Down By Law: On-This-Day Thursday
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Every Thursday, an older film released on this opening weekend years ago will be reviewed. They can be classics, or simply popular films that happened to be released to the world on the same date.
For September 20th, we are going to have a look at Down By Law.
If there was ever a filmmaker that tried to speak for the misfits of America, it would likely be Jim Jarmusch. One of his early successes shows this strength right away. Down By Law is what usually comes to mind when people think of the great indie films of the ‘80s, and it’s easy to see why. Now, you see a trio involving comedian Roberto Begnini, songwriter Tom Waits, and saxophonist John Lurie, and you know that Jarmusch put together a powerhouse team of artists that gel, as well as they collide, together in this jailhouse fable. Back in 1986, however, this felt more like a dare: could a filmmaker make such an odd combination work, and if so, would the only one qualified enough be Jarmusch? I feel like Down By Law would be decent with any old cast, but Jarmusch working his oddball magic with such a mismatched cast creates a filmic lore that just resonates with viewers. Indie cinema is a medium for the everyday person and all walks of life. Jarmusch brings that truth to light.
Following these three starkly different individuals in their shared jail cell, we find out that they are in cahoots to try and escape. The escape itself doesn’t matter, and Down By Law hilariously zips past this part of the story; this was likely a budget-saving convenience, but we instead get a funny blind eye towards the major focal points of similar films. In one of the first films to affect Jarmusch’s career trajectory, he boldly said “who needs to see this escape?” and made it work, and I’ll forever find that astounding. He proves that he doesn’t need such an obvious plot point by making his three kooky characters so fascinating, and it is their chemistry together that is the real reason to watch. Post-break-out, this is especially true, considering that other films would then ask “where should we go from here?”; Jarmusch can safely say “anywhere”, and we will follow these eccentric criminals.
The three strange characters make Down By Law a must-see indie classic.
Despite how strange the film is, it still contains Jarmusch’s humble style of filmmaking, and Down By Law remains grounded throughout. While it never soars beyond its premise and conclusion, the film allows this space to be the stomping grounds of its three characters. This is about them after all: the kinds of people that you can only ever hear about (and here are all of their stories at your disposal). At its heart, the film is a character study pretty much entirely, but the use of black-and-white photography, fluid editing, and other strong filmmaking practices will disguise this fact. Jarmusch would go on to perfect his analyses of characters in Mystery Train before fully evolving his cinematic eye, but Down By Law was the necessary stepping stone. It’s impossible to not feel anything from this film as a viewer of indie works, a lover of well crafted characters, or just as a cinephile at its most basic terminology. You’ll feel as though you’ve made a couple of new pals, and Down By Law’s charm will make them last with you for a long while.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.