Jim Jarmusch's 1999 film is set in Jersey City, telling the story of Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) an African American hit man who follows "Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai." His master Louie (John Tormey), who saved his life eight years ago, is part of the local mob. He hires Ghost Dog to take out Handsome Frank, a gangster who has been sleeping with the boss's daughter, but when he kills the target and leaves the girl alive, the trouble begins. He's expendable, despite his record of executing "twelve perfect hits". Ghost Dog is a man with a strict moral code, but if he refuses to harm some, it may come at the expense of himself, his master, and the young woman involved. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a highly original take on the classic action movie, incorporating Jarmusch's signature humor in a way that keeps the film fresh and entertaining.
Stylistically, the film is one of the most interesting to come to us in years- it's smooth, stylised and immaculate, utilizing Robby Muller's dark photography and the propulsive hip-hop soundtrack by the RZA to create the perfect atmosphere for the story's inhabitants. And what a strange atmosphere it is. Jarmusch has often said that he begins writing scripts by developing characters, creating plot later, and that fact is obvious (and not in a bad way) in this film. There's Ghost Dog himself, who communicates only through homing pigeons, the child he discusses literature with, and his best friend, a French-speaking Haitian immigrant who sells ice cream in the park. Who ever heard of a hit man who spent his free time eating a cone in the park? The main conflict stems from Ghost Dog's friction with the mob, but that all seems parenthetical in comparison to these relationships he forms, which make the movie. It's a bizarre movie, that's for sure, but I'm hard-pressed to think of a single detail I would consider changing.
Stylistically, the film is one of the most interesting to come to us in years- it's smooth, stylised and immaculate, utilizing Robby Muller's dark photography and the propulsive hip-hop soundtrack by the RZA to create the perfect atmosphere for the story's inhabitants. And what a strange atmosphere it is. Jarmusch has often said that he begins writing scripts by developing characters, creating plot later, and that fact is obvious (and not in a bad way) in this film. There's Ghost Dog himself, who communicates only through homing pigeons, the child he discusses literature with, and his best friend, a French-speaking Haitian immigrant who sells ice cream in the park. Who ever heard of a hit man who spent his free time eating a cone in the park? The main conflict stems from Ghost Dog's friction with the mob, but that all seems parenthetical in comparison to these relationships he forms, which make the movie. It's a bizarre movie, that's for sure, but I'm hard-pressed to think of a single detail I would consider changing.