Down by Law (film)
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| Down by Law | |
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 Promotional poster for Down by Law |
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| Directed by | Jim Jarmusch |
| Produced by | Alan Kleinberg |
| Written by | Jim Jarmusch |
| Starring | Tom Waits John Lurie Roberto Benigni |
| Music by | John Lurie and Tom Waits |
| Cinematography | Robbie Müller |
| Release date(s) | May 1986 (Cannes Film Festival) October 1986 (USA) |
| Running time | 107 min. |
| Language | English Italian |
| IMDb profile | |
Down by Law (1986) is the fourth feature film by director Jim Jarmusch. The film was written by Jarmusch and is filmed in black-and-white by regular Jarmusch cinematographer Robby Muller (Paris, Texas (1984), Repo Man (1984), Buena Vista Social Club (1999)), who has also worked with Jarmusch on more recent projects such as Mystery Train (1989), Dead Man (1995) and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). The film stars musician Tom Waits, along with Jarmusch regulars John Lurie and Roberto Benigni. The music for the film was written by Lurie, and the song "Jockey Full of Bourbon" by Waits also features.
The film centres on the arrest, incarceration and escape from jail of three men: Zack (Waits), Jack (Lurie), and Bob (Benigni). The film discards many of jailbreak film conventions to focus on the interaction between the three men rather than the mechanics of the escape. A key element in the film is Muller's slow-moving camerawork, evocatively capturing the architecture of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou to which the cellmates escape.
The part of Nicoletta is played by Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's wife.
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[edit] Synopsis
Three men, previously unknown to each other, are arrested in New Orleans and placed in the same cell. Both Zack, a DJ, and Jack, a pimp, have been set up, neither having committed the crime for which they have been arrested. Their cellmate, Bob, however, although the only true innocent of the three, is in fact guilty of the manslaughter for which he has been arrested. Zack and Jack soon come to blows and therafter try to avoid speaking to each other. Bob, however, has an irrepressible need for conversation and will not be silenced by the immature, sulking ne'er-do-wells. Bob 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 three chance across a house in the forest, the residence of Nicoletta. Bob and Nicoletta fall instantly 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.
[edit] Cast
- Tom Waits — Zack
- John Lurie — Jack
- Roberto Benigni — Roberto
- Nicoletta Braschi — Nicoletta
- Ellen Barkin — Laurette
- Billie Neal — Bobbie
- Rockets Redglare — Gig
- Vernel Bagneris — Preston
- Timothea — Julie
- L.C. Drane — L. C
- Joy N. Houck Jr. — Detective Mandino
- Carrie Lindsoe — Young Girl
- Ralph Joseph — Detective
- Richard Boes — Detective
- Dave Petitjean — Cajun Detective
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Films Directed by Jim Jarmusch |
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| Permanent Vacation • The New World • Stranger Than Paradise • Coffee and Cigarettes • Down by Law • Coffee and Cigarettes: Memphis Version • Mystery Train • Night on Earth • Coffee and Cigarettes: Somewhere in California • Dead Man • Year of the Horse • Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai • Ten Minutes Older • Coffee and Cigarettes • Broken Flowers |
