Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: When I saw a preview for this movie in the theatres, I literally laughed at it. It seemed so silly: Forest Whitaker as a samurai? But afterwards, I read some reviews for it here at Amazon.com and decided to pick it up on a lark. I was pleasantly suprised to discover my [money] hadn't been wasted. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai sucessfully mixes Eastern philosophy and hip-hop culture, art, (some) comedy and action (although it wouldn't at all be fair to call this an action movie), and some good dialouge as well as excellent acting all around. My only problem with the movie, which kept it from getting 5 stars was some overly silly and/or confusing scenes. But overall, its a very good movie I'd recommend to anyone whos looking for an un-Hollywood movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing and slow
Review: I saw this on a movie channel and was very surprised to find out later it was a Jarmusch movie. It's a pale [copy] of "The Professional" really, with only limited action and a lot of long sequences where the lead character just drives around. His whole life doesn't make much sense either; a rather overweight black man living by the samurai code with a small-time Italian mafioso as a lord? There are no real relationships to explore here (his best friend doesn't even speak English), and several side sequences that seem just thrown in for effect (a man building a boat on a roof with no way to get it down). The ending just seems to be necessary to terminate the movie. I never could figure out why the mafia guys wanted to hit the Ghost Dog character in the first place, or why they tried to hit his "retainer" and then take him back into the inner circle in the next scene. What? They changed their mind?
Rating: 
Summary: an intorduction to a new world of film........
Review: This film first caught my attention as a trailer I saw when I was at the theater awating the start of The Blair Witch Project. It appeared interesting at the time but I didn't see this film until i rented it at the local library,remembering the trailer I witnessed at the movie theater.
I didnt't know what to expect but I did notice immediately that the movie began rather slowly but featured very elegant and awesome camera work during the opening camera sequence. The story picks up after some time as I became aware of the protaganist,(who is played buy Forest Whitaker, giving a great performance), Ghost Dog- a pseudonym being dervied from his reputation as doing professional work,"like a ghost", and "untraceable". Ghost Dog is a professional killer who lives by the code of the Samurai of Feudal Japan. Ghost Dog is a retainer to Louie, whom is a member of a dysfunctional mafia, and serves him as an assassin. Throughout the movie Ghost Dog shows Louie absoulte loalty, like a the Samurai showing the same towards his overlord.
After watching the film I wasn't sure whether or not I liked it. This was the first film I had seen by Jim Jarmusch and I had never see anything as strange and unique as this film. The movie was very unique and different. I rented it again because it had intrigued me the first time i saw it. This time I surely had a liking for it. The acting was amazing and I loved the dialoge. The camera work was also very good. I was alos drawn to the main character and I felt some sort of connection. He was soft spoken, a reader, and kept to himself for the most part. (His only "friend" being an Ice Cream vender who only spoke French".)He was also a human being a seemed "real". Even the apparent alienation of the characters of the film had appealed to me and helped give Ghost Dog its bizzare and strange feeling. Even the large "hip-hop" influence of the film was tolerable for me- obvisouly I'm not a fan of the music but some of the beats I did like.
If you want something different, try this movie
Rating:
Summary: a really great movie
Review: This is one of those movies that you watch and walk out wondering what just went on. After seeing it the first time, I really couldn't make any judgement whether or not I liked it or not, but it was interesting enough for me to go back and rent it. There's a lot a here and it really is a great movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Tale of the Dog: Delightful and Bewildering
Review: This is my first encounter with a Jim Jarmusch movie, and I have to ask those who've walked his paths before: are his movies always this disjointed? Do they always mix and match tone and theme, creating strange and wondrous (and confusing) dichotomies? Is sadness always so easily mixed with silly laughter? If so, I think I'll take more walks down Jarmusch Way, for "Ghost Dog", despite some oddball flaws, sure had me entertained.Its basic conceit is this: in the modern, urban world, one must follow the tenets of the samurai in order to survive, and thrive. It's the only way to kill or be killed, without bringing pain upon oneself. I thought that Jarmusch missed the boat in terms of allowing this idea to prosper. Even though he liberally quotes from the Hagakure ("The Book of the Samurai") before every scene, most of the tenets it espouses appear to be mere fashion tips, i.e., how to look like a bad mutha when walking through the neighbourhood. That being said, Jarmusch does succeed in allowing the Hagakure's ideas to prosper in the choice and direction of his lead actor Forest Whitaker is successful in his portrayal of Ghost Dog. He moves slowly. His lazy left eye, usually a distraction, is used to great effect here, showing his relaxed, Zen nature. And when practicing his sword work on the rooftops of New York, Whitaker, a beefy man, moves with the grace and agility of a cat. My favourite part of his work, the physicality of which was stunning, was how he'd re-holster his guns: he'd swirl them around as if they were samurai swords looking for a sheath. Except for some laid-back narration, the role is nearly silent. Whitaker plays this silence well, allowing his expressions or his body language to tell a further story. When he does interact with people, the results can be hit or miss, but it's always unusual. His best friend, a Haitian ice cream man, speaks only French (usually through a megaphone). But the two men appear able to communicate with each other perfectly, without even knowing that they are. These scenes provide a light touch that became tiresome after awhile, but still provided the film with some fine comic moments. Other scenes, involving a curious little girl, allow Whitaker to show Ghost Dog's tender side. Their scenes together are touching. It's a typical Beauty and the Beast scenario, where she is able to cut through his gruff veneer to the gentleness that lives beneath. And Ghost Dog's moments with Louie, a mobster who once saved his life and who now employs him as a hit man (a relationship that sets up the movie's narrative thrust, if a movie like this can be said to have a narrative thrust), go well beyond the you-saved-me-so-now-I'm-in-your-debt cliches, to create something truly ridiculous. Louie is a man of tremendous ennui, who can barely muster the energy to react to horrific situations anymore (it's actually funny to see how quickly he becomes resigned to his fate, when a hit goes wrong and his bosses want to take it out on him). He can't be blamed, however, for the group of mobsters that he works for and with are a buffoonish bunch. Their a very dim gang who can't shoot straight, fitting all the mob stereotypes of more serious movies (fat, Italian men, who favour fancy suits or track suits, gaudy glasses, lacquered hair, giant Cadillacs). Only they hang around their social club/hideout watching cartoons all day (on a side note: watch how the actions in the cartoons always translate to action in real life for these men, as if they are taking advice on how to live from Merry Melodies!). It felt like Jarmusch was trying to throw a little mob-as-morons parody into his samurai flick. They provided comic relief (one high-ranking mobster confounds his colleagues and the audience by breaking into a Flavor Flav rap!), and only sporadically took away from the solemnity of the film's themes. The film's score, provided by Wu Tang Clan's RZA, is probably it's most unique feature (or at least that's how it was hyped). Comprised of laid back hip-hop beats, it was effective and understated in helping to establish moods (like a good score should). And at times it gives the film, which had a tendency to meander off-track, a solid pocket of groove to jam over. Some people thought this film was too long. I didn't. A character like this needs a certain languid pacing to come off properly. He is thoughtful and unhurried, and the film should be as well. Just don't expect the story to move forward with any urgency, and I assure you that "Ghost Dog" will be a rewarding, if at times bewildering, experience.
Rating:
Summary: this movie tries too hard
Review: This movie tries too hard, it straddles the line between being too much of a cliche and overdoing the effort to be unique. The Italian characters were more detrimental than positive with their attempts at humor and bumbling incompetence. Also, the movie tries to take on too many roles at the same time--a black man who listens to hip-hop, reads a lot, studies the way of the Samurai, employed by the mafia, befriends a little girl and a French-speaking ice cream salesman, and lives on the roof of an apartment building beside a pigeon coop. A lot of potential but I think all those different elements pull the movie in too many directions at the same time. If you want to see a beautifully done movie of this genre, see "The Professional."
Rating:
Summary: Almost a great film. Almost
Review: The italian actors screw up an otherwise wonderful film. I don't like hip hop, but i suffered through it. I love the main character. Very good acting job by Whittaker.
Rating:
Summary: True to the kono hagakure
Review: A vision of the hidden leaves. Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Stunned
Review: This movie was unbelievable. Character definiton was unreal and complete! There was more depth to this story than to the bottom of the ocean. It's very hard to resist running to a book store to get Art of War, or the Way of the Samurai or something... I thought this movie had a lot of integrity! No cheese, no filler, just a Ghost Dog. Complete. Uncut. Uncensored. Whole. Undisturbed. Sort of.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: Ghost Dog suprised me really. I thought I'd be dissapointed, but after viewing the movie, it became one of my favorites.
Set in New Jersey, a black man who lives as a 20th century samurai is called on by a gangster. Ultimately, something goes bad and the samurai-ish hitman becomes the target.
Sounds pretty cheasy, but it's not. The gangsters are portrayed very accurately. No ponytail clad pretty boys with Armani suits and Uzis. No, it's actually more like the Sopranos in that regard.
And the protagonist, this black ninja, isn't the guy you'd normally expect for the role. What you get is an overweight Forrest Whitacker(sp)who, albeit awkward looking, really fits the character he portrays and adds a bit more dignity to the film in doing so.
If you like action movies that are actually driven by a story and filled with gritty realism, pick this one up. If you like mob movies that aren't the typical B-grade fare, pick this up. And if you've like Leon or The Professional, this one might be right up your alley. Great movie.
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