„Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai”
directed by Jim Jarmusch, running time: 116’, 1999.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” – Jim Jarmusch’s uniquely visionary auteur film featuring Forest Whitaker’s masterly creation. The title Ghost Dog is a hit man employed by Italian mobsters. Enigmatic and reticent, the protagonist plies his trade, working for ringleaders and by doing so paying back debts incurred in the past. Primarily, however, Ghost Dog is the advocate and practitioner of the Japanese samurai code. He lives alone, keeping to himself, spending time meditating and polishing his martial arts expertise. There comes a time of existential change, however, when his own decisions will make him re-define his moral code anew.
Jarmusch portrays his protagonist in a very intimate and convincing way. Still, he does not abandon his signature grotesque and subtle humour. Jarmusch also masterfully makes use of allusions and intertextuality to among others Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” as well as self-reflexive references to his own works, in particular to “Dead Man”. What also significantly contributes to the filmic experience offered by “Ghost Dog” is its magnificent soundtrack written, produced and performed by RZA, one of the founding members and leaders of hip hop Wu-Tang Clan.