Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

1999 Crime Drama

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. more..

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Starring: Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Henry Silva, Cliff Gorman, Isaach De Bankole

Reviews

  • Jim Jarmusch has come up with something strange and amazing.

    Bob Graham - The San Francisco Chronicle

    11 May 2013

  • The result has the dingy grace of pigeons flying across an urban wasteland.

    Ty Burr - Entertainment Weekly

    11 May 2013

  • Weirdly intriguing.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    11 May 2013

  • It's fun, but not obvious fun.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    11 May 2013

  • Whitaker's acting is highly creative and Jarmusch's filmmaking is as elegant and original as ever.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    11 May 2013

Awards

  • Best Home Video Release

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2001)

     
  • Best Film Poster

    Black Reel Awards (2001)

     
  • Robby Müller

    Camerimage (1999)

     
  • Jim Jarmusch

    Cannes Film Festival (1999)

     
  • Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger)

    César Awards, France (2000)