Rating: 
Summary: cool
Review: i liked this movie because it's unlike any other movie. it's weird , gritty , and kinda darkly sweet. it all goes together pretty well and the charector development rocks.
Rating: 
Summary: Faintly engaging but very stupid
Review: Another film that pinches the core idea of Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Samourai". This one is not very good. Gangster action meets cod Eastern philosophy. As gangster action movies go, it's pretty weak. The gangsters are all moronic stooges and there's little excitement or suspense in watching our hero wipe them out. And as for being deep... oh please. Forest Whitaker is suitably cool in the lead role but the question that presses inescapably is simply: if this extraordinarily capable fellow is really supposed to be so spiritual and full of wisdom why is he spending his time working as a hit man, murdering people at the service of a cheap hood. (Yes, I know, the latter saved his life in a moment of good Samaritanism, but why not do what you or I would do: say Thank You, send the man a nice case of malt whisky and go get a proper job?) Moral illiteracy of this order is not even faintly cool, something this, all style, no substance movie, is trying far too hard to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: Four star movie. Brilliantly directed and acted. Great script, score (RZA) and cinematography. Loved this movie. Best appreciated if you've seen Suzuki's work like Branded To Kill or japanese samurai flicks and 1970's spaghetti westerns. It would make a great double feature with Kill Bill and The Limey.
Rating:
Summary: Whitaker delivers
Review: one of the best Forest Whitaker movies period, I mean hes had some movies that sorta werent as good but this one is great and he fits, acts out and delivers teh performance of Ghost Dog straight on. the mafia men are great and so is Isaach De Bankole as Raymond the french ice cream man. some good action but then the rest drags long. passages from the book Whitaker is reading are sprinkled throughout the movie which gives it life. funny scenes would have to be Whitaker and Banokle's conversations, they are great. for fans of Jim the director or Whitaker fans or fans of the old movie stars.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect In Every Way
Review: After seeing all of Jim Jarmusch's films, I have to admit not a single one of them is easy to watch. All of them are boring and slow, but I love them anyway. Unlike all his earlier work, Ghost Dog is easily accessible yet still definitely a "Jim" movie.
The subtle beauty of this movie is quickly realized within the first few minutes of the film. The start of this film is much like his earlier works, usually showing a run down part of a town with music playing overtop. They seem to be the only shots he uses that have panning and movement with the camera. After knowing his work, you realize this is because he hates showing the audience what to look at. It is just one of the few things Jarmusch does that makes him the best. But, back to the music. Of all the soundtracks that he has had in the past 20 years, I must admit this one is the best. He allows RZA (from Wu Tang Clan fame) to add music that enhances every scene, which is different from what he normally does. These tracks are all awesome, varying from an outright Gangsta Rap song to the weirdest jazz ever created.
The rest of the movie is beautiful in every way. Jarmusch once again uses poetry to create visuals that go along with his beautiful dialogue. This movie probably has the most dialogue of any of his movies, yet it still isn't much. There are things that take getting used to and seem like they are not important to the plot, but for some reason they are just really great scenes. A good example of this is the scene when Ghost Dog and his Haitian friend (who knows why Jarmusch made him not be able to communicate with his best friend?) are watching a man build a boat in an alley for no apparent reason. There seems to be no logic to this scene, yet it has a certain charm that just adds character to all his films.
This, like a lot of Jarmusch movies, creates a movie that brings together many different aspects never put together before. In this, he combines Eastern Philosphy, The Dying Mob Scene, and the Hip Hop generation all into one story. That is something no director could pull off in a two hour movie.
As for the rest of this movie, I can't say enough. With things like mobsters watching old (and a few Itchy & Scratchy) cartoons that seem to be foreshadowing, how can you go wrong? Plus, the addition of carrier pigeons as communication, GENIUS! You must understand that this movie is probabaly his funniest yet (tied with Dead Man) with the addition of Rapping Mob bosses and overall beautiful acting. Robbie Muller once again proves why he's the best filmographer in the business, Forest Whitaker finally gets a role that he deserves, and Jim Jarmusch strengthens his greatness with another masterpiece to add to his library.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious understated Brilliance
Review: This film is a supremely poignant, brilliant, yet understated comedy. We look at this world through the prism of honor and through it is revealed the bittersweet absurdity of existence. The commonplace becomes comedy and gangsters become human instead of grotesque violent entities. The world is a dreamlike place in the eyes of a man confident of his place in the world and all things boil down to their essence;which seems to be good despite the painful outcome. Yet the film is never heavy. Indeed it is a comic masterpiece with every actor playing with dead on accuracy. The masterpiece of a soundtrack by RZA rounds out this excellent film.
Rating:
Summary: Deep
Review: What goes around, comes around - is the message I got from this flic. As with all of Jim Jarmuch's work, I love this movie despite the violence aspect, which is integral to its message of loyalty, karma, and integrity. Excellent integration and creative interpretation of New Jersey street justice, Italian mafia code, and Japanese samurai philosophy. Quietly compelling. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: moral codes
Review: The title character is caught on the horns of a dilemma: does he defend his life or does he live what's left of it according to the little book of samurai code that has served as his moral compass? The movie describes how a very alone (but probably not lonely) man practices years of loyalty to a criminal who saved his life as a teenager. He finds moral authority, and therefore meaning for his life, from a book of samurai code that he reads and reflects on throughout the film. The movie follows a couple weeks in Ghost Dog's life when we see him make several choices about his power to kill or nurture others who live outside the code, to evade or adhere to the code. I think the movie asks the viewer to wonder about the meaning of life or the moral codes of those who kill other people today. What are the rules they live by? What would they say is their authority for choosing who lives and dies?
We might think of moral codes as good, but this movie shows that orthodox practice of a moral code can require the practitioner to destroy himself. The soundtrack is amazing; moody and evocative of Ghost Dog's simple, analytical, reflective, and effective path.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: This movie would have to be just about my all time favourite movie. I work in a video rental store, so I consider myself to be a bit of a movie fanatic, I have seen many movies of many many genres. The first time I saw this movie, I was hooked and could not stop watching it. I would highly reccomend this movie to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Genuine.
Review: Forest Whitaker is one of my favorite actors. This film offers plenty, from murder scenes to deep and ancient eastern philosophies to exciting grand theft auto moments. The music was done by Wu Tang heavyweight The Rza. Ghost Dog is one of those movies where you actually take something from it and/or see something in the characters that you see in yourself and/or others. Forest Whitaker does a wonderful job in potraying an elusive hit man for the mob who adopts an eastern samurai philosophy and implements this into his daily life. Rza's beats compliment this cold and tragic yet rugged film in all it's emotions. The cast for the mob aren't big time hollywood faces that you would normally associate with crime families and I enjoyed it. This film will not dissapoint you, buy it.
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