Review: Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai

Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (1999):

Synopsis – Ghost Dog is hitman who lives by a self-imposed code, modeled after the ways of the samurai. After fulfilling a job for his boss, he finds that his bosses boss in none too happy, and that he is now squarely in the sights of a group of rather inept mobsters.

Starring - Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Isaach De Bankole, the cast is wide and varied and awesome.

I don’t want to jump to any crazy conclusions, but I think I might love Jim Jarmusch. Wait, let me rephrase that. I might love Jim Jarmusch’s directing style. Of his films that I have seen, a dark sense of humor is consistently felt throughout each narrative. The first of his films that I saw was Broken Flowers. I remember I was still madly in love with Lost in Translation and walked into the movie expecting more of the same, simply because it starred Bill Murray. I HATED Broken Flowers. I had not yet reached the ability to tell the difference between and actor’s style and the director that made the film. Sofia Coppola and Jim Jarmusch, I know now, are two directors playing in completely different playgrounds. So now I love Jarmusch movies, so I guess I owe Broken Flowers a rewatch. Also… I think I gave away my review already. Read it anyway, please?

What I Liked:

-This movie is funny. So many goofy, off the wall things happen in this film I often found myself chuckling. Whether it’s the stereotypical Italian mobsters interacting with each other or Ghost Dog talking with his French pal in the park there was just a lot of funny being thrown around. A lot of funny action happened too. Ghost Dog somehow comes off as a pro despite being overweight and not particularly fast. When you see Forrest Whittaker walking down the street with his bounding pace, somehow blending into the background everywhere he goes, that is funny enough alone.

-I really like the way Jarmusch handles a story. He doesn’t shy away from details, like mobsters watching old cartoons or Ghost Dog repeating his habits when lifting a vehicle (I mean stealing a car, not literally lifting a vehicle like Hercules). This emphasizes humanity in my opinion, making these characters more than characters. Making them people.

What I Didn’t Like:

-You know, even though I am pouring on the praise and saying how much I love Jarmusch, this movie isn’t very important. I wasn’t looking for transcendence when I sat down to watch this, and I didn’t get it. I got perfectly decent movies that happened to tickle my funny bone. That’s all I need sometimes.

What I Hated:

-Once again, not hatred here.

Verdict:

This movie isn’t for everyone, so please, if you decided to watch this based on my praised be prepared to hate it, not me. I had a lot of fun with it, and I will watch it again over the years I’m sure. It is just a weird little dark comedy with a lot of style.