--- title: "Down by Law" year: 1986 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/down-by-law" fi1m_score: 83 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 14 published: "2026-09-16T14:08:07.944235+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T14:08:08.403549+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Down by Law (1986) Directed by Jim Jarmusch · 1h 46m · MPA R · Crime, Drama, Comedy **Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 80 from 14 reviews *In a sentence:* Roberto Benigni has been locked up with two men who appear to regard conversation as a second punishment > *Down by Law* is a funny, unexpectedly tender prison comedy, carried by three beautifully mismatched performances. Jim Jarmusch sometimes lets the sulking go on too long, but the company is worth the patience. ## Synopsis In New Orleans, Zack (Tom Waits) and Jack (John Lurie) share a prison cell and have little inclination to make friends. Their fellow inmate Roberto (Roberto Benigni) has a cheerfulness that neither man is prepared to welcome. Zack wants to get out; until then, he has to put up with two companions he has not chosen. Jack offers little comfort, while Roberto keeps trying to start a conversation. Confined together, the three men argue and try to tolerate one another, with Roberto’s attempts at friendship giving Zack and Jack something else to resist. ## Review Jim Jarmusch approaches *Down by Law* as though the important business of a prison film were finding out how irritating a cellmate can be. The plot gives him somewhere to put three men, then leaves them to irritate one another. It is a funny, warm film, with a stubbornly slow pace that occasionally gets the better of its jokes. Anyone waiting for a brisk crime story should know that the conversations receive most of the attention. Tom Waits, as Zack, and John Lurie, as Jack, give the bickering a useful weight: neither behaves as though being amusing were his responsibility. Their deadpan delivery makes the irritation seem quite sincere, even when the disagreement itself scarcely matters. Roberto Benigni plays Roberto with enough unembarrassed enthusiasm to upset both of them, and to prevent the film from becoming a competition in looking disenchanted. He makes friendliness awkward, persistent and difficult to dismiss. We laughed at Roberto’s cheerfulness meeting such determined resistance, then found ourselves wanting the other two to be kinder to him. The pleasure comes from how long they take to respond; an immediate thaw would make the relationship feel cheaply arranged. Jim Jarmusch allows their irritation to survive alongside the beginnings of affection, so the comedy does not disappear when the men become more sympathetic. The performances keep small differences in temperament interesting even when there is little else happening. Robby Müller’s black-and-white cinematography gives New Orleans a stillness that suits these prickly men. The emptiness around them is as noticeable as their presence, and the images are composed with a care that might have made the comedy seem precious. It works because the actors remain so unimpressed by their surroundings. Janet Densmore’s production design helps the prison feel like a place where there is nothing to do except get on each other’s nerves. John Lurie’s score helps make the slow pace pleasurable, giving the quieter passages a pull that the sparse story cannot always provide. The music encourages us to settle into the film without insisting that every disagreement is important. Melody London’s editing is similarly patient about letting a conversation find its own rhythm. That patience is necessary for the comedy, although several exchanges continue after we have understood the joke, and the 106 minutes would benefit from a little more pressure. The weakness is that the men can occasionally look like three carefully selected temperaments asked to fill out a story. Once we understand their differences, another stretch of friction does not automatically tell us more about them. The screenplay relies heavily on the appeal of the actors at those points, and they cannot make every pause revealing. Yet the director likes these men, including their less attractive habits, and gives us time to like them too. This is a prison comedy for an evening when getting to know the prisoners is enough. Its loose construction will trouble anyone who wants each scene to move the story forward, and we would not argue them out of that objection. For once, the prospect of another conversation in a prison cell is a reason to keep watching. *Fi1m score 83, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are uniformly positive about Down by Law, with praise centred on Jim Jarmusch’s deadpan humour, the three leads and Robby Müller’s precise black-and-white photography. Critics find warmth beneath the bickering between Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni, whose irrepressible cheerfulness receives particular attention. The dreamlike New Orleans setting also earns repeated praise, while the inmates’ awkward companionship gives the sparse story more feeling than its cool manner initially suggests. The spread runs from qualified affection to enthusiasm, rather than any outright dissent. RogerEbert.com finds the film slightly overlong and less interested in deeper themes than in its three misfits. The AV Club notes schematic plotting, while Eye for Film questions the loose, sketch-like structure. These reservations largely concern how much the slender narrative can sustain; even the more cautious reviews admire the performances, visual craft or quiet warmth. ### Reviews we read (14) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (5/5): The critic calls it a milestone in American independent cinema that proved DIY film could be heartfelt, charming, wise and silly all at once. Robby Müller’s stately monochrome photography is singled out for lifting the semi-improvised prison story into the realm of Proper Art. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/down-by-law) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (NYT Critic’s Pick): The critic calls the film an unqualified delight and a fable of poetic density with extraordinary performances by John Lurie, Tom Waits, and Roberto Benigni. He singles out its dreamlike impression of life and Jarmusch's skill in crafting a narrative unique to cinema. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/19/movies/film-jarmusch-s-down-by-law.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Jarmusch for staying true to his original vision with this inkily comic dream of a film featuring a poker-faced fairy tale in New Orleans and the bayous. She highlights the beauty and precision of the black-and-white images by Robby Müller and the performances by Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-10-03-ca-3865-story.html) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Jarmusch’s deadpan comedy as effortlessly laidback and superbly elegant, highlighting its hypnotic score, stupendous performances and monochrome cinematography by Robby Müller. He singles out the dreamlike emptiness of the New Orleans setting and Benigni’s surreal but controlled performance. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/11/down-by-law-review-jim-jarmusch-tom-waits) - **Total Film** (80/100, inferred): Jarmusch’s stylish black-and-white prison romp features offbeat humour matching its perfectly cast stars. Mutual irritation among the inmates merges into grudging friendship, with wit that is both broad and smart, soulful and silly. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/down-by-law-review/) - **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): Jarmusch filters his sparse sensibility through a bare-bones jailbreak account of three inmates’ escape from a New Orleans prison, shot in stark monochrome and focused on prisoner dynamics. The constant bickering among Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni almost obscures their shared humanity, with random acts of mercy suggesting a compassionate look at regular folks. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/every-jim-jarmusch-movie-ranked.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a true original that grows on the viewer, though it runs a bit long and leans heavily on its premise of three misfits rather than deeper themes. He praises the performances, especially Roberto Benigni's irrepressible cheerfulness, and notes its collage-like quality drawn from film noir and blues imagery. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/down-by-law-1986) - **Slant Magazine**, Joseph Jon Lanthier (70/100, inferred): Jarmusch imagines the boiling, boggy New Orleans as a purgatory for lost souls in this modest vacation from his globe-spanning approach, with the thin plot haunted by filmic antecedents yet determined to wrench the world to the characters' needs. The three stumble into a paradise only the gawkiest could have dreamed up after enduring a private reverie of hell. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/down-by-law/) - **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (70/100, inferred): The film is a richly textured look at old New Orleans and the enchanted bayou, with stark black-and-white photography and music by its stars. It champions down-and-out antiheroes with a quiet warmth toward their reluctant camaraderie beneath the schematic plotting and deadpan spirit. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/down-by-law-1798198070) - **Paste** (85/100, inferred): Down By Law is ranked as one of Jarmusch's quintessential films for its deliberate avoidance of conventional action sequences in favor of character quirks and dialogue. The piece highlights how the film expresses the director's fascination with individual mannerisms and American pop culture through its inmates' interactions. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jim-jarmusch/every-jim-jarmusch-movie-ranked) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (B+): In this retrospective tied to the Criterion Blu-ray re-release, the film is described as a curious, sweat-soaked, humorous and elegiac story of outsiders and fuckups who find friendship, hope and opportunity. It is praised as an exceedingly charming and heartwarming jazz riff of a movie with languid pacing and gorgeous black-and-white photography that finds both melancholy and joyful notes. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/the-films-of-jim-jarmusch-a-retrospective-20120717/) - **Collider**, Thomas Butt (80/100, inferred): Jarmusch's third feature cements his idiosyncratic style with this off-kilter prison drama that repurposes pulp tropes into a philosophical rumination on freedom and human connection. The critic praises the wry, achingly sad conversations among the three leads and the film's deeply felt emotional core beneath its cool, deadpan surface. [Read](https://collider.com/down-by-law-jim-jarmusch/) - **NME**, Tom Howard (4/5): The re-release highlights Jarmusch at a creative peak following Stranger Than Paradise, with Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni effectively portraying cellmates who overcome mutual dislike to attempt an escape. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-15635-324881) - **Eye for Film**, Ben Sillis (3.5/5): The critic views the film as an eccentric, dark and daft low-budget comedy in the vein of Jarmusch's other early works, one that simply basks in its own coolness. Praise goes to the hilarious fish-out-of-water performance by Roberto Benigni and Robby Müller's superb black-and-white photography of the New Orleans setting, though the loose, sketch-like structure is noted as a flaw. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/down-by-law-film-review-by-ben-sillis) ## Details - **Director:** Jim Jarmusch - **Director:** Jim Jarmusch - **Writer:** Jim Jarmusch - **Cinematography:** Robby Müller - **Editor:** Melody London - **Music:** John Lurie - **Production design:** Janet Densmore - **Costume design:** Carol Wood - **Producer:** Alan Kleinberg - **Cast:** Tom Waits as Zack; John Lurie as Jack; Roberto Benigni as Roberto; Nicoletta Braschi as Nicoletta; Ellen Barkin as Laurette; Billie Neal as Bobbie; Rockets Redglare as Gig; Vernel Bagneris as Preston - **Runtime:** 1h 46m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 3 October 1986 - **Genres:** Crime, Drama, Comedy - **Budget:** $1 million - **Box office:** $2 million ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming, leaving 2026-09-30 - Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-13 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Hulu: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $5.99, sd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: CA, DE, GB, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film 1987: Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film (won) ## If you liked this - *Stranger Than Paradise* (1984), Fi1m 82: More reluctant companionship from Jim Jarmusch, with the pauses left intact — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/stranger-than-paradise.md) - *The Defiant Ones* (1958): Two prisoners make cooperation difficult in a much more urgent escape story - *The Last Detail* (1973): For another abrasive male trio whose jokes gradually make room for tenderness - *The Man Without a Past* (2002): Dry humour and practical kindness among people with little left to lose - *The Band's Visit* (2007): Strangers struggle to communicate, with patient jokes and room for embarrassment --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/down-by-law