Jim Jarmusch est un cinéaste américain né le 22 janvier 1953 à Akron (Ohio, USA). Il est occasion nellement acteur.Sa mère est d'origine irlandaise et allemande, fut critique de film et de théatre pour le "Akron Beacon Journal" avant d'épouser son père, un homme d'affaires d'origine tchèque et allemande qui travaillait pour la Cie BF Goodrich.Elle initie Jim,cadet de 3 enfants, au monde du cinéma en le déposant au cinéma local pendant qu'elle faisait les courses.

Marqué par les grands noms de Antonioni, Mizoguchi, Ozu, il découvre à la cinémathèque de Paris, il s'inscrit à la New York University Graduate School en section Cinéma. Son film de fin d'études Permanent Vacation ne passe pas inaperçu dans les nombreux festivals de films de 1980 : Déjà on découvre des caractéristiques qui définiront le style et les scénarios de Jarmusch : dandysme désabusé de anti-héros, travail dans l'ascétisme, appétence pour la description des marginaux, tendance à montrer un quotidien étrange, décalé. Musicien claviériste, il fonde The Del-Byzanteents, groupe post-punk.

Quelsques années plus tard, on le retrouve assistant de Wim Wenders sur le plateau du film Lightning Over Water (Nick's movie).En 1984, il remporte la caméra d'or au festival de Cannes avec Stranger Than Paradise. Après avoir fait quelques apparitions comme acteur, notamment dans Brooklyn Boogie, il fait un premier pas dans le monde du documentaire (sur Neil Young) -Year of the Horse en 1997. Avec la sortie de Coffee and Cigarettes en 2003 dont la réalisation fut étalée sur près de 20 ans, il revient avec la pellicule en noir et blanc, un style qu'il maîtrise à la perfection, et une photographie hors pair.

1980 : Permanent Vacation
1982 : The New World (court métrage)
1983 : Stranger Than Paradise***
1986 : Down by Law****
1986 : Coffee and Cigarettes I
1989 : Mystery Train
1989 : Coffee and Cigarettes II
1991 : Night on Earth**
1993 : Coffee and Cigarettes III
1995 : Dead Man****
1997 : Year of the Horse
1999 : Ghost Dog, la voie du samouraï**
2002 : Ten Minutes Older
2003 : Coffee and Cigarettes
2005 : Broken Flowers******
2009 : The Limits of Control (je les ai tous aimés sauf celui ci)

Divers

1980 : Underground U.S.A. d'Eric Mitchell, ingénieur du son
1981 : You Are Not I de Sara Driver, directeur de la photo
1982 : L'État des choses (Der Stand der Dinge) de Wim Wenders, musique
1985 : Burroughs d'Howard Brookner, ingénieur du son
1986 : Sleepwalk de Sara Driver, directeur de la photo
1993 : When Pigs Fly de Sara Driver, producteur

Clips

1985 : The Lady Don't Mind, pour Talking Heads
1986 : Sightsee M.C.! pour Big Audio Dynamite
1990 : It's Allright with Me, pour Tom Waits
1992 : I Don't Wanna Grow Up, pour Tom Waits
1996 : Dead Man, pour Neil Young
1996 : Big Time, pour Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2006 : Steady as She Goes, pour The Raconteur

Citations

"La culture indienne s’est développée en relation très forte avec la terre et je crois qu’ils détiennent un savoir en certains domaines que nous sommes incapables de comprendre. Leur civilisation est très ancienne, elle s’est développée pendant des milliers d’années sur des principes forts : pas de propriété sur la terre, les animaux sont égaux aux humains en tant qu’êtres vivants etc.

Notre premier réflexe est de douter : « Nous sommes des gens sensés et rationnels, nous ne pouvons pas communiquer avec cet arbre ». Mais on ne peut pas leur dire cela, ils répondraient : « Pauvre homme blanc, tu ne sauras jamais ».

Je sais au moins qu’eux savent, qu’ils ont leur propre communication avec la nature. La nature est chaotique, et il ne faut pas trop essayer de la dompter. Cette vision est bien sûr à l’opposé de notre culture qui aime les pelouses bien tondues et les arbres bien alignés, qui tue les animaux, qui veut posséder la terre."

« Les lois sont faites avant tout pour ceux qui détiennent le pouvoir ou l’argent. Sous couvert de démocratie et de grandes phrases, les lois permettent aux puissants de contrôler les autres. »

Stranger Than Paradise est une comédie dramatique américaine réalisée par Jim Jarmusch et sortie sur les écrans en 1985.Se composant de trois parties, selon le lieu où se déroule l'intrigue, Stranger Than Paradise montre comment, aux États-Unis, trois personnes prisonnières de leur ennui, essayent vainement d'en sortir

**

Première partie : « The New World »

Béla Molnar, d'origine hongroise, vit dans la banlieue de New-York depuis dix ans et se fait appeler      "Willie" :car il renie ses racines.Un jour,il se voit contraint d'héberger sa cousine hongroise Eva Molnar dans son studio peu spacieux, car celle-ci doit rejoindre sa tante à Cleveland.Mais la présence d'Eva semble l'agacer ;ils restent souvent silencieux et l'ambiance est pesante.Willie se montre peu courtois et lui interdit de l'accompagner dans ses sorties. Dans cet appartement, Eva fait la connaissance d'Eddie, un ami de Willie, qui lui rend visite, et celui-ci semble apprécier la présence de la jeune femme.

*

*

Still good after all these years

Author: Eric Rose from Sydney, Australia
3 December 2005

I just finished watching Stranger Than Paradise on DVD - the first time I'd seen it since its year of release. I'd always recalled the film with fondness, although I could never remember why I liked it. Several years after seeing the movie I came across the John Lurie soundtrack and bought it without stopping to listen, and been slightly taken aback by it. The haunting pieces were more emotionally esoteric than I expected, and it took some time for the album to grow on me.

Seeing the movie again, I understand why. The only piece of popular music in the film is Screamin' Jay Hawkin's "I Put a Spell on You" and, although I had forgotten that it was there, I guess that I had expected the soundtrack to be more like those of mainstream movies and have songs and such-like. I think that Lurie's music is perfect in situ and, as I've said, the soundtrack has also grown on me as standalone pieces.

The movie itself is a masterpiece. The black and white images present a starkness and a clarity that heightens the alienation of self in a land that was supposed to be the new hope for immigrants from a decaying old world. Instead we see Eva walking through a deserted ghost world of New York where the graffiti says "Yankee go home". America is only a dream, a collective vision of a better world; paradise somewhere on earth.

As Willie and Eddie journey west after winning some money, we see that the supposedly beautiful city of Cleveland is cold and desolate with a frozen lake. The further trip to Florida ends in the middle of nowhere next to a bleak and windswept ocean. Paradise is still somewhere out of reach. I think that's why the movie appeals to me. It shows that the America of popular mythology - the home of the brave, land of the free, protector of the downtrodden, guardian of democracy in the free world - is merely a construct.

Too many people these days believe in the child's fantasy of America being some paradise that Iraq and Afghanistan should emulate. Jarmusch reminds us that it is people who give meaning to a symbol, not the other way around. He allows for the ability of people to make their own meanings and evolve beyond the stagnation of popular culture.

At a time I originally saw this movie I had recently left home and got my first job, moving from the country to the city, and maybe to some extent I identified with Eva - moving from Budapest to America. It was also my first taste of grownup film, if I recall correctly, and confirmed me with a lifelong fascination with the cinema. I have a lot to thank Jim Jarmusch for.

Wierdly Wonderful

Author: crossbow0106 from United States
26 June 2010

I first saw this film in the theater in 1984, so this is the first time I've seen it since then. I remember at the time telling people what an amazing film it was, deliberately non-commercial and, while the plot is not really about much, it has a rhythm and clarity that was so unlike films at the time. Shot in black and white, the film consists of a number of "snapshot scenes", there is a slight pause between scenes in which the screen goes black, a very effective method of telling this deceptively simple story.

 Basically, its the story of Eva (Eszter Balint), who has to stop over on her way to Cleveland to live with her Aunt Lotte, emigrating from Hungary. She has to stay at her cousin Willie's apartment in New York for ten days. Willie is played with remarkable restraint by John Lurie, who at the time was the epitome of cool since he fronted the jazz band The Loungs Lizards. Willie and his friend Eddie (Richard Edson, also very good) decide to drive to Cleveland a year after Eva visited to see Eva and Aunt Lotte.

What follows is a few bizarre coincidences, after Eva, Willie and Eddie decide to drive to Florida. That the story is told so soberly and with remarkable continuity made people at the time and since hail writer/director Jarmusch as an important voice in cinema, a distinction he still holds. A few observations about the film: The film to me seems like it could be influenced by Japanese master Ozu. The simple layout of the film, the camera angles etc are somewhat of an homage to the great filmmaker.

Also, the soundtrack, which was composed by Lurie, is extremely effective in sustaining the mood of the film. This film is not for everyone, it is a stark, simple but utterly compelling independent minded film. This film is not for casual film fans. Actually, I think this film should be part of the curriculum of any film class. If you can come close to equaling Jarmusch's sense of both the absurd and reality, you could turn out to be as much of an auteur as he is considered.

Unspoken

Author: Joel25 from Melbourne
11 August 2008

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Like Permanent Vacation, this film establishes Jarmusch as standing for something alternative to the conventions of mainstream American cinema. It is altogether a more mature collaboration than Permanent Vacation, a stronger indication of important artistic sensibilities, and perhaps exhibits a more solid bond between aim and execution. It is where the boat moored after Permanent Vacation, so it is out of the same universe, the same general headspace, but in a different country, a new world.

I'll recount a part of the story, because I liked it.

Willie lives in Purgatory, somewhere in New York. He comes from Hungary, but suppresses his European heritage under a facade of hip film-noir Americanism. His cousin, Eva (the femme fatale if we see it as noir), who has just arrived in America from Budapest, blows into his life like bad news from an Aunt Lotte in Cleveland. Willie is forced to 'babysit' Eva while his aunt stays in hospital for 10 days. He is aggrieved by this disruption to his life, even though TV dinners, games of solitaire, and long sleeps are about the only things to disrupt.

Willie's small, dour apartment holes them up for the duration like the prison in Down By Law. Their time together is uneventful in the large, but very frank in revealing the slow time ordinariness and emotional seclusion of Willie's life. He bans Eva from speaking in Hungarian even though he knows the language, he forbids her from answering his phone, prohibits her from going anywhere with him, presumably because it would contradict the barricade of his cool, noirish, self-image, and impatiently attempts to educate her in Americanisms he barely understands himself.

Their only interruption from themselves or each other is a visit from Willie's gambling buddy, Eddie, whose warm and polite attempts to include Eva in their adventures outside are upset by his deference to Willie's personality. When it comes time for Eva to leave for Cleveland, Willie has acted upon a bud of affection but can only express it in jaded terms. He insists Eva wear a dress he bought for her, even though she doesn't like it, because she should dress like an American when she is in America.

This is where the first part ends, or nearly. On the street, after Eva and Willie have exchanged goodbyes, Eddie finds Eva abandoning the dress that Willie bought as a gift. Eddie does not mention this to Willie, presumably because he does not want to hurt his feelings. It is all unspoken. Willie and Eddie sit and drink beer, both reflect on Eva's visit without speaking.

Originally, the film ends here. It was shot using leftover film from Wim Wenders' The State of Things. A year or two later, the group decided to extend the film or finish it. I won't go into the next 2/3. Suffice to say, after hustling some money in a poker game a year later, Willie and Eddie decide to visit Eva in Cleveland. Perhaps Willie realised he was missing something and Eddie did hide a profound sense of loneliness.

Stranger Than Paradise is shot in a way that subverts mainstream notions of entertainment and engagement. It is an action film, but its definition of action is subtle and internal, left to the sensitivities of the watcher to engage with. The weather is a strong and active force, negotiating the lives of the characters like another character. This, I guess, has something to do with Ozu, mentioned by Eddie in his reference to Tokyo Story as the horse to back while he reads Willie the odds.

Jarmusch has been strongly influenced by and is educated in World cinema, establishing him as a kind of outsider at home, just like the characters. The film with its surface deadpan, hangs back from the perspectives of its characters in a kind of suspended relativism, which is throughout all of Jarmusch's work. The emotional depth is neither affirmed or denied. There is no absolute position.

John Lurie (he played Willie and composed the music) composed sparse and sensitive strings to comment on his character, which serves to further the gap between the film's stance and its subject. This general stance does not endorse Willie's peevish superficiality nor does it extrapolate it into misfortune. It suggests a more natural, but didactic approach. A film noir protagonist's end always reflects on their preceding actions.

Watch it if you haven't, watch it again if you have, or don't watch it. But it would surely fit any worthwhile definition of a 'good' film.

Profound and clever debut by Jarmusch

Author: haasxaar from United Kingdom
26 March 2006

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This film is slow, without an apparent point, and without any obvious substance. It follows a Lounge Lizard, of Hungarian descent, his cousin from Hungary and his layabout friend as they cheat at cards, drink beer, travel to Cleveland and lose all their money. Sounds uninteresting, drab and utterly boring, right? Wrong! Jarmusch is one of the most creative and inventive directors of his generation, this film is just a confirmation of his talent, his mysterious way, and convention defying cheek.

The purpose of this film stems from its quiet, slow and melodic pace. It does not condescend, its far too tacit for that. The very meaning it follows is how the mundane is sometimes meaningful, that life is not made interesting my artificial barriers of wealth, culture and heritage but by attitude and personality. Several sequences are long, without any apparent message - and they are, if you don't look at the film as a whole and not as a set-piece extravaganza.

Jarmusch's dry humour is omnipresent as always. The action scant, and without real artistic intention. The script very minimal and characters seemingly worthless. The beauty of this film, as in life is in, as a cliché so often says, in the hidden, small details that really convey power and depth. Therefore when viewing this film, do not expect anything, just expect nothing and you won't be disappointed. Trust me.

No matches

Author: Ziya90 from Türkiye
5 December 2009

Before I watched this movie, I had not expected that it would be one of my favorite movies. I don't remember ANOTHER movie which is about two boys and a girl that spend many time, but never fall in love with each other. You know that almost all the movies have such a content do this, friendship always turns into love, one of them fall in love with the other.

In the movie, although the man with hat is interested in the girl, he cannot tell her the fact, it is a platonic love, because Stranger than Paradise is very realistic, may be the most realistic one within its sub genre, so the world in the movie is not different than the world we live. She may not like him, she may want to be alone or just things go wrong. Stranger than Paradise is not like a movie, it is like a documentary about real people and their real lives.

In addition, there is not any flaw in direction. All snowy images are reposeful, there is a real surprise at the end. It is like a modern Bande a part. Honestly, I like Stranger than Paradise more than Bande a part. Bande a part is from Godard, yes, but this movie is really extraordinary.

The quintessential independent movie of the 80's.

Author: txmoran72 from Portland, OR.
11 October 2001

If you reckon yourself an independent film buff, Stranger Than Paradise needs to be a movie you've seen before you can rank yourself as, at least, a semi-pro indie buff. The realness of these characters is amazing. The dialogue is unmatched, and by being down-to-earth, you feel for these characters as if you know them. The simplistic (genius) camera work in this film deserves a lot more recognition than it gets. But keeping this film out of recognition's way is how the independent people like it. So watch it, love it, and keep it to yourself!

bleak, depressing, and perfect

Author: from United States
24 June 2005

When I first watched this movie, it had a strong impact on me. I was left with the comforting notion that there are people who share my outlook. I am referring to Jarmusch, of course - not the characters in this movie.

Feeling understood while watching such a depressing film obviously says much about me. But this is exactly what I've found to be the case when it comes to this movie: People who are generally thought of as "optimists" and "fun-loving", chipper folks, seem to have a very difficult time sitting through this movie. In fact, it appears to outrage them. It has angered friends of mine, who strongly reject to what Jarmusch is stating or insinuating with this film.

If you have ever felt alienated and lost, check out this movie. Its bleak outlook cheered me up.

exciting film about boring people

Author: Serge Fenenko from Utrecht, The Netherlands
22 January 2003

If you have ever felt a complete stranger in a foreign country or just felt lonely (and sure you did), you'll love the film. Stranger Than Paradise is one of my Jarmusch favorites (at par with Down by Law).

Two melancholic characters, played or better said – lived – by John Lurie and Richard Edson, seem to be happy to just go with the flow without any particular purpose. But arrival of the Hungarian cousin creates purpose in their lives and makes the film very exciting. There are plenty of hilarious moments in this, in my view, very sad movie about being an outsider and feeling lonely.

10 of 10 for Jim Jarmusch, John Lurie and cameraman Tom DiCillo.

how cool is richard edson

Author: june19441944 from United States
22 January 2005

When I first saw this movie, I was so completely blown away by its simplistic, poetic beauty. It remains to this day one of my all time favorite films. Jim Jarmusch's creativity and unpretentiousness is at its absolute raw finest. Though not much really happens, the characters draw you in with their absolute unassuming grace. This movie reminds me a little bit of Wim Wender's "Paris Texas". Sometimes you just can't putyour finger on what makes something so special. This movie is sort oflike that, in that you just have to see for yourself the genius behind this work. People with attention deficit disorder may not get the beauty, but for all you true lovers of film,I highly recommend this one. Oh, and by the way, Richard Edson is too cool for words.

Good

Author: Daniel Karlsson from Sweden
9 May 2002

Relaxed pace, black and white, great fun at times. Aunt Lotte makes me lmao. She uses almost no gestures and speaks without articulating. I am half Hungarian myself and she reminds me of my own grandmother and all those old aunts in the small villages out on the countryside in Hungary. Some other scenes are also hysterical funny, though they are not many enough for this film to be called merely a comedy. It's funny, but it's also more than just a comedy.

Anyway, this movie is about two fellas in NY that do nothing but watch TV, smoke, play cards and bet on horses. In other words: they waste a lot of time instead of getting a job. This film shows the backsides of the new world. It's pessimistic but at the same time entertaining. At one occasion Eddie says Cleveland looks just like NY, with it's slushy and industrial areas. Is there a slight touch of social criticism? Regarding the acting, the dialogues fall extremely natural. It's realistic and well played.

4 / 5

Deuxième partie : « One Year Later »

Pour échapper à l'ennui, Willie et Eddie décident, un an plus tard, de retrouver Eva à Cleveland où elle s'est installée. Il s'agit d'une région reculée, dans laquelle règne le froid. Les deux amis y restent quelque temps, puis proposent à Eva de partir pour la Floride – la jeune femme accepte.

*

*

*

*

• All Movie Guide
• Andy's Movie Quote Page: Stranger than Paradise
• BFI synopsis
• biosAgenda (Dutch)
• Cine.gr (Greek)
• CineMagia.ro Info - (Romanian)
• Film.Com.Tr - Synopsis and Pictures (Turkish)
• IMCDb.org: cars, bikes, trucks and other vehicles seen in this production
• Indiemoviez (Spanish)
• MovieMeter (Dutch)
• PremierFilm (Hungarian)
• Spielfilm.de - Filminfo (German)
• stills
• Stopklatka.pl (Polish)
• Subterranean Cinema
• Zelluloid.de (German)

Photographs

• CineMagia.ro - Image Gallery
• filmstarts.de - Photo Gallery
• PremierFilm.hu - Image Gallery
• filmstarts.de - Poster
• MoTechPosters
• Movieposter.com
• MoviePosterDB.com
• Theatrical Movie Posters

 Troisième partie : « Paradise »

Les trois protagonistes font route vers la Floride. Presque arrivés, l'ennui et les problèmes d'argent les rejoignent à nouveau. Finalement, tous trois se perdent de vue…A vouloir se rejoindre parfois on se perd !»

Cannes Film Festival 1984

Won Golden Camera

Jim Jarmusch

Kinema Junpo Awards 1987

Won Kinema Junpo Award

Best Foreign Language Film Jim Jarmusch

Locarno International Film Festival 1984

Won Golden Leopard	Jim Jarmusch
Won Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention	Jim Jarmusch

National Film Preservation Board, USA 2002

Won National Film Registry

National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 1985

Won NSFC Award

Best Film

Satellite Awards 2007

Nominated Satellite Award

Best Classic DVD

Sundance Film Festival 1985

Won Special Jury Prize	Dramatic Jim Jarmusch
Nominated Grand Jury Prize	Dramatic Jim Jarmusch

Down by Law (Sous le Coup de la Loi) est un film américain en noir et blanc réalisé par Jim Jarmusch, sorti en 1986.

Résumé
Réunis dans une cellule de prison par « erreur », trois « innocents » se rencontrent sans avoir rien en commun. Ils se voient contraints de se supporter surtout quand vient la possibilité d'une évasion. Alors, des liens plus forts vont se tisser. La plus grande partie du film est basée sur les interactions entre ces personnages, contrairement aux codes du genre des films d'évasion où c'est l'acte et sa construction qui sont mis en avant.Comme souvent chez Jim Jarmusch, beaucoup de silence mais aussi une lente progression vers la folie qui guette les évadés. Paranoïa, faim, perte de l'orientation seront les clés de cette progression.

*

*

 *

*

Subtle grace masquerades as jail-break film

Author: sidereal from New York, NY
27 December 1998

One of the most frequently heard criticisms of Jarmusch's work is that the pace is slow. I would like to make a case for patience. After all, if true beauty and grace were delivered in one massive hit, our poor brains and hearts would not withstand the blow. In Down By Law, Jarmusch invites us to take some time, some real time and devote it to getting deeply involved with his characters. Men in crisis. Misfits, jailbirds, heartbreakingly human. We accompany them on their journey, their escape from their confines.

It is a truly epic journey on a small geographical scale. We watch as they begin to mirror one another, as their individual egos become inextricably enmeshed in one another. We watch a friendship form. And how can we begrudge the time Jarmusch takes for this glorious exposition? How can we do anything but marvel at the fine detail in which the scenes are drawn, at the subtle movements of our heroes?

Every gesture signifies worlds of meaning and consequence. And Jarmusch does it better, with more skill and with more compassion than anyone. If you are prepared to get involved, if you are brave enough to commit to the journey, you will be rewarded with a kind of epiphany that few films can offer.

Author: bejasus from United States
29 July 2005

I first saw Down By Law when it first came out, and loved it. I watched it again recently, and it really hasn't aged at all. In fact, it has gotten even better. I'm not sure there's another movie like it (unless the other Jarmusch ones are -- I haven't seen them). There are very few movies that spend so much time on character development that still have great plots. Like the "Big Easy" where it is filmed, this one takes its time but has an easy charm once the plot gets where it was going. The dialogue is wonderfully written, and better acted. Each scene is like a work of art in how it is staged. The soundtrack uses one of the best albums ever recorded, "Rain Dogs" by Tom Waits, who stars. One of my all time favorites.

Author: cgierl from minneapolis
15 August 2002

Down by Law is a film that has mesmerized me for years. The first time I saw it, it sunk into me like the smile from a homeless person. It told me something I should've already known.

I've heard people use the word "quirky", when drawing comparisons to a Jarmusch character, but, I like the phrase: "Spot On". He has captured man's fear within himself, and, the ability to hide that fear. It takes a director of great courage and knowledge of self to pull that one off without boring you.

If you're a fan of Joel Schumaucher or James Cameron, this is not the film for you. But if your a fan of people, and, the human condition, the mirror reflects back, 2 hours at a time, and Jarmusch is right behind it.

Author: PeterRoeder from Lyngby, Denmark
19 December 2003

This is one of the best movies ever made. I cannot begin to emphasize how much heart is in it. It is really a story that transcends even realism and belongs to the realm of literature, music and art. One cannot claim to know anything about movies without having seen this one. It´s like Chaplin reading the classics of American literature. Nietzsche breathing the fresh desert air. Milton creeping into the left foot of Blake. Watch it! Watch it! Watch it! 10/10!!!

Author: pdeholczer from United States
14 October 2011

Jarmusch makes films about people.

This is, to my taste, his best film. If you like people and you like watching people, you will enjoy this film. Jarmusch shows us some strange but interesting people, and these characters are delightfully strange and interesting -- but, importantly, these people are believable and accessible. These people are of the kind ground down by the world and their own poor choices. For a moment, a wonderful moment we witness, they are given a new lease on life and new hope for a better time, a better life. How do they deal with this grind of the world? With anger, ennui, humor and hope.

Together, the cast is perfect. Perfectly cast, perfectly expressive, perfectly reactive to the world they inhabit.No fantastic chase scenes, no over-the-top explosions or CGI, no overdone melodrama. Perfectly tuned actors playing subtle notes. Like "The Remains of the Day" this film can quietly move you. Unlike that film, this one can finally lift you up as well. Wonderfully cast, wonderfully scored with just the right music, wonderfully filmed in black and white, this is an excellent movie of any kind. Of its own particular type, it is superb.

Author: TerryOPants from Some lonely place.
31 May 2003

If you believe that the devil incarnate is a cross between Richard Nixon and Billy Rae Cirus, then logic states Tom Waits is christ reborn. For this weird looking, weird soundin tunesmith is in fact a terrific actor.
In by far and a way his most impressive role (he looks bored in Mystery Men, for example) Waits plays a free style jiving DJ, locked in a cell with an Italian lunatic and a middle American egomaniac (played brilliantly and adequately by Roberto Benigni and John Lurie respectively).

Like all of Jim Jarmusch's movies, it is part dream, part nonsensical comedy. It doesn't entirely make sense. There is not a linear narrative per se. Big gaps are left for you to use your imagination. Suffice to say, the dream is part nightmare, part epiphany, part prophecy.

Most people won't watch this movie, just as most people will never hear a Tom Waits record. No great shame, as the rest of us know that in Tom Waits we are in the presence of genius, and in Down By Law the genius is harnassed by a director of no little talent. Down By Law is, to use the beautiful parlance of boxing, pound for pound the greatest movie ever made.

Author: JC Alvarez (fandoreth@yahoo.com) from Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
23 May 2002

What I really enjoy about "Down by Law" is not the fact that it is a road movie, nor that the characters suffer a rite of passage through their imprisonment and subsequent flight, nor any of the other characteristics mentioned by other users; it is in how the film presents human life and human relationships as a series of misunderstandings, coincidences, accidents and miracles.

The three protagonists are tramps. Two of them think they are cool and smart, and yet they are so stupid and naive that at the same time they become delightful and memorable characters. Roberto lights up the screen in a Chaplin-like manner.

As a whole, the picture leaves the viewer with a feeling of intelligent delight in a completely non-hollywood-esque style --with no closed ending, a rhythm of its own, tender but never kitsch, sordid and intimate, yet inspiring and deliriously funny. "Down by Law" is the filmed proof that silly characters plus comedy (in the classic sense of the word) do not necessarily result in vulgar humor. I believe it's one of a kind.

Author: MisterWhiplash from United States
6 October 2005

I watched Down by Law twice in one day when I got it on DVD (an exceptional DVD for Jim Jarmusch fans, by the way). I wasn't expecting too, and I fast-forwarded past a couple of smaller scenes the second time around, but overall I found this to be a sort of sensational film in the most subdued way, if that's possible. It's realistic in some ways, but also sticking to many of the ideals that go with the 'prison' picture (a kind of sub-genre Jarmusch obviously loves and is tipping the hat to).

It's also a comedy that juggles between Jarmusch's knack at subtleties ("hey, hey, not the shoes" is a hilariously low-key line by Waits) and also a key supporting role from Roberto Benigni, in his first film outside of Italy. His is a balancing act between Lurie and Waits, who for a lot of the film try to act too cool for school, so to speak, despite the fact that they're in jail. He's the obvious, but needful force that gives Down by Law its kick just when you think it might be getting a little dull.

And somehow Benigni gives this character a dimension from Jarmusch's script; he's funny, and also has a slightly serious side too, an earnest one, which is shown in one of the best scenes of the film at the fire where Benigni tells the story of the rabbit.The acting (not necessarily 'professional', but truthful, and surprising considering Waits being almost always an eccentric musician) would've made Down by Law a good movie on its own, however Jarmusch's direction - and more particularly the contribution of Robby Mueller as DP - is a delicate act of black and white finesse.

 Mueller understands this story, and these actors, and also gets down this whole down-on-the-bayou area of America without a flaw. In particular the cool shots that get the camera moving, like when the three of them are on a boat in the bayou, and the camera just seems to float along at times, this despite the impeding danger of the characters being caught. Like Stanger than Paradise, Jarmusch's previous films, Down by Law is also partly a movie on the road (this time on the run), with eccentric characters and gritty settings, and so the camera-work compliments this.

That it looks so much more beautiful on DVD is an added bonus.Down by Law is, if nothing else, a sort of 'genre' picture that goes beyond its limitations by way of a distinct style, some fascinating performances, and music that comes in a of spooky way that also adds another level to the film's effect on a viewer. Not for all tastes, as per usual with Jarmusch's work, however not without its pleasures; those who want a Benigni fix after checking out his Italian films need no further than to look here.

Author: georgep53 from Boston, MA
7 March 2013

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I recently saw a 35mm print of "Down By Law" for the first time and really had no idea what to expect but as an admirer of independent film I was curious. Needless to say "Down By Law" almost single-handedly defines independent cinema with its seedy characters and willingness to push the boundaries of conventional filmmaking. Zack (Tom Waits) is a disc jockey who can't seem to keep a job and spends most of his time in an alcohol induced stupor.

Ellen Barkin is memorable in a small role as Zack's long-suffering girlfriend. It's sad Barkin didn't get more opportunities in her film career. Jack (John Lurie) is a pimp who's fond of saying that he knows how to treat his girls and in one scene Jarmusch gives us a prolonged shot of Jack as seen from the perspective of a naked, outstretched prostitute. Obviously neither of these two ne'er do wells is destined to amount to much of anything so as fate would have it they end up sharing a prison cell where they argue incessantly.

When an Italian tourist (Roberto Benigni) joins the two they learn that he too is a victim of bizarre circumstances. Benigni does a great job and practically owns the film from that point on. It's a great comedy performance. After this it's easy to see Benigni scaling the seats at the 1998 Oscars after winning for "Life Is Beautiful". Eventually there's an escape and the 3 convicts must dodge police trackers through the Louisiana bayou. Robby Muller's black and white camera-work adroitly creates a dark, surreal atmosphere. The Tom Waits songs are great and he and John Lurie play off each other beautifully. This is a great little work of cinema art by Jim Jarmusch. A must-see.

Author: dukesdungeon from Australia
7 August 2006

The only persons I was familiar with in this movie when I started watching it were Ellen Barkin and Tom Waits (Waits as a singer with a very distinct singing style). I knew from previews that the storyline was about three prison escapees but I never realized that by the end of the film, I would be so totally satisfied in a yarn that had taken me on a fascinating journey through New Orleans. The viewer gets to see the down side of New Orleans and some of the 'countryside' during the movie, but the ending is a work of art.

I loved the fact that there was no violence or the usual 'blood-letting', but most importantly, having been filmed in black and white, the film obviously relied on the characters and the story to keep the audiences in their seats. As in any sort of photography, black and white will triumph over color if the subject is exceptional. This is certainly the case here.