Down by Law (1986)

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1. 

   MathianSim

   The best buddie movie ever. 10 years 2 months ago
2. 

   airi86ja

   Its truly amazing feeling to watch such an old movie in cinema - it gives you extra emotions.
   I loved the film so much! It's so delicate, funny, musical.
   R. Benigni made me laugh all the time.
   Tom Waits was extraordinary and crazy so much.
   To sum up: one of the greatest comedies i've ever seen.
   Best compliments to J. Jarmusch once again. 12 years 4 months ago
3. 

   Siskoid

   Jim Jarmusch is the king of offbeat decisions, and Down by Law is a good example - the characters, the pacing, the choice of what to look at, everything takes a left when another movie would take a right. Indeed, bifurcation is one of the themes. Three men make a wrong decision and find themselves in a Louisiana parish jail (mostly on bum raps), Robert Frost is evoked, and the film ends on a fork in the road (and the third choice of not moving at all). And no closure. In a final twist, the audience is left to its own devices and asked to decide which path is the better one. A jazzy atmosphere pervades, a music of many paths. I'm not entirely convinced by the free-form plot, but the cinematography often makes up for the film's listlessness - clever lighting cues, wonderful bayou shots in nitrate silver... I think my main problem is probably with Roberto Benigni, who I don't find that funny, or for the most part, intelligible (though I love his dance at the end), but his energy is a good contrast to Tom Waits' and John Lurie's, who are, first and foremost, musicians (who, in fact, collaborated on the score). Their stillness makes them the better actors here. 2 years 4 months ago

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