The excitement (of Down by Law) comes from the realization that we are seeing a true film maker at work, using film to create a narrative that couldn't exist on the stage or the printed page of a novel.
– Vincent Canby,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
rotten:
On the whole I've had more fun in Cleveland.
– Pat Graham,
Chicago Reader,
11 Jan 2008
fresh:
The Jim Jarmusch penchant for off-the-wall characters and odd situations is very much in evidence.