Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy it!
Review: I paid almost U$ 50.00 for a VHS copy of this movie (and I paid twice...The first time I paid I did not recieve it. Don't do such folish thing. Don't pay such "extorsion". If you like this movie as I do try auction sites and you can get it for U$10.00
Rating: 
Summary: beautifully shot, poorly acted, terrible dialouge
Review: i really like the aesthetic of this film, but not much else. the dialogue in particular is really trite. the characters are all hackneyed caricatures - john lurie as an unconvincing pimp, tom waits as a burnt-out DJ, and roberto benigni as a crazy italian guy. i didn't believe these might be real people for one second - they are very clearly "characters". the film is beautifully shot in black and white, but jarmusch leaves out a few things that would make this film more convincing. waits and lurie meet in prison after each was set-up for different crimes, but the film never delves into why they were set-up. we see very little of the prison aside from their cell. we don't see the escape until they're in the tunnel. we never see any police or dogs, we just hear them. the coming together of nicoletta and roberta is ridiculous.
2 stars for the cinematography, 0 for everything else.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest, Badly Acted Masterpiece of All Time
Review: Imperfection can be so incredibly lovable, and I think that's one of the reasons why I enjoy this movie so much. I mean, lets face it, Lurie and Waits are NOT particularly convincing in this! Just take a look at their fight scene! But it's so much fun to watch! Maybe it helps to be a big fan of both of these guys as musicians (Tom Waits is the most underrated genius of our times), but there's a terrific atmosphere and style in this flick that I consider to be far stronger than in "Stranger Than Paradise." And I gotta say, the chemistry between Lurie and Waits is slightly strained until Benigni shows up...but with the addition of Roberto, suddenly the mood becomes absolutely magical. An incredibly funny trio. When this movie first came out, I saw Benigni go on the David Letterman show (the old one), and it was probably the single most funny 3 minutes I've ever seen. Seems like Waits used to appear on that show alot, too. If you enjoyed this movie as much as I did, I'm sure you'll also love "Fishing With John," a fishing show Lurie did. Check out the episode where Waits puts a fish in his pants.
Rating:
Summary: Black and White, slow-paced, it's a cult movie
Review: It's a great movie to watch on a relaxed and quiet night with a selected group of friends. Action is basically non-existent making it possible to appreciate all the subtleties of the American culture, the Italian culture and the meeting point of the two. Roberto Benigni is at his best, and this movie is definitively a must for all of those who are convinced that Benigni's humour is strongly based on the Italian language.
Rating: 
Summary: A Tom Waits Show
Review: It's a Tom Waits Show...a must for his fans. We follow the characters in a somewhat lonely black and white world (cause the film in in B & W)...The fact that three strangers who are thrown into a prison cell had one thing in common--each one was either framed or acting like a nut-- was not important...It is the sequence of uncanny slow night events that make us smile...Good music too of course. Many of us will watch it again and again.
Rating:
Summary: hilarious brilliance
Review: Jarmusch is a master, Benigni a genius. Lurie and Waits give fantastic performances. The film is hilariously funny in a dry way, and it may even be meaningful. Either way, it's smart and enjoyable and lends itself to multiple viewings.
Rating:
Summary: We look AT the window.
Review: Jarmusch's masterpiece, and one of the hardest to track down. This is a film loaded with poetry, allegory, wisdom, and wit. Waits "You Can't Live In The Present Forever" , Lurie "In this case Bob, I think you say I look AT the window", and Benigni "it's a sad and beautiful world" are framed and stuck sharing a jail cell in New Orleans. Stubborn and coated in an exoskeleton of cool , Zak & Jack are eventually charmed and disarmed by the accidental poetry of Bob's broken english in a primal jail house rocking WE SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM dance. They must unite if they want to separate as individuals, vital to Zak and Jack, literal mis-fits by design, deluded "iconoclasts." The trio are a restless post-modern Three Stooges noire, seeking escape from a real and symbolic jail cell whereupon each begins their own Odyssey, the cross -culturally verified journey of knowledge that anyone must make at some point in their lives if they are to be meaningful. The film offers earthy ironies and epiphanies to indy film snobs and mall fodder alike. Literal and verbal depictions and references to Whitman's Leaves of Grass and Frost's sneaky and oft misinterpreted The Road Less Traveled are useful and be sure to absorb the symmetry, choreography, unwasted space, and the left right black white tick tock quid pro quo composition of this sublime picture. -Jim Neill jimneill@yahoo.com
Rating:
Summary: begnini and waits before they became famous
Review: just an awesome movie from a real jarmusch fan. tom waits and begnini as well as begnini's real life wife are a fantastic cast. john lurie doesn't even need further mention - he's a fixture in any jarmusch creation!!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Offbeat, deadpan, minimalist, cool, achingly funny - Down by Law is a joy to watch in this age of Hollywood sledgehammer humour. Benigni is hilarious, proving what Europeans have known for years (long before America watched Life is Beautiful) : that he is a rare comic talent. Jarmusch's finest moment. A masterfully-directed film of quirky characters, clashing cultures and hip humour. 15 years on, it remains a shining example of independent film making.
Rating:
Summary: I scream, You Scream . .
Review: Strange and beautiful . . . One of my favorites
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