Night On Earth Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

A mesmerising cinematic masterpiece

Somehow it seems that Jim Jarmush tried to make life difficult for himself when he created this unusual film. Five Taxis in five different cities during a single night are the background for five very different short films. Yet despite having to draw the viewer in each time I was literally glued to screen from the very first minute in every single episode. Each of these could have been a prize winner in the short film category of any film festival in the world but it is the combination that makes this film so special. I will not tell you any of the storylines as it would spoil the viewing experience but the line-up of great actors from around the world is already impressive: Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Beatrice Dalle, Roberto Benigni etc. Add to this a cool Tom Waits soundtrack that captures the essence of the movie and you will understand why this is a winner.

My only criticism is the actual DVD as it contains no extras whatsoever. The film is so outstanding that I would have liked a little more background information but apart from 'Play Movie' and 'Scene Selection' there is nothing else on this DVD. What a pity!

Summary: Great film, great acting, excellent storylines and a cool soundtrack - You won't regret watching this one!

Five cabbies and five mediocre tales

This film contains 5 vignettes, each about a conversation between a taxi driver and his/her passenger(s). Each cabbie hails from a different world city: Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Rome and Helsinki.

Known for quirkiness, director Jim Jarmuch delivers just that. A young Winona Ryder, for instance, plays a gum-snapping, chain-smoking driver who picks up a casting agent. The casting agent, who sees in Ryder all that she's been looking for in a genuine star, pleads with Ryder to drop everything and audition for an important new role. But the agent is rebuffed; Ryder is wedded to her long-term dream of becoming a mechanic.

But the quirkiness seems too tame for our time--dated and almost predictable. An additional weakness is the limited range of cities represented: two in America, three in Europe. Jarmusch could have drawn starker and more unexpected contrasts had he investigated the cabbie-passenger relationship on other continents too.

There's a great score by Tom Waits, though.