The Limey (Special Edition) / Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Two times Three (stars)
Review: Both films were fun and clever. The Limey's flashbacks and Ghost Dog's street smarts made both film a good time. No disappointments here.

Rating:
Summary: excellent presentation of their craft
Review: The Limey
Steven Soderbergh tells this tale in an expressive and innovative style. It's not so much the story--estranged English father seeks the truth behind his daughter's suspicious death in sinful Los Angles. But the way each character is presented, then conected. The story unfolds, literally. It is like watching a flower bloom with elapsed-time photography. Terrance Stamp is great. Peter Fonda is more than just window dressing here. And the editor deserves a standing ovation.

Ghost Dog
Forrest Whittaker is one of the truly great actors of the day. His work is that of a fine craftsman, and so rare in Hollywood today. The story is interspersed with relative narations from Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa--tales of Japanese karma (also available on Amazon). The mafia characters I feel ambivalent about. On one hand they lack depth and their laughability detracts from what otherwise is an interesting, thoughtful film. However, they represent a more realistic look at what some aging and less-than-organized crime associates are. These would be the Sopranos rejects. If you can get past the mafia club scene, they fit right in with the story.