Rating: 
Summary: one of the most underrated movies I have ever seen
Review: I liked this film very much because it really goes deep into the main character's mind. Like all hit men, Ghost Dog leads a solitary and simple life, but what makes him special is that he's very reflective and dedicated to the code of the samurai. Throughout the film, various excepts from the Hagakure text are flashed on the screen whenever Ghost Dog ponders on them. These excepts from Hagakure will have you pondering as well because the ones that are flashed are very profound. When I rented this movie, I rewinded over some of the quotes several times and although I took the video back yesterday, I still find myself thinking about the quotes over and over again. My favorite quotes are the first one regarding meditating on a violent and brutal death and the one about two things becoming one. As a muslim, I can tell you that most of the quotes are consistent with what one would find in the Qur'aan or in the Hadiths.
Rating:
Summary: F'king Genious
Review: I saw Ghost Dog 4 times. It really defys genre description. If you try to comfortably sit it in a box; action, comedy, drama, gangster flick, philosphical discourse, you will immediately have problems with this film. It is all of these, and none of these. It also defys some logic. It's a brilliant movie, but since it has a hard time being categorized, you'll probably see mainstream moviegoers, or people with an inability to think or view things abstractly or on different levels not liking it. It's a gutsy move, and one that is terribly lacking in an industry that usually rehashes old formulas.Most pressing is the assassin's relationships with his mafioso boss (retainer) and also with his best friend. Interestingly enough, Whittaker and his best friend/ice cream man, never actually understand each other through the entire film. On the other hand, they understand each other perfectly. I've also read the actual book, Hagakure. Quite honestly, it's as weird an eclectic mix as the movie is. On the outside it really is an odd book of philosophy. Ancient Japan, viewed from a western eye, was a strange, odd, mishmash of contradiction, honor, respect and seemingly lots of unnecessary sacrifice and killing, and although the movie alters a bit on certain aspects of the book, it does capture the essence of it overall.
Rating:
Summary: Surreal and entertaining
Review: This was another gem from the director Jim Jarmusch, who previously brought us the incredibly underrated zen spaghetti western Dead Man. Which mixes some of the same elements, taking several genres, and blending them together in a believable and respectful way. Forest Whitaker is playing the main character. A street punk who follows a bushido code and considers himself a modern day samurai. He lives his life by this strict code of honor, and has pledged his life to a mobster who saved his life. So he works for this made guy as a contract killer. Never questioning the reasons for his killings, just like a samurai, there is no good and evil. You follow your the will of your master to the death. Through all this you definitely get the feeling that he is alone in this world of his, duty is what concernes him. His only friend is an ice cream vendor that doesn't speak english, just french, which Forest Whittakers character doesn't. The second part of this film is the Mafia themself. A comical group of broken down gangsters who are starting to show their age. They are having trouble making their bills, and are suffering from internal conflicts. Obviously their glory days are long gone, and they seem to be waiting for the inevitable. This movie blends to the two genres well, making them both entertaining and believable for the premise. As we all know the Mafia lost most of it power through the late 70' to the mid 90's. They show this with the age of the mobsters and the fact that they can't even make their bills. The Bushido code wasn't practiced on a grand scale since World War 2 with the Japanese, when they lost a lot of that started to dissappear from their culture. So you have two groups that were once held a great deal of power and respect, but now are a shadow of themeselves, being slowly forgotten. He also manages to make this as surreal as his previous pictures. Not like the sledgehammer to head stylings of Greg Arraki, or force fed surrealism of David Lynch, but more subtle. Lots of people watch cartoons, there are silent interludes where ambiant soundtracks play and you just feel the intestiy of the main character. Cartoons also play a major role, though that is best seen rather than described. All in all it is a very good movie. Be warned it isn't an action movie, dont' expect any John Woo style gun fights or sword wielding killers, that isn't what this is about. It is something deeper and more introspective.
Rating:
Summary: Jarmusch at His Best
Review: The Dean of Independent Cinema, Jim Jarmusch, has always given us shockingly realistic and terrific films, but Ghost Dog is, in my opinion, truly his best. Forest Whitaker shines bright as the hitman Ghost Dog, a very noble and loyal man who lives his life by the code of the Samurai. Even though he is a killer, he looks at life in a differant way. Everything is meant to be in his life, which he seems to believe follows fate. The various mobsters are hilarious sendups of the very serious characters that have been created in Scorcese films and the Sopranos. Sonny Valerio, who loves the old school rapper Flava Flav is quite honestly one of the funniest characters in any film this year. Jarmusch has always been big on style and intelligence, and this film does not lack in either of the categories. His camera is graceful and deliberate and the pure genius that went into the script is incomperable. Everything in this movie, from the action scenes to the various interludes involving making silencers and electronic equipment used to break into cars is very, very smart. Even the parts of the film that deal with the importance and beauty of animals and nature are stunning and terrific. It's a wonder that Jarmusch hasn't been swallowed up by Hollywood yet. I cannot recommend this film more, but, like many of my fellow reviewers have said, many viewers will not like this film. It doesn't appeal to everyone and that is truly a shame. The story will not relate to many people, and that is bad for this movie. Only one word can be described when telling someone about Jarmusch's latest: great.
Rating: 
Summary: You'll love it or hate it
Review: There have been many mixed reviews about this movie. Some people have loved it while others have scratched their heads. Jarmusch has packed artistic themes and mob action into a single flick; but if you do not enjoy interpreting artistic poignancies in movies then this is not for you. I personally loved the interaction between Ghost Dog and the french speaking ice cream man. Here is a man who has disciplined himself to the lonely existence of a near Ronin Samurai who's only friend speaks no English, yet they seem to understand and even parrot each other. Also, some of the hit scenes at the end were just marvelous in their clevernous. I for one loved this movie for both the theme and Forest Whitaker's acting. If you look for Rambo in a movie, stay away. If you like movies such as the Big Lebowski and Being John Malkovich, then you'll probably like this.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, could have been great
Review: I liked this movie for the most part but it was the ending that put me off. I really did not want to see Ghost Dog die in that way, at the hands of a white man who did not understand him or his philosophy. I wish that Forrest Whitaker's character could have shown more determination to fight and survive, with more of what the samurai author of Hagakure would have called "martial valor". But then isn't it the juxtaposition of the cold, efficient samurai code with this gentle, somewhat bemused giant part of what makes the film interesting? Come to think of it, the samurai were more concerned with an honourable death than with mere survival. A better ending, at least for me, would have had Ghost Dog choosing, at the very last moment, to survive rather than follow the samurai code into the grave.
Rating:
Summary: "Samurai Conscious Hitman"
Review: Wicked soundtrack! Wu-Tang Clan ain't nuthing to F... with. I can say I apprecaited this movie alot more the 2nd and 3rd time around. "If a warrior's head were to be suddenly cut off, he should still be able to perform one more action with certainty." Love the quotes and the Samurai way of life references. You'll either like this movie or think it's corny, my partna's thought the latter, too bad I loved it. Gonna watch it again soon. Forest Whitaker does an awesome job playing a Samurai Conscious Hit Man.
The soundtrack is cool, love the part when Ghost Dog steals this Lexus and pops in his C.D and drives around digging his reggae beats. Definetly not a mainstream action flick. Love the urban vibes,(brutha's sitting on a park bench rapping to the beat of Reakwon's Ice Cream. Some bad acting (Mafia Dudes)in this movie. It's an unique movie check it out.
Rating:
Summary: Something different
Review: This is definitely not a mainstream action movie, and there were parts when the mafia guys had some bad acting. I stayed interested and thought it was definitely a unique film, definitely worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This movie is one of the best movies i've seen in a long time. Forest Whitaker does a exellent job, playing a New York modern Hitman. The movie has a exellent handling that open your eyes, even though some scenes are pretty stupid. One negative thing about this movie is that the so called Mob is very silly, and not like the real gangsters that controlls the streets. The RZA did a exellent score to this movie, the hiphopbeats with an eastern asian influence makes the movie very jiggy eventhough it has a tragical handling.
Rating:
Summary: There is only one way to describe this movie: GREAT!
Review: This is a very good movie. It's like a mix between the TV-show THE SOPRANOS and a good hitman-movie (which I haven't seen one before I saw this) and it's placed in the urban ghetto, with a cool black guy as it's front-figure (played excellent by Forest Whitaker. If u are a hiphop-fan this is a very special treat, the music is composed by Wu-Tang member RZA (who also composed Tarantino's Kill Bill) and RZA does some of his best works in this movie. If you are looking for straight action a'la Ninja stuff u might wanna go see KILL BILL instead, becouse this is a more realistic movie which could happen in real life, and it's more of drama flick than action. The movie is about this hitman called Ghost Dog who's only friend (besides his birds) is a french guy who doesn't speak any english and Ghost doesn't speak any french neither but they get along fine even though they don't understand each-others words they still think alike... I don't wanna say TOO much about the movie, since I think it's better if u watch the movie yourself... I think that theyre are 2 types of people those who love this movie and thos who hates it...
Id don't know, all I know is I LOVE IT
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