Rent Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Bizarre - you'll either love it or hate it - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai review by RP

What a very strange film. I understand that it has achieved something of a cult status and I'm not surprised. The characters in it are governed by two different codes, sort of Samurai v Mafia and it's all about trust, loyalty and betrayal. The Ghost Dog character (played by Forest Whitaker) believes he owes a debt to one mafioso (Louie, played by John Tormey) whom he believes saved his life. But (in an echo of Rashomon) each character sees a different version of this event... Ghost Dog's best friend is a Haitian ice-cream seller who speaks only French and Ghost Dog speaks only English – yet they manage to understand each other. The film covers not only this communication and friendship, but also violence, revenge, racism – and yet it's all played with a tongue-in-cheek humour. From the bizarre premise that Ghost Dog is a somewhat portly yet efficient hit-man who communicates only by carrier pigeon, you can see that this is most definitely a weird film – in fact, the kind you ether love or hate. I'm still undecided, so I 'll give it 3/5 stars – but it may be worth 4...

samurai from the streets - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai review by CP Customer

One of my favourite films. Its got a bit of everything I like and more besides. Part gangster movie part martial arts movie with a lot of comedy and philosophy thrown in. Its beautifully shot and acted and manages to make something unique out of familiar elements.

Black comedy, style, cool soundtrack but its also a film with heart. Kicks ass all round!

Design for Living - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai review by Steve

Mystical gangster/black comedy hybrid which generates Jim Jarmusch's usual surge of irony and eccentricity. Forest Whitaker stars as a mafia hitman who takes his doctrine from a 17th century Samurai, which gives him the discipline and self-respect missing from the mob and his ghetto brothers.

But this is merely a first impression. Gradually the etiquette which appears to set him apart from the moral and urban decay is revealed to be an insane obsession. The code cannot raise him above the street sickness. Whitaker does well to make the ruthless, violent assassin even halfway appealing.

There is an overload of popular culture with the cartoons watched by the idiot mob goons, plus Ghost Dog's reading list, including the Rashomon story which offers some commentary on the action. And Jarmusch references screen gangster classics, most obviously Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï (1967).

There's the urban sadness of neo-noir, augmented by a funk/hiphop soundtrack from RZA. The mafia loves rap. And there's some reflection on modern tribal subcultures. It comes towards the close of the director's period as an arthouse superstar and it's not quite his best; but still a unique, cultish genre mashup.

* Includes racist language.