Rating: 
Summary: This is a Good Film!
Review: This unique and original film is a personal masterpiece, a real sleeper. I'd recommed it to anyone interested in non-formula American cinema in general, and fans of the macabre. It ranks up there with some of the better black and white movies of recent times, in the mold of Woody Allen's "Manhattan".What made this film great for me, was that the director masterly chose to leave out extraneous footage and instead keep our focus on character development - much the way Jean Luc Goddard does. Indeed Goddard's stamp is felt everywhere in this picture, which is why I liked it so much. This is America's answer to neorealism and done very well. The fact that we don't really see exactly how the main characters escape from prison, nor do we see how Zack rescues Bob from his fear of swimming add (rather than detract from) the plot, and give us more time with the personal nature of the characters, their "everyday chit-chat", etc, is what gives this film its charm. I won't give away the ending, but even that is told in an unorthodox manner, which is a breath of fresh air from formula Holywood films. The acting is surprisingly naturalistic and believable, and Tom Waits gives an especially brilliant performance here. Roberto Bernini is hilarious as the sort of comic sidekick to the two streetwise contenders of the trio - this is a truly original chemistry of character mixes, and the film could have taken the more traditional path of "straight-guy/goofy-guy" as in Laurel & Hardy or Abbot & Costello, but instead wisely opts to break new ground by having two "straight" characters that battle it out for leadership. The "We All Scream for Ice Cream" segment is one of the funniest bits I've seen in a film in years and should be one of those rare legendary film icons by this point. The DVD transfer is wonderful - a crisp, clean print that looks great onscreen. Criterion have done yet another great job here. This is a gem of a movie and I highly recommed it!
Rating:
Summary: Roberto Benigni at Crazy Best Again
Review: Three down and out strangers who are framed and jailed, escape together into the Louisiana swamps. Starts a little slowly, but when Benigni arrives, the fun begins. Benigni fans should also see Night on Earth, (also by Jim Jarmusch) another fine comedy, with Winona Ryder, Rosie Perez, Armin Mueller -Stahl and others in a not-so-typical story about taxi drivers. Both films are a great escape from the ordinary. *****
Rating: 
Summary: Pure Magic!
Review: Three Stooges meet "Waiting for Godot." Lurie, Waits and Benigni turn in great performances. They've been locked up in a Lousiana penitentiary for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jarmusch gives you each of their sordid lives in turn before throwing them together in a jail cell. Benigni plays wonderfully off Lurie and Waits, culminating in a hilarious version of "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice scream." Eventually, they find the light at the end of a tunnel, only to have to escape through a swamp. Jarmusch gives his characters plenty of room, making for many amusing interchanges. Jarmusch provides deft camera work and his usual wonderful eye for detail to make this his most memorable film.
Rating:
Summary: Not only moody, but moody New Orleans
Review: Three Stooges meet "Waiting for Godot." Lurie, Waits and Benigni turn in great performances. They've been locked up in a Lousiana penitentiary for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jarmusch gives you each of their sordid lives in turn before throwing them together in a jail cell. Benigni plays wonderfully off Lurie and Waits, culminating in a hilarious version of "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice scream." Eventually, they find the light at the end of a tunnel, only to have to escape through a swamp. Jarmusch gives his characters plenty of room, making for many amusing interchanges. Jarmusch provides deft camera work and his usual wonderful eye for detail to make this his most memorable film.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Magic!
Review: Three Stooges meet "Waiting for Godot." Lurie, Waits and Benigni turn in great performances. They've been locked up in a Lousiana penitentiary for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jarmusch gives you each of their sordid lives in turn before throwing them together in a jail cell. Benigni plays wonderfully off Lurie and Waits, culminating in a hilarious version of "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice scream." Eventually, they find the light at the end of a tunnel, only to have to escape through a swamp. Jarmusch gives his characters plenty of room, making for many amusing interchanges. Jarmusch provides deft camera work and his usual wonderful eye for detail to make this his most memorable film.
Rating:
Summary: The best jim`s movie
Review: Tom Waits is great,John Lurie is great,Roberto Begnini is a star, the most illarious film I ever seen
Rating:
Summary: the best JIm Jarmusch film
Review: Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni... in a Jarmusch film...
What else is there to say??!!!!! gorgeous cinematography, subtle, poignant humor...painful beauty. and of course, we all scream for ice cream.
Rating:
Summary: Teardripping...
Review: Yes. A close study of my face after watching this masterpiece would conclude that tears had escaped my eyes. But a tear is not necessarely a tear. I, for once, cried of laughter. This is probably the funniest film ever made. And I don't even like comedy. Benigni got an Oscar this year, but this first American made film of his is the most brilliant. If my mother hadn't enjoyed this film as much as she did (she's a pretty cool mom!), sho would have killed me after calling her "dat my maadre" for the next month or so.
Rating:
Summary: Busted, Framed, and Friendships!
Review: Zack (Tom Waits) has just been fired from his job as a DJ and he is thrown out by his girlfriend. Jack (John Lurie) is offered another prostitute under his wings as a pimp by a competitor who wants to make amends. The circumstances lead to both men being framed and they end up sharing a cell in prison. Both men are bitter over their situation and they can hardly stand each others company. One day the peculiar Roberto (Roberto Benigni) is put in the same cell with Jack and Zack. This is the beginning of a new friendship between the three men where Roberto is the glue that holds the friendship together. Down by Law is an intelligent and cynical film that is presented in an anxious societal situation, which provides amusement for the audience.
Rating:
Summary: Busted, Framed, and Friendships!
Review: Zack (Tom Waits) has just been fired from his job as a DJ and he is thrown out by his girlfriend. Jack (John Lurie) is offered another prostitute under his wings as a pimp by a competitor who wants to make amends. The circumstances lead to both men being framed and they end up sharing a cell in prison. Both men are bitter over their situation and they can hardly stand each others company. One day the peculiar Roberto (Roberto Benigni) is put in the same cell with Jack and Zack. This is the beginning of a new friendship between the three men where Roberto is the glue that holds the friendship together. Down by Law is an intelligent and cynical film that is presented in an anxious societal situation, which provides amusement for the audience.
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