Ghost Dog-Way Of The Samurai

1.5 Stars (out of four)

Ghost Dog is one of those movies that is universally hailed by critics as being one of those once-in-a-long-time flicks that transcends genre and is a truly original.  However, that is not always a good thing. This is one of those flicks I have wanted to see for a long time because of the non-stop praise for it.  Many lists put it in one of the best films of the 90's.  I also like Forest Whittaker, despite the fact he is now one of those really pompous actor-artistes.  My first clue about this film, though, should have been that it was written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, who has made some of the strangest damn films, period.  This is, after all, the same guy who wrote Dead Man, Coffee and Cigarettes, and Broken Flowers.  And he is another one of the most pompous director-artistes out there.

The story is really not all that complicated.  Ghost Dog is a gritty, urban drama where Forest Whittaker plays Ghost Dog, an inner-city assassin who lives by the code of the samurai.  He was saved as a younger man when a mafioso saw some toughs beating on him.  The mafioso saw what was going on and saved him by killing his attackers.  Ghost Dog then offers his services to the mafioso as payment for his debt.  The film opens when he is on a contract.  After he kills his target, the mob bosses for some reason feel they have to kill him.  This isn't explained why.  They fail, and Ghost Dog goes on a killing spree to kill all those responsible for trying to kill him.  It ends up with a showdown where Ghost Dog is killed.  The end.

The movie is well-shot and does have great atmosphere.  But that is not reason enough to like a film.  The film is also a very interesting genre mishmash of the gritty urban drama, the samurai film, the revenge drama, and the western.  It is a beautiful film, invocative of a time and place, and I think they really had something in mind when they made it, but damned if I can figure out what it is.  So if you want to see a well-crafted film (the ONLY reason I gave this 1.5 stars), it really is worth a look.  But otherwise, I thinks it's a waste of time.  It is interesting, but in the end, not that good.