Rating: 
Summary: good one!
Review: whatta movie. i didn't know what to expect when i walked into the movie theatre to see that movie for the 1st time (the only movie by jarmush i saw before was the kinda strange 'dead man'). ghost dog is not very usual either. its about the life of a killer who want's to live the 'samurai way'. hard to explain... it's such a cool movie - sometimes very funny, sometimes sad, a good soundtrack - AND: it really set me thinking...you gotta see it!
Rating:
Summary: Jim Jarmusch: The Way Of The Filmmaker.
Review: I was slightly disappointed after my first viewing of this movie, but have grown to like it more and more with each additional viewing. It's full of outstanding (often-understated) performances by the full cast with Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Isaach De Bankole and especially Camille Winbush standing out. There's also a great little cameo by Gary Farmer in which he states his races thoughts about "the white man" better in four words than others have in hundreds! The story is about as basic as they come -- an assassin for the mob is betrayed by them and seeks revenge --but seen through Jarmusch's camera it takes on new dimensions. You have a group of men living by one code colliding headfirst with an individual living by another code and something has to give. It's especially intriguing how both groups truly belong in another age -- and they all realize it. The picture is steeped in a mood that is taken to new levels by THE RZA's brilliant score. There is even a nod to the great director Sinjin Suzuki, in a scene that really makes no more sense here than it did in Suzuki's film, but brought a smile to my face none the less. The DVD contains a neat little documentary, a few interesting deleted scenes, a music video and an alterative audio track containing only the musical score. The only thing missing is a commentary track with Jarmusch himself. All in all another excellent release by writer/director Jim Jarmusch!
Rating: 
Summary: Split personality
Review: Is it an action movie, a comedy, or an art house entry. Good actors with a script that can't decide which way to go. Interesting try, but not a winner. (And why the last scene in the street?)
Rating:
Summary: Ghost Dog -- not to be viewed casually
Review: I liked this film. One of the great things about the films of Jim Jarmusch is that if one misses the black humor, which is what he is really doing, a person could still find something to take away from his pictures. Like most of Jarmusch's films, it is difficult to fit it into one tight category (like "Dead Man", his prior movie, was: a religious movie, a religious allegory, a western, and a black comedy.) Here we have the "gangster" movie, with elements of both the old-time organized crime Italian gangster movie and the more recent ghetto black gangster movie. "Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai" is also a homage to Akira Kurosawa: the quietness of a Kurosawa movie, the areas in his films where characters are not speaking but just contemplating . . . even with all the rap and hip-hop, one comes away remembering "Ghost Dog" as a quiet movie. Yet instead of the seven samurai we get one very funky samurai who steals high-priced cars with good stereo systems, picks fights with bear hunters to kill them, and swishes around a pistol with a long silencer instead of a sword. What we get seven of is clips from cartoons (including "Betty Boop", "Felix the Cat" and the fictitious cartoon "Itchy and Scratchy") as they are being viewed by mobsters who watch them, for the most part, with somber expressions -- as if they are watching something extremely serious. And they are right because something below the surface that is not particularly funny but prophetic is being relayed. The book "Rashomon" appears throughout the film and plays a big part in how one should view certain areas. In the first story in "Rashomon" (made into the famous movie by Kurosawa), several different accounts of the same incident are offered. In "Ghost Dog" there are two similar, but subtly different accounts, of how Ghost Dog was rescued by the mobster Louie, who he views from that point on as his "master". The viewer is inclined to believe Louie's less noble version of the event making Ghost Dog appear a little duped by his own faulty rendition, showing at least one aspect of his life based on a falsehood. How many other falsehoods he is operating under is left up to the viewer to decide. Despite all the allusions to Eastern thought, death, like in "Dead Man", is viewed in the tradition of Western theology. Death in Jarmusch's films is not a transition but an aberration. There is no such thing as death with dignity in the world he creates. In Jarmusch's films death robs the individual of everything he thought made him what he was up to that moment and leaves him looking completely ridiculous. There is nothing glamorous or noble in killing or being killed. Even Ghost Dog, who dies the most nobly of any character in the movie, is represented as being blown into the sun (obviously the rising sun symbol of Japan, the alleged source of his attitude on life) in the "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon being watched in the mobster's car.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent film
Review: The most amazing thing about this film is its pacing. I saw this in the theater and walked out of the film happier and more content than any film I've seen in the last year. The film's pacing is somewhat slow and deliberate, but at no time in the film was I bored. It was almost meditational. Absolutely excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Tres cool ... and far better than The Professional
Review: Jim Jarmusch is one helluva director. In 1995 he released "Dead Man", a stunning, trance-like western odyssey starring Johnny Depp and shot entirely in elegant black & white. This year we're treated to Jarmusch's new opus, Ghost Dog. A superbly balanced, intelligent, likeable art film, Ghost Dog reprises a timeless samurai plot -- noble fighter betrayed by less talented, lowbrow gangsters -- with a fresh hip hop take, and anchors it with Forrest Whittaker's utterly believable performance. Jarmusch uses humor wisely, thus avoiding the mistakes that plagued Luc Besson's tiresome, dreary The Professional. Realizing that bushido zealots risk coming across more pompous and self-important than a communist at a coffee lounge, Jarmusch cleverly balances out the movie with tongue in cheek mafia schtick, and a delicious line-up of offbeat characters. Ghost Dog is a winning film that deserves more commercial success. I can't wait to see what Jim Jarmusch creates next!
Rating:
Summary: Jim Jarmusch: The WAy Of The Filmmaker
Review: I was slightly disappointed after my first viewing of this movie, but have grown to like it better and better with each additional viewing. It's full of outstanding (often-understated) performances by all with Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Isaach De Bankole and Camille Winbush standing out. There's also a great cameo by Gary Farmer -- in which he states his races feeling about the 'white man' more honestly in four little words than others have in thousands. The story is about as basic as they come -- an assassin for the mob is betrayed by them and then seeks revenge -- but seen through Jarmusch's camera it takes on new dimensions. You have a group of men living by one code colliding headfirst with an individual living by another code and something has to give. It's especially intriguing how both the Gangsters and Ghost Dog truly belong in another age -- and they all realize it. The picture is steeped in a mood that is taken to new levels by THE RZA's brilliant score. There is even a nod to the great director, Seigun Suzuki, in a scene that really makes no more pratical sense here that it did in Suzuki's movie, but brought a smile to my face none the less. The best DVD extras are the documentory, the deleted scenes and the music only audio track. The only thing missing is a commentary track by Jarmusch himself. All in all another excellent release by writer/director Jim Jarmusch!
Rating: 
Summary: Ghost Dog - Not really that deep
Review: In general I was disappointed in the way this film progressed. That is, it seemed to be very linear. There were very few plot twists or complex points. The parallels made between the main character's lifestyle and that of a Samurai warrior via on-screen text were all one-to-one, simple comparisons. There wasn't much substance to the coincidences therein. Rather, when a Way of the Samurai quote was followed by its fulfillment through the actions of Whittaker, it was cliche and kind of one-dimensional, if not altogether weak. To me, it seemed an easy job to superimpose a criminal's actions over vague idioms such as those in the Hagakure. The irony the movie attempted to convey was lost somewhere in the shallow character development and ordinary cinematography. Just a sporadic dollop of unique camera angle up the drain pipe, or deep friendship transcending language barriers was too little to spread over 116 minutes of formulaically droll murders and poor acting. Not that Forrest Whittaker's acting was substandard, but he could have personally stretched much more than the script and production seemed to allow. Perhaps pairing him with better actors would have helped this movie, which I give two stars out of 4.
Rating:
Summary: Slow but Interesting Film!
Review: Recently there have been several American films that attempt to compare, contrast, and mix Asian and American culture. While films like the Corrupter and Romeo Must Die were good attempts I feel neither did the subject justice. In the case of those films looking at Chinese culture. Ghost Dog successfully does this with Japanese culture. Taking Japanese feudalism, Zen Buddhism and applying it to a modern day inner city hitman who works and then takes on the mob. In Japanese feudal society the Emperor was a figure head to the Shogun who really ran the show. Under the Shogun were Daimyo (Lords) who were the landowners. Under the Daimyo were the Samurai. The Samurai were loyal to their respective Daimyo. Samurai would rather face death or commit ritual suicide (seppuku) rather than fail or betray their daimyo. Samurai without Daimyo were looked down upon. These Samurai were Ronin. Ghost Dog deals with all of the above and applies it to the story of a hitman (Samurai) looking out for his boss (Daimyo). Interjected within the story are actual quotes from Japanese writings on the role of the Samurai. The film is slow at times. It is a very well done film. The acting is great. The music is perfect. But it is slow at times and that can make it tough to watch in spots. But other than some of the pacing its a brilliant movie. The DVD has some cool extra stuff. The film is definetly worth watching. The music is great and the DVD does have good stuff in addition to the film. But because the film is slow at times, I do not know if its the type of film you will watch over and over again. Therefore, I can't recommend buying it. Rent it, watch it, and see for yourself. Again, the film takes the Samurai and Japanese culture and adapt it very cleverly to modern times. An interesting concept and film. Forrest Whitaker is terrific.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Idea, BAD Movie
Review: To true action and mob movie fans, this movie is in a word, lame. Forrest's performance is nice, I liked him, but my GOD could the other actor's be more dry? I mean I could have read off the script as well at they. HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! I tried man, I really really tried to give it the benefit of the doubt, and it just got worse. It had SO much potential, the idea was SO great and the delivery was so poor. I cannot believe the number of people who liked it. Did they watch the same movie as me? Now, maybe, MAYBE, if the movie was a satire it would have made sense, but they were all being far too serious for that. If you want to see the worse action movie, ever. Be my guest. I mean The Black Mask was cheezy, I mean about a billion times more cheezy folks. It reeked of so much wanting to sound like he (the writer) knew what he was talking about and guess what, I read those books too. I could go on all day. Dead serious, this is a BAD movie. Horrible. Makes me shudder just to think of it.
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