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Down by Law
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Synopsis
Jim Jarmusch follows his groundbreaking Stranger Than Paradise with another rambling, character-driven film with a twisted sense of humor. Set in a seedy New Orleans summer, Down By Law details the meeting of three unlikely convicts and their just as unlikely escape. Zack (Tom Waits) is an out-of-work DJ who is accused of murder when a body is found in the trunk of a stolen car he was hired to drive across town. Jack (John Lurie) is a pimp set up for a fall by a competitor. These two sullen souls are locked in a cell with Roberto (Roberto Benigni), a cheerful Italian immigrant who happens to have killed a man. The chemistry between the members of this loosely bound "team" is fascinating: Zack and Jack are forever laughing at Roberto, yet they rely on his energy and good will to escape their dire situation. The three mismatched miscreants eventually bust out of jail and head into the Louisiana bayous. Tired and hungry, they separate to search for food: Waits goes one way, Lurie another, and the frightened Benigni decides to risk stepping into a ramshackle diner. Somehow or other, he winds up in the arms of gorgeous Italian girl Nicoletta Braschi -- and is even able to provide new clothes and escape routes for his astonished comrades! ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide

Cast

Ellen Barkin Laurette
Nicoletta Braschi Nicoletta
Roberto Benigni Roberto
John Lurie Jack
Tom Waits Zack

Production Crew

Robby Müller Cinematographer
Jim Stark Co-producer
John Lurie Composer (Music Score)
Carol Wood Costume Designer
Jim Jarmusch Director
Melody London Editor
Cary Brokaw Executive Producer
Russell Schwartz Executive Producer
Claire Denis First Assistant Director
Donita Miller Makeup
Alan Kleinberg Producer
Rudd Simmons Production Manager
Jim Jarmusch Screenwriter
Naomi Neville Songwriter
Tom Waits Songwriter
Year: 1986
Runtime: 107
Country: USA
MPAA Rating: R
Category: Feature

Genre
Comedy

Produced by
Black Snake
Grokenberger Films
Island Pictures

Release
September 20, 1986 (USA)
by Island Pictures

Awards
1986 - Best Picture - Independent Spirit Award