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Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai (1999)
Front Cover Actor
Victor Argo Vinny
Bankol
Cliff Gorman Sonny Valerio
Richard Portnow Handsome Frank
Joe Rigano
Gene Ruffini Old Consigliere
Henry Silva Vargo
John Tormey Louie
Tricia Vessey Louise Vargo
Camille Winbush
Forest Whitaker
Dennis Liu
Frank Minucci
Frank Adonis
Isaach de Bankole
Movie Details
Genre Action; Crime; Drama
Director Jim Jarmusch
Studio Artisan
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 116 mins
Country France
Color Color
Plot
Forest Whitaker makes an unlikely modern samurai with his laser-sighted pistols, shabby street clothes, and oddly graceful gait--but then Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is an unusual film. Quirky, contemplative, and at times absurd, it's just the kind offbeat vision we've come to expect from the fiercely independent Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man). Whitaker is Ghost Dog, a mysterious New York hit man who lives simply on a tenement rooftop and follows a code of behavior outlined in Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (passages of this book are interspersed throughout the film). When the local mob marks him for death in a complicated code of Mafiosi-style honor, Ghost Dog sends a cryptic message to his foes. "That's poetry. The poetry of war," remarks mobster Henry Silva, with sudden respect upon reading the verse. He could be describing the ethereal beauty of Jarmusch's vision, full of wonderful imagery (a night drive across town seems to float in time) and off-center humor. Though it briefly stalls in a series of assassinations (Jarmusch is no action director), it settles back into character-driven drama in a quietly epic showdown, equal parts samurai adventure, spaghetti western, and existential crime movie. The film is likely too unconventional and offbeat for general audiences, but cult-movie buffs and Jarmusch fans will appreciate his idiosyncratic vision. He finds a strange sense of honor in the clash of Old World traditions, and salutes his heroes with a skewed but sincere respect. --Sean Axmaker
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 313
Collection Status In Collection
Location Home
Owner EMacgregor
Links Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Fr
User Lookup 1 DivX6
User Text 1 En Fr
Product Details
Format DVD
Region 2
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
UPC (Barcode) 012236114895
Release Date 14/08/2001
Audio Tracks English Dolby Digital 5.1
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1