Ghost Dog - The Way Of The Samurai [2000]

Anyone who is looking for stylish hitman action should take a look at Leon instead, but anyone who appreciates good film making, the Wu Tang Clan (yes, RZA makes an apperance), Japanese culture, or simply a thought provoking story should buy this immediately. I just regret it took me so long to see this film.


Modern Classic   December 27, 2007
T. S. Waddington (Northampton)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful

It seems that in modern times Hollywood has drastically dropped in its standard of output as more and more sequels and remakes are being churned out. However this is not to say that there isn't any creative talent in America. Over the last few decades some of the most exciting talents have come through the independent film making system. If like me you are a fan of independent American cinema then you will no doubt be aware of Jim Jarmusch. He, unlike many directors who begin on this route, has remained away from hollywood throughout his career thus far. Ghost dog is a largely unknown film yet remains one of Jarmusch's biggest commercial successes. If you have seen his others films then you know what to expect, to a certain extent. It is typically laconic and slow paced with much focus on the seemingly insignificant moments of the day. Forest Whitaker is brilliant as the mysterious protagonist and shows the talent that would lead him to achieving his best actor oscar for his performance in The Last King of Scotland. As a huge fan of Wu Tang Clan, Ghost Dog particularly resonates with me because of obvious connections (none more obvious than RZA's role on the soundtrack).This link is also prominent with the whole samaurai theme of the film. Not eveyone will get it as I can see from some of the other reviews. If you are expecting an action packed kung fu frenzy then you will be very disappointed. The "action" is minimal and is poetically handled by Jarmusch. For me this is a very rewarding film that can be seen on many levels and is definitely worth repeat viewings.


JIM JARMUSCH DOES IT AGAIN !!   January 14, 2005
F. Sweet (Midwestern USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

If you didn't like Jim Jarmusch's NIGHT ON EARTH (Winona Ryder), STRANGER THAN PARADISE or DOWN BY LAW you'll definitely not like GHOST DOG. Like Tom Waitts' gravely voice that should have made him a failure rather than a succes as performer and song writer (often writing for Jarmusch's films) this movie is logical in a progression of Jarmusch's films.

Beginning with casting Forest Whitaker as the inner city Samurai, , who doesn't exactly sport a Bruce Lee physique, OBVIOUSLY this movie was never meant to be taken literally! In fact, Jarmusch may be the ONLY director who dares, and can pull off, a film that mixes hip-hop street culture with Mafioso wise guys, sprinkle it with quotes from The Book of the Samurai by Hagakure and not just "get away with it" but make it all work!

If you like Jim Jarmusch films then you'll love GHOST DOG. If you've never seen one of his flicks then go easy on yourself ... and take a peek at his 1991 film, NIGHT ON EARTH. If nothing else, you'll have a chance to see Winona Ryder in a wonderful acting role before she became, err, Winona Ryder. And let's not forget the other greats such as Gena Rowlands, Beatrice Dalle, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and that terrific MOUTH (and body) Rosie Perez who made NIGHT ON EARTH what it is. How can you resist?

In GHOST DOG, Whittaker is a gentle pigeon raising philosopher who is repected and feared in his 'hood. By night, he does "special" hits for the Mafia because as any good Samurai, he is loyal to one of the aging lieutenants who saved his life when Whittaker was a youth. The man he does contracts for is more like a character out of the ANALYZE THIS! than from the GODFATHER The wise guys in GHOST DOG are a bunch of ignorant bumblers (one of them played by Victor Argo, a great character actor) who can occasionally become very dangerous. Mixed in with this stew is a little black girl who Whittaker befiends because the two of them share a love of books.

Whittaker character's best friend is an ice cream vendor who doesn't speak a word of English, having just recently arrived from Ivory Coast in Africa. Some of the best dialogue is between these two who are so intuitively tuned to one another that although their words don't ever match up in their bilingual "conversations" they can exactly guess what the other one means.

Anyhow, this end-of-the-millennium film spiritually spans centuries while its post modern style was just born yesterday. See it!


A Wonderful film from Jim Jarmusch   September 24, 2000
7 out of 10 found this review helpful

Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is not your typical hit-man. He lives on a rooftop and follows the code of Hagakure : The Way Of The Samurai. He communicates with his employers only by messanger pigeon. His best freinds are a Frenchman who sells ice cream and a little school girl who he befreinds in the park. When a hit goes wrong, the Mafia decide to take revenge on the blameless Ghost Dog, which forces the hit-man to fight back...

This film is wonderfully subtle. Like many of Jarmusch's other films, its central theme is that of friendship, which makes it ultimately a very touching movie. Whitaker is superb as the lonely Ghost Dog. The moments of humour are genuinely tender and suitably off-kilter (this is a Jim Jarmusch movie after all!). The music is as smooth as the hit-man himself, and woven into the film a quotations from the book the Way Of The Samurai. Highly watchable again and again, this is perhaps Jarmusch's finest film to date.


positive and definate,   January 11, 2001
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This movie contains everything the average American/Hollywood movie doesn't, subtletey, superb humour/dialogue , fantastic acting, good camera work and a whole host of subtle characterisations that all go together to help make a cult classic. However I have unfortuneately never seen any other Jim J' movies so I can not compare it to well in that respect.

I must agree with other reveiwers that the relationship that the main character Ghost Dog has with the Ice cream seller in the park is truly amazing and unique (to the film). A perfect example of the idea of total Zen, where for example two people are on the same level on which they have no need for the crude method of speech to come to an understanding.