Down by Law (film)

Down by Law
Promotional poster
Directed byJim Jarmusch
Written byJim Jarmusch
Produced byAlan Kleinberg
StarringTom Waits
John Lurie
Roberto Benigni
Nicoletta Braschi
Ellen Barkin
CinematographyRobby Müller
Edited byMelody London
Music byJohn Lurie
Production
company
Black Snake
Distributed byIsland Pictures
Release date
  • September 20, 1986 (1986-09-20) (Limited)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Italian
Budget$453,600
Box office$1,435,668[1]

Down by Law (Italian: Daunbailò) is a 1986 American independent Southern Gothic neo-beat noir comedy film.[2][3] It was written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, and stars Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni (in his first American film role).

The film centers on the arrest, incarceration, and escape from jail of three men. It discards jailbreak film conventions by focusing on the interaction between the convicts rather than on the mechanics of the escape. A key element in the film is Robby Müller's slow-moving camerawork, which captures the architecture of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou to which the cellmates escape.

Plot

In New Orleans, radio disc jockey Zack lives with his girlfriend Laurette. After an argument, she throws him out of their apartment. Later, an acquaintance offers Zack money to drive a car across town. Zack accepts and is subsequently arrested when police discover a corpse in the vehicle’s trunk.

Meanwhile, small-time pimp Jack is set up by a rival. He is sent to a hotel room to meet a prospective prostitute, only to discover that the girl is underage. Police immediately arrest him in a sting operation.

After their convictions, Zack and Jack become cellmates in a Louisiana prison. The two men clash constantly and spend much of their time arguing. Their routine is interrupted by the arrival of Bob, an Italian immigrant imprisoned after he supposedly killed a man with a pool ball, thrown in return fire at his attackers after he was caught cheating at cards. Bob’s cheerful disposition and fractured English initially annoy Zack and Jack, though they gradually warm up to him.

After several months in prison, Bob reveals that he’s discovered a way out. The three men escape through a hole leading into a series of tunnels and emerge outside the prison walls. They flee into the Louisiana bayou and wander through swamps and marshland for several days.

Frequently lost, they struggle to find food or determine their location. Growing frustrated with one another and their inability to navigate the wilderness, Zack and Jack decide to part ways. Bob pleads with them to stay, having just caught a rabbit for dinner. Zack and Jack eventually wander back to Bob's camp and he shares the roasted rabbit with them.

Eventually the escapees come across a remote roadside restaurant called Luigi's Tin Top. Zack and Jack convince Bob to enter while they wait outside. When they finally enter, they find him conversing in Italian with Nicoletta, an Italian immigrant who inherited the restaurant from her late uncle. Bob professes his love for Nicoletta as she welcomes the two other men inside, feeds them, and gives them all clothes that had belonged to her uncle. Bob and Nicoletta become inseparable over dinner. Realizing that his future now lies with her rather than with his fellow escapees, Bob accepts Nicoletta's offer to stay.

The following morning, Zack and Jack prepare to continue their journey. Bob bids farewell to Zack and Jack and remains behind with Nicoletta at the restaurant. Zack and Jack walk together until they reach a crossroads. The two men part ways without hostility, Zack taking the road to the right and Jack the one to the left.

Cast

Production

The cinematography is by Robby Müller, who subsequently worked with Jarmusch on 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. Like many of Jarmusch's films, the film was shot in black-and-white.

Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, whose characters fall in love in the movie, later got married in real life.

Release and reviews

Down by Law was entered into the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.[4] Its title in Italian was the phonetic spelling, Daunbailò.[5] It was dedicated to Pascale Ogier and Enzo Ungari.

A reviewer for The New York Times called it a "fable of poetic density", with "extraordinary performances" by the three main actors.[6] Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of a possible four. He said Down By Law was overlong, but with an undercurrent of sly humor that balanced out the grim material; a "true original that kind of grows on you", and "an anthology of pulp images from the world of film noir."[7]

The film has an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Funny, original, and thoroughly cinematic, Down by Law represents writer-director Jim Jarmusch at his most ingratiating and evocative."[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 20 critics, which the site labels as "generally favorable" reviews.[9]

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack was written and performed by John Lurie, backed with a small jazz ensemble, released as LP on Crammed Discs (Made to Measure, Vol. 14, 1987)

Additional songs featured
  • "Crying", written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson, first lines performed by Tom Waits alone in a car as he imagines deejaying, just before he is stopped by police.[10]
  • "Jockey Full of Bourbon", written and performed by Tom Waits (from the album Rain Dogs, 1985), the whole song plays over otherwise soundless tracking shots of New Orleans neighbourhood streets.
  • "It's Raining", produced and allegedly written by Allen Toussaint, performed by Irma Thomas. In the breakfast scene Roberto chooses the song from a juke box and dances with Nicoletta to it.[11]
  • "Tango Till They're Sore", written and performed by Tom Waits (from Rain Dogs), final song.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Down by Law". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Jim Jarmusch: Down By Law". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Down by Law". The Criterion Channel. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Down by Law". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  5. ↑ Jarmusch, Jim (October 28, 2019). "Film card". Torino Film Fest. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  6. ↑ Nichols, Peter M.; Scott, A. O. (2004). The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made. St. Martin's Press. pp. 276–78. ISBN 0-312-32611-4. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Ebert, Roger (October 3, 1986). "Down by Law movie review & film summary". Chicago Sun-Times – via RogerEbert.com.
  8. ↑ Down by Law at Rotten Tomatoes
  9. ↑ "Down by Law". Metacritic. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  10. ↑ Piazza, Sara (2015). Jim Jarmusch: Music, Words and Noise. London: Reaktion Books. p. 391. ISBN 978-1-78023-469-4.
  11. ↑ Breakfast scene from Down by Law on YouTube, at 1:20.
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