• Genre: Crime
• MPAA Rating: R
• AMG Rating:
• Regional Coding:
  Unspecified

A surreal crime drama told as only Jim Jarmusch could, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai stars Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a hit man living in an unidentified but run-down city in what license plates call "The Industrialized State." Known for his gift of being able to come and go without people noticing him, Ghost Dog is a self-taught samurai who is obsessed with order and his strict personal moral code, drawn from the philosophies of the Japanese warriors. As every samurai needs a leader to whom he swears loyalty, Ghost Dog has devoted himself the service of Louie (John Tormey), a low-level crime boss who once saved his life. When Louie's superiors decide he must be executed, Ghost Dog leaps into action, methodically wiping out his many enemies. Along with a dizzying series of stylized shoot-outs, Ghost Dog also features carrier pigeons, characters who read Rashomon, a French-speaking ice cream man, and a score by RZA from the top-selling hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, who have their own well-documented obsession with Asian culture. Ghost Dog was screened in competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Bonus Features

• 30-minute special feature: "The Odyssey: The Journey into the Life of a Samurai"
• Deleted scenes
• Music video
• Isolated music score
• 16:9 widescreen
• 5.1 Dolby Digital audio
• Trailers and TV spots
• Cast and crew information
• Digitally mastered
• Scene access
• Interactive menus

Actors

Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman, Henry Silva, Isaach de Bankolé, Frank Minucci, Tricia Vessey, Victor Argo, Gene Ruffini, Richard Portnow, Camille Winbush

Director

Jim Jarmusch

Producer

Richard Guay, Jim Jarmusch

Graphic Violence, Profanity

• Sound : DD5.1
• Language :
• Subtitles :

• Screen : WSE
• Dar : 1.33:1

Review

From Stranger Than Paradise on, cities in Jim Jarmusch films have been a place where disparate elements and various cultures come into contact, and occasionally into conflict, with one another. Ghost Dog is the director's most explicit examination of this vision, its central character born into one culture, expressing a strong elective affinity toward another, and indentured to yet a third. Where some directors would have used the set up to explore a sense of postmodern confusion, Jarmusch is clearly fascinated with the syncretism at work. It helps that he has an actor as thoughtful and effective as Forest Whitaker in the lead role, conveying a strange mixture of melancholy and professional pride as he goes about his business. In addition to comparing two endagered, honor-bound ways of life -- Mafia and samurai -- Ghost Dog's profession also allows Jarmusch to continue the commentary on American violence initiated in 1995's Dead Man. When Ghost Dog kills, the director portrays the violence unflinchingly, not willing to compromise his vision of the character. Does his life of violence simply echo his environment? Does his philosophical foundation justify his way of life, or does he use it merely to excuse his choices? As usual, Jarmusch's deadpan approach leaves it to viewers to fill in the blanks, and as usual his unwillingness to supply the answers contributes greatly to the impact of the film. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide

• Release Date : August 14, 2001
• Length : 116 Minutes
• Dvdsides : 1
• Dvddiscs : 1
• Upc : 012236114895