Down by Law

Anyone could have told me this movie was made in the 60's and I would've believed them without question. It's impressive how Jarmusch managed to give it that visual flair even while sharing the style of its precursors. Now that's half of the job. Here you can clearly see that there's already been some plot growth on his side. The components stand out as more surreal and absurd but maintaining the same DNA of his previous works. The film is simple, but not in a way that seems to say that I'm minimizing it, but rather that it doesn't seek to complexify anything by the simple fact of wanting to do so. It's quite funny for most of its execution and the atmosphere keeps it that way. It gives it a touch that maintains it like a small world encapsulated in a moment in time. And having a relatively young Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni in the cast adds to the overall value of the film. This trilogy of Jarmusch's early work may have a spirit that makes it look like some average stuff, but in my opinion, if you add up how they feel, it's clear that the director knew how to make the most of what he had at hand. Maybe none of those three works are extremely defining of what he did next but origins like these add a lot to his body of work.

Movie has no story, With 3 unlikable characters, Who get a 2nd chance after escaping prison, Movie bogs down during "comedic" jail scenes, And movie goes further downhill in a long boring fugitive trek thru the swamp, Picks up a bit when they meet an attractive Italian girl owner of a diner, That said, movie's primary assets are stunning monochrome, high contrast b & w photography, Some amazing compositions in New Orleans, Ellen Barkin in small role,