Left Field Cinema

Warning: Contains Mild spoilers

Down by Law is not a story of an adventure that characters go through, but a story of the characters going through adventures. Director Jim Jarmusch once said "I always start with characters rather than with a plot, which many critics would say is very obvious from the lack of plot in my films, although I think they do have plots, but the plot is not of primary importance to me, the characters are". Down by Law is no exception to Jarmusch's idea. The primary element that raises this film above any of his others is that he sticks three very different people together and just stands back and "Sees what happens". The three people are a retired disk jockey (Tom Waits), a pimp (John Lurie), and an Italian tourist (Roberto Benigni). They are all wrongfully placed in prison, and better yet, they are put in the same prison cell. The only thing that the three have in common is that none of them should be there. Other than that, they are polar opposites (which is quite a clever concept). The DJ is aggressive and wishes not to speak, the tourist knows very little English and doesn't shut up, and the pimp really just wants a casual conversation or two (which he doesn't get until later into the film). The chemistry is absolutely wonderful. The tourist has a small notebook with various English sayings that he occasionally refers to. "If Looks could kill, I am dead now" is the first one we hear him use. In many ways the critics are right. The lack of plot is very clearly because of central focus on the characters. There is a scene where the tourist puts out the idea of escape, then the next scene you see them running through the sewers. That's what they did. They escaped, but haven't we seen enough prison break movies? If Jarmusch decided to go with showing how they escaped, then the style and pace would be off balance. You'd have a rather simple storyline in the first third, then an elaborate, convoluted prison break portion for the second third. Then you would have the pace slow down again when the film focuses on them running through the forest, looking for civilization (which is what actually occurs). Cutting from them considering escape to them running out of the prison is more than enough.

There is a lot to admire here if you enjoy underground cinema. The pace can be rather slow at times, but the music and beautiful black and white photography is truly something special. Just a wonderful film.

Christopher Bryant Arnett