amateur technique and professional brilliance, and is an extraordinary poetic fable.

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  Review by fran hoepfner ★★★★

  they should have explored each other's bodies

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  Review by Sam Thompson ★★★★½ 3

  A little slow to get going but when the time came, I didn’t want this odyssey to end at all. When the end unfortunately came, I was left speechless and with a heavy heart.

  Everything about Down By Law is superb. The performances, the direction, the staging and the gorgeous cinematography. You name it, it all works. The strange friendship that evolves between these men feels so real and tangible. There’s this unspoken respect and brotherhood amongst them that really got to me.

  I absolutely loved this film and now instantly want to buy the criterion lol. Definitely a new favourite.

  Jarmusch Ranked List

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  Review by ALISTAIR LEACH ★★★★ 10

  Firstly Jim does the impossible here, makes me like Roberto Benigni.

  I'm a Tom Waits fan but not for his acting. I do find he works best as cameo, as some of the stuff he does is to on the nose and it is "look it is Tom Waits being Tom Waits in a film". It kinda works here, with his dialogue, his role and the performance, I like it as he has an actual character.

  This is the first crystallisation of Jarmusch's style, i did forget how vibes this is. The elements of his "low key" style full comes to the fore, nothing is rushed, the editing and framing is tight, but the films rhythm is loose, as the…

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  Review by emma katharine ★★★★★ 4

  jim jarmusch liked one of my instagram posts so i guess that's my peak. WHAT A RIDE