Rating: 
Summary: SWAMP THINGS
Review: Textures. Layers of it. Curtains of sinister chiaroscuro draping a seedy New Orleans town. The grey, impassive sterility of a Cajun prison. And the dense lushness of bayou county swampland that seduces like a voodoo incantation. In this Louisiana of the mind lurks slivers of humanity. Or its dregs. Three stooges, in fact - - - singer Tom Waits, a DJ, Lounge Lizard John Lurie, a framed pimp, and a pre-Oscar Roberto Benigni, a chatty murderer. Sardined into a jail cell, they play cards, argue and escape into the gnarled embrace of the tapioca swamp. Junkyard percussion taps out the fractured heartbeats of its three principal shadow players in Jim Jarmusch's beguiling second feature. A chaingang comedy starring Moe, Larry and Godot. Innocuously charming, stunningly acted and so gorgeous, it's calligraphic.
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Summary: A must if you want to know Roberto Benigni!
Review: Thanks to Jim Jarmusch who first brought the Italian comic Roberto Benigni to the U.S.A. The movie is about the misadventures of an Italian tourist (Roberto) who is somehow jailed together with Jack and Zack. Roberto succeeds in convincing the other two to escape; and so they do! Now the misadventures of the three men take place in the wild Louisiana, in a mixture of surrealist, comical, and melancholic situations. Well directed and well acted, Roberto Benigni gives his best with his Italian-fashioned English and his clownish expressions; Tom Waits and John Lurie are good stooges. Undeed a must!
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Summary: A brilliant and hilarious movie
Review: There are so many things to love about this movie. My favorite is the director's contrast between native speakers of English, and foreigners in America who speak it as a second language. It's a technique he used in "Stranger Than Paradise" as well. In "Down By Law," it is the source of many hilarious moments, especially when the two Americans, played by John Lurie and Tom Waits, are trying to be cool and to reveal nothing in the way of what they are really thinking or feeling, and their whole cool pose is blown to hell by the Roberto Benigni, who just blurts out what he thinks without censoring himself. It's not that the movie's a dry discourse on multiculturalism-- in fact it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
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Summary: "Down By Law" DVD - Criterion Delivers in Spades
Review: This "Down By Law" DVD is a perfect example of why I love the Criterion Collection's catalog. First off, the film looks and sounds fantastic. If you are familiar with this film, you are aware of Lurie's incredible soundtrack. The DVD does not disappoint. Visually, it is stunning. If this DVD package only delivered these elements, I would be happy. But, this DVD is filled to the gills with extras. Not only are there extras, but a double disk of extras! Remember, this is "Down By Law", not LOTR, Star Wars I, etc. This is a borderline cult/ art house film with a small, but strong fan base. Never, never, never would another company pour as much love and energy for the DVD of a film of this type. Take for example "Stranger than Paradise:" no face lift and no extras. "Down By Law" DVD notables: the entire Cannes press conference, Lurie interview for French TV in 1986 plus his 2002 commentary on his interview, extensive audio tracks of Jim Jarmusch discussing the film and answering fans QA (sent from the Criterion web site - Was Tom Waits really drunk? What does 'Down By Law' mean?), Robby Muller interview, Tom Waits video directed by Jarmusch with commentary, etc. etc, etc.If you are a fan, there is no reason to miss this one. If you are curious about Jim Jarmusch as a director, this is the DVD to start on. A flawless package.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful movie
Review: This is a great movie, worth watching over and over again. I dare say it is director Jim Jarmusch's best to date (though "Stranger than Paradise" runs a close second). It's sort of a romp, sort of a noir screwball comedy, if you can fathom that. Fans of Tom Waits and John Lurie will be charmed by their performances as two hapless bad guys who really aren't so bad once you get to know 'em (like the characters in so many of Waits' songs). Fans of Waits and Lurie will also enjoy the soundtrack, which features instrumentals by Lurie and a few "Rain Dogs" songs by Waits. Expect to be charmed by their co-star, as well, the Italian actor whose name I can't remember (shame!)--Robert something. Ellen Barkin puts in an excellent performance, playing (yet again) the frustrated girlfriend of an over-the-top audiophile (see "Diner"). Warning for the squeamish: this film does involve a love story...a magical one without a lot of thinking or talking...but it doesn't take over the movie. It just makes the other two guys rethink their priorities. END
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Summary: ABSOLUT MUST...
Review: This is the only movie I have ever seen and never forgotten...I have been to 3 continents searching for this video. Please arrange to release it for sale. It is always at the top of my "best ever seen movies". Jim Jarmusch is an extraordinary director.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, great transfer
Review: This movie is a classic. The criterion collection DVD's are, in general and in this case, worth the little extra money. While DVD's may not be forever, they are certainly longer-lived than VHS tapes and Criterion's treatment of the films is worthy of such a lifespan.
Bonus: If you are a fan of any of the three main actors, this film is a gem.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, great transfer
Review: This movie is a classic. The criterion collection DVD's are, in general and in this case, worth the little extra money. While DVD's may not be forever, they are certainly longer-lived than VHS tapes and Criterion's treatment of the films is worthy of such a lifespan.
Bonus: If you are a fan of any of the three main actors, this film is a gem.
Rating:
Summary: makes me like the swamp
Review: This movie, along with "Mystery Train" confirmed my long-held suspicion that all the most amazing artists I know of do indeed hang out together and create amazing things. Tom Waits becomes a character out of one of his own songs (circa late '70s early '80s) and the whole movie has a haunting, lonely feel that seems sometimes like a postcard from the old gothic south and sometimes like a scene from "Waiting for Godot."
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Summary: Benigni steals the show!
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.
Down by Law is a nice film. It has some excellent scenes of Louisiana swampland and impressive photography. The title is an African American slang term from the 1920's meaning to to protect one from danger.
The story follows 3 men who are incarcerated in a Louisiana prison and make a sucessful escape. There is a nice culture clash with Benigni as one of the escaping prisoners and the 2 others who are Americans.
The film is written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and stars Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni and John Lurie who was the star of his show, "Fishing with John" also on Criterion. Benigni, virtually unknown outside Italy when the film was made in 1986, remained little known until writing, directing ans starring in his film, "La Vita e Bella" or "Life is Beautiful."
The DVD contains some great special features also.
Disc 1 contains the film, with an optional French language soundtrack. Roberto Benigni again provided the French dialoge for his character. It also has a track with only the music on it. There is also a theatrical trailer and an introduction by Jarmusch.
Disc 2 has a slideshow of Polaroids from the production and shows notes that were written on the back. There are also still photographs from location scouting. There are audio recordings of telephone conversations Jarmusch had in 2002 with the actors where he reminisces about making the film. There is a music video of Tom Waite singing "It's All Right With Me" written bo Cole Porter, footage of the press conference at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, a 2002 interview with director of photography Robby Müller, and finally Jarmusch himself answers questions submitted by fans to Criterion in 2002 during DVD production.
This is a great DVD for Benigni fans and for those who like cool scenery.
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