A samurai film in an urban get up - I loved every second of Jarmusch's hypnotic, slow burn style.

Can't find my original review, but probably the most mainstream of Jarmusch's movies, whatever that means. It is a meditation on the art of life, with Forest Whitaker in yet another awesome performance. On my 1999 top ten list...

This is a film I really liked - loved, even - but wouldn't necessarily rewatch too often, mainly because of the fairly slow pacing.

I had high hopes for this. While I'm fascinated by Japanese culture, what I'm most fascinated by is the way it cross-breeds in weird and wonderful ways with Western pop culture. Put it this way: I'm more Pokemon than Rashomon. Ghost Dog himself is a cultural mongrel and doesn't disappoint in this regard. His story takes the crossover conceit of the Wu Tang Clan, and spins it out to make something less crude, more complex and rather special.

Forest Whitaker lives up to the pressure of the film's concept, as do the faded mobsters played by Tormey, Silva and co. The soundtrack is perfect, and Jarmusch offers plenty of nice touches. I especially enjoyed the synchronous use of cartoons (e.g., the one that plays when Ghost Dog shoots someone through the sink plughole) and the hare kare-style stomach, chest, head-style execution.

If I had to complain about something, I would say that some details - like Ghost Dog's samurai-style gunplay - were a just a tiny bit on-the-nose. Not to the point where I needed mine resetting, but on-the-nose nonetheless. The quotes from Tsunetomo, read in Forest Whitaker's chocolately, African-American tones, were a much less jarring way of driving the concept home. Plus, they allowed Ghost Dog to tell the story in his own very stylised terms, and gave the film structure (whereas ritually sheathing a handgun like a katana looks great on paper, but becomes a tiny silly on film).

Aside from the photography, which was superb throughout, another thing that I loved about the film was the introduction of several quirky, very warm elements, which reminded me of stuff like Amelie: the running joke with the Haitian ice cream man; the Last of the Summer Wine-style mobsters; the pigeons; and (my personal favourite) the guy with his boat on top of the building, miles from water - a touching moment of absurdity. In the context of the film, these provide a little sugar in the (otherwise slightly bitter) coffee.

A-

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

This is both an unusual and awesome film. It has the feel of a good director's first film. A passion project by raw talent learning his craft. It's obviously not that, but it appears so. It's raw, it takes its time, it's a bit indulgent, and not cut with an experienced hand. But I believe it shines a light on not just a determined man living his life by an 18th century code, but also of that actor in us all. The sense to want to be and act as [insert your idol] as a child. It is very apparent in this film, and I could not think of anybody more suited to bringing that to the fore than Forest Whitaker. The way he treats his pistols like katanas. Practices swordplay on the roof. Eats ice-cream. Cannot communicate with anyone that isn't a little girl, or a pigeon, or a Haitian that cannot speak a word of English. It all points to a personality that lacks maturity. But he is an expert marksman, understands Japanese philosophy, and clearly has a way with keeping birds. Interesting character.

The film also highlights things such as hypocrisy within the mafia, which is actually a fairly decent piece of humour -- the only one in the film. It seamlessly fuses hip-hop culture with the brutality of far east tradition, but it favours the former and thus the result, more musically than visually, is rather bland, and a missed opportunity to add richness to its canvas.

B+