A DJ (Tom Waits) and a pimp (John Lurie) are both framed for various crimes and sent to jail. They wind up as cellmates in a New Orleans prison and are at first annoyed by each other’s very existence, but eventually, they grow to tolerate one another. The duo is at first irritated when they receive another addition to their cell in the form of an oddball Italian murderer (Roberto Benigni). However, he just may know a way out of their seemingly hopeless predicament.
Down by Law is the third film by Jim Jarmusch, and it feels like a companion piece to his previous movie, Stranger Than Paradise. Both pictures are filmed in black and white and feature Lurie in the middle of a trio of misfits. As a big fan of Stranger Than Paradise, it pains me to say that this one just left me cold.
The film does have a fairly tight structure. The first act shows us how our characters wound up in prison, the second act features them getting to know each other behind bars, and the third act centers around their escape attempt. The middle sequence is the best as both Waits and Lurie play off one another well enough in such a claustrophobic setting.
Once
Benigni enters the fray, the movie goes down the drain quickly. I’ve never been a fan of his schtick, and he
grates on the nerves every time he opens his mouth. Strangely, the film slowly runs out of steam
after their prison escape, and it sort of lumbers along to an unsatisfying
conclusion.
I guess this was Jarmusch’s riff on an old prison movie from the ‘40s. However, it’s sorely lacking the spark and charm of Stranger Than Paradise. While that film had a lot less going on, it still felt more alive and vibrant than this (mostly) joyless slog.
No comments:
Post a Comment