Flashback Friday–Down By Law (1986)

By: Kameron McBride
 
It makes a lot of sense for Tom Waits to star in a Jim Jarmusch film. In the same sense that Waits' often writes songs about the misfits and discarded dregs of society, Jarmusch tells stories about these folks trying to find meaning in their lives.

Down By Law gives us a down–on–his luck disc jockey named Zack (Waits), a pimp named Jack (John Lurie) and Roberto (Roberto Benigni) an Italian immigrant whose English is as broken as Waits' raspy singing voice.

We open seeing Zack living out a scenario sung in a thousand Blues songs as his stuff—notably his vinyl records—are being thrown out the window by his girlfriend. After hearing about how he has no future with his DJ career Zack goes outside to sit among his belongings, the records sticking out like gravestones. 

We then meet Jack, a pimp who goes out to find a new employee only to discover it's a set–up. He is promptly taken to prison about the same time that Zack too is set up and taken to the slammer. After initial disagreements Zack and Jack avoid each other until Roberto shows up to keep them company. 

Jarmusch does a lot of good work to make the jail cell feel the same size as the relationship between characters. Initially it feels huge, with opposite sides being inhabited by Zack and Jack. When Roberto arrives the room shrinks into a more intimate space.

It's not spoiling the movie to say they escape and try to navigate the bayou wilderness. The irony is, of course, that even in escape they don't exactly feel more free. Upon finding an abandoned house to sleep for the night Jack even remarks how familiar the room feels.

The plot isn't revolutionary by any means but it serves to give meaning to the lives of these misfits. We watch them try and give some larger purpose to their escape, ultimately deciding to keep wandering the landscape of America.

The film works as both a spare drama and an off–beat comedy, either way the film is very enjoyable. It doesn't have tremendous focus but it also doesn't need to, rather we can just enjoy the crazy of it all. 

After watching Down By Law I was disappointed to find out that John Lurie hasn't had a ton of work because he's great in both this and Stranger Than Paradise. Waits and Benigni are also both lively and entertaining. 

It's spare and black and white but Down By Law is a fun, quirky, interesting study of three characters society forgot. We get to see them try and catch up.