Bajo el peso de la ley

A cult classic - and yet still relatively little known. Jim Jarmusch is a master when it comes to creating atmosphere (and nobody uses stretches of silence to better comedic effect than he does). Shot in beautiful black and white, this tale of three prisoners who make for very unlikely companions is all mood, deadpan humour and practically no action.

Don't expect a story - just enjoy the ride, the dialogues (consisting mainly of the word 'F***' - unless it's Benigni talking: his chaotic, broken English lines are another highlight of the film) and the fantastic soundtrack by John Lurie and Tom Waits. Perhaps the epitome of a cult movie, this one goes down like a cool beer on a hot summer evening (and as with all cult movies, it is best seen with an audience that already knows and loves the film). A minimalistic comedy masterpiece. 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

If i had to describe any aspect of this flick i'd say it was "crafted". Utterly sublime direction from Jarmusch, with a sense of desolation in the landscape that is captured so well, it's almost surreal. Waits is, simply put, a genius, and puts in a performance which would silence any who feel that "you can't be both an actor and a musician". Benigni and Lurie are both a delirius joy and deliciously despicable respectively. The use of Waits' music within the film only heightens the sense of dusty Americana, and hip oddball style. It reminds me that indie-film snobs have actually got something right for a change, and its cult classic status is rightly deserved. Exquisitely shot, with an excellent soundtrack and sterling performances. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Waits and Benigny. Also, it's the only film that makes me want ice cream....

I've been binging Jarmusch's filmography this week for the first-time knowing little about his films and style of storytelling. In my opinion, this is his greatest achievement. The cinematography is beautiful; all of the river-boating scenes looked incredible. The performances are all great, especially Benigni's who had me in tears from laughter. The pacing is also solid; how these three very different men form a bond is a marvel to experience. On the whole, the story is a unique take on the 'prison film' and operates in that perfect balance of quirky and realistic. If you're like me and you're ripping through Jarmusch films for the first time, I'd say this is a pretty great introduction to the man and his mind.

This may very well be a mans' journey film, actually literally, but philosophically, it's still one that serves to be a reminder of all of the things in life and about how our choices eventually need to come to a head. The three lead actors are very naturalistic, except Benigni who seems to overdo it at times. The writing and the directing are typical Jarmusch, and we are able to experience just what he is feeling in every frame. So typical that audiences themselves will be wondering what is going on, and seeing as how it's plot less besides the obvious already in the summary, only Jarmusch fans who know what they're getting into will not be surprised by its narrative. If anything, it's one of his plottier films.

Wow, what a movie. Far away from Hollywood, Jim Jarmusch creates a world where you don't need drama, pathos and action to fascinate the watcher. Because fascinating is exactly what this movie is. A plot in the classical sense is almost completely missing; the scenes, in their simplicity sometimes reminding of theater, follow each other without ever creating real suspense; neither griping action nor complex dialogues are there to excite the spectator. And still, with ease Jarmusch fills more than a hundred minutes with a story you won't take your eyes off. It is hard to tell what the atmosphere of the movie is really based on, the characters, the setting, entirely in black and white, the music - probably all of it. Again, like in Jarmusch's later movie "Dead man", speed is an important factor: everything moves slowly, without haste, as there is no dramatic climax you could hurry towards; yet, boring is a word that certainly doesn't fit this piece of cineastic art. On the other hand, though some of the scenes seem quite surrealistic, it is not a really artistic movie breaking with all the traditional concepts of filmmaking; it is more a movie in classic shape with an unconventional story, not trying to shock, to confuse or even to make you think so much; this movie doesn't need all this to get your complete attention. You could probably speculate a lot about the meaning of the movie; to me, this seems highly unnecessary. Just let it unfold its atmosphere. Judge yourselves, but I was excited in a very special way by every scene of this motion picture, giving me one of my best cineastic experiences of the recent time.