Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai

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Forest Whitaker makes an unlikely modern samurai with his laser-sighted pistols, shabby street clothes, and oddly graceful gait--but then Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is an unusual film. Quirky, contemplative, and at times absurd, it's just the kind offbeat vision we've come to expect from the fiercely independent Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man). Whitaker is Ghost Dog, a mysterious New York hit man who lives simply on a tenement rooftop and follows a code of behavior outlined in Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (passages of this book are interspersed throughout the film). When the local mob marks him for death in a complicated code of Mafiosi-style honor, Ghost Dog sends a cryptic message to his foes. "That's poetry. The poetry of war," remarks mobster Henry Silva, with sudden respect upon reading the verse. He could be describing the ethereal beauty of Jarmusch's vision, full of wonderful imagery (a night drive across town seems to float in time) and off-center humor. Though it briefly stalls in a series of assassinations (Jarmusch is no action director), it settles back into character-driven drama in a quietly epic showdown, equal parts samurai adventure, spaghetti western, and existential crime movie. The film is likely too unconventional and offbeat for general audiences, but cult-movie buffs and Jarmusch fans will appreciate his idiosyncratic vision. He finds a strange sense of honor in the clash of Old World traditions, and salutes his heroes with a skewed but sincere respect. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Minimalist Action Film.......2007-08-09

This film is truly unique and worth viewing. It has great character development and possesses a fitting sense of irony. The movie touches on the theme of loyalty more than any other film of recent memory and does so without preaching to the audience. While the film does tend to drag at certain points for the most part it is all part of a philosophical lecture on how society has become more comfortable with the absurd and thoughtless, and does not allow common sense to prevail. Not only a good drama/action film, but a movie that makes you think.

Great acting.......2007-07-24

Eastern and Western cultures and philosophies intersect in this comic drama from acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch. Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a silent modern-day warrior who lives on a rooftop shack. He spends his days breeding pigeons and playing chess in the park with his best friend, Raymond (Isaach de Bankolé), a French-speaking ice-cream man. At night he goes to work as a hit man, performing his tasks stealthily and invisibly, abiding by the codes established by HAGAKURE: THE BOOK OF THE SAMURAI, an 18th-century text.

One night, while on his latest hit, Ghost Dog encounters a mob boss's beautiful daughter, Louise (Tricia Vessey). Although Ghost Dog leaves her unharmed, her father nonetheless orders Ghost Dog's execution, to the dismay of Louie (John Tormey), his loyal retainer. As the mobsters struggle to locate the mysteriously untraceable Ghost Dog, he must find a way to protect himself while remaining loyal to Louie and the ancient codes that define him as an individual.

Jarmusch successfully tackles a variety of genres with GHOST DOG, including mob movies and spiritual samurai films. Fusing all of this with the RZA's thumping, atmospheric score, GHOST DOG remains another lighthearted, entertaining addition to Jarmusch's impressive filmography

Another fully-formed invetion from the singularly creative mind of Jim Jarmusch.......2007-07-21

"Ghost Dog" is another fully-formed invention from the singularly creative mind of Jim Jarmusch. In the 'making of' featurette, Jarmusch remarks that he envisioned Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog because Whitaker had the presence, authority and serenity (words to that effect) to pull it off (after all, Jarmusch is asking us to like and pull for a contract killer). That choice seems prescient on Jarmusch's part - seven years after "Ghost Dog," Whitaker's acting skills, wise role-picking and genial personality landed him at the top of the heap with his justly-rewarded portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition).

Much of the tone of "Ghost Dog" is set by the score, drafted entirely by Wu-Tang Clan leader The RZA (who also makes a cameo appearance in the film - he's the guy in camouflage who greets Ghost Dog on the sidewalk towards the end). RZA's presence isn't an afterthought - Jarmusch says he had in mind from the start a film with RZA as an equal collaborator.

Isaach De Bankolé is a delightful presence as ice cream truck driver Raymond. Also of note: the scenes featuring a slightly younger version of Ghost Dog are, in fact, filmed with Forest Whitaker's younger brother Damon (thank you, IMDB).

Great show! Well worth five stars!.......2007-06-18

There isn't anything I didn't like about this film. Good old Forrest comes through with another superb performance and makes his character very believable. He portrays Ghost Dog - a very intelligent and thoughtful fellow - in such a way that this individual could be a very likely manifestation within the environment the story takes place in.
Equally, there is no wild and absurd special effects to mar the flow or the potential realism; no fancy super-duper martial arts moves to turn what you're watching into a farce. Ghost Dog is careful. He's deliberate. He consciously regulates his behavior and tries to adhere to the code of the Samurai. He comes across as being quite human - a person who has developed a psychological mechanism to allow him to cope and survive within a depressing and dangerous environment.
There's some humor in this movie too, as well as some telling symbolism. The scenes generating the "feel" of the show are quiet, seedy, gritty, and earthy, and when all these elements are combined with the performance of the cast it makes for a very well-done production.
Too bad there isn't more of this type of show and less of the mindless, ultra-violent, formula-type [....] that is spewed out by the cocain-sniffing hacks in Hollywood year after year.

Ghost Dog with Forest Whitaker.......2007-05-22

This is a very good film. The uniqueness of Whitaker's real-life persona enhances the unique character he brings to the screen. Ghost Dog displays all the discipline of a martial arts master but with a gun in hand. From this perspective he is far removed from the on-screen likes of Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly and Jet Li but equally as deadly. The film does not hide the fact the methods of destruction used by Ghost Dog are not only outlandish but straight out of a cartoon fantasy. This adds to its entertainment value: we know we're being taken for a ride. It's a fun trip. Whitaker's supporting cast round out this excellent ensemble work.

Average customer rating:

This movie rocks!
"I Will Bring You His Head, And I Will Place It On Your Piano."
Amazing. Best-worst movie ever
Samurai Cop
Samurai Cop

Samurai Cop
Starring: Robert Z'Dar , Matt Hannon , Jannis Farley , Mark Frazer , and Joselito Rescober
Director: Amir Shervan
Manufacturer: Guilty Pleasures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001LYESC
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Customer Reviews:

This movie rocks!.......2006-05-15

This movie has everything!!! Violence, hot nude women, guns, faux-samurais, martial arts, horrible jokes, and gut-wrenchingly low production values and budget. The acting is the worst I've ever seen and topped only by the script which the horribly written it seems by someone who hardly knew English. To make things even better the disc includes a Joe Bob Briggs commentary. Melisa Moore and Cameron have the best bodies I've ever seen. Usually the chicks in these B-movies are only so-so. A word of warning, this Chippendale's dancer type is the main character which you will get used to but at one point we see him in his bikini - and he's singing. But other than that this movie is perfect.

"I Will Bring You His Head, And I Will Place It On Your Piano.".......2006-02-17

This is a real find. "Samurai Cop" is one of the all-time greatest bad movies in history. There is no possible way to review this film from a serious standpoint. Amir Shervan wrote, produced, and directed this monstrosity, so I hold him chiefly accountable. The DVD has great extras including an introduction and commentary track by Joe Bob Briggs, who is in even better form than usual here, as well as an interview with Robert Z'Dar, who is apparently attempting to follow the path of jocularity and girth popularized by Marlon Brando.

The plot concerns an undercover cop played by Matt Hannon who is attempting to break up the horrifying Japanese Katana Gang, of which Robert Z'Dar is the chief enforcer. There are so many problems with the film that I have no idea where to start. Well, now that I think about it, I do: let's start with Matt Hannon's hair. I have never seen a mullet like this in all my life. For the first half of the film I was actually asking myself if he was wearing a woman's wig from the Jaclyn Smith collection. This full, flowing mane of hair is as much a character in the film as any other actor, and seems to simultaneously represent the Samurai Cop's masculinity and femininity. If you don't think that's possible, watch him kiss the girls; it's disgusting.

Aside from the hair issues, the film features all the idiotic characters and plot points you would expect from a grade-Z film: the angry police Captain, the goofy sidekick (who laughs inappropriately on numerous occasions), extremely attractive women in hard to believe situations, and absolutely horrendous dialogue which, while gratuitous, fails to further the plot. To illustrate this point I direct you specifically to the exchange on circumcision, and the constant refrain of "keep it warm" which you just need to see for yourself to grasp how stupid, yet un-sexy a statement it is.

There are some great monologues about good and evil from Samurai Cop (my favorite is in a restaurant where he contrasts the Katana Gang with honest, hardworking Japanese-Americans) and, of course, the obligatory fight scenes. These generally come down to gun play, knife play, and karate. In the gun fights, I am constantly amazed that people in a gun battle find the most exposed place possible to stand (the middle of a door; an open field) when firing. This contributes to the extremely high body count in the movie as everyone and their brother gets shot by the end. There area couple of knife episodes, including a very lame ritual suicide (remember, death before dishonor). And then there is the karate. This is by far the best part of the movie. The scenes are moderately well choreographed, but to make them appear more professional Shervan constantly speeds up the film so that the action goes way faster than would be possible. This is, I suppose, an attempt to improve the dynamic energy of the film, but in reality makes it look more like a cartoon. These karate scenes (and a couple of the high-speed sword fights) are delightfully hokey; do not turn away even for a second during them. Please also note the bacon grease torture. Truly a scene of restrained understatement.

Again, the commentary from Joe Bob is one of his very best pieces of work, and I recommend watching the movie first without it then with it. For a wonderful piece of mid-1980s junk cinema, "Samurai Cop" absolutely cannot be beat. I highly recommend this one to any and all lovers of bad movies.

Keep it warm.

Amazing. Best-worst movie ever.......2005-07-24

This is quite simply one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen. By no means is it a good movie. It's a good movie to watch but only because it is so horrible. The dialogue, the production values, the acting, the music, the editing, you name it and it will make you laugh.

Joe "Samurai" Marshall is our main character. He's the martial arts using, fluent japanese speaker bushido warrior cop who is going to take down the Katana Gang. This guy sports one of the sweetest mullets you've ever seen and also spouts out some of the sleaziest/cheesiest lines you've ever heard. He also doesn't speak japanese a single time yet they say that he is fluent in it. Between him his partner and a very... promiscuous helicopter pilot they take the katana gang on.

I could go on and on... and on about this movie. Joe Marshall's big speech in the restaurant is so intense it's hilarious but if I keep going on then I won't leave much for the viewer to see for themselves. The commentary for the movie is also hilarious but the true experience for watching this movie is to see it in a big group. There is just so much to make fun of and you gotta do it with a few other people.

Definitely recommended and place it on your piano.

Samurai Cop.......2004-06-13

Sure to be a cult classic here in the states as it was in Europe. There's plenty of action and full breasted babes in action to keep you interested when the dialogue gets you laughing. Not to mention a mullet here or there. So, you may want to see it with Joe Bob's commentary on. A group of friends and I laughed our asses off to his comments. I guess there's no chance for a sequel since most of the cool characters die by hara-kiri, beheading, death by sword, fire or get shot off a roof. But our hero and his partner could always return..if there not in convalescent home by now. If you can't get your hands on the DVD don't despair, this film will surely show up on, "Dinner and a movie", or "Mystery Science 3000". weird blonde gangster

Samurai Cop.......2004-06-08

Sure to be a cult classic here in the states as it was in Europe. There's plenty of action and full breasted babes in action to keep you interested when the dialogue gets you laughing. Not to mention a mullet here or there. So, your best bet may be to watch it with the Joe Bob Briggs commentary track. A group of friends and I watched it together and Joe Bob's comments had us laughing our asses off. I guess there's no chance for a sequel since most of the cool characters die by hara-kiri, beheading, death by sword, fire or get shot off a roof. But our hero and his partner could always return..if there not in convalescent home by now. If you can't get your hands on the DVD don't despair, this film will surely show up on, "Dinner and a movie", or "Mystery Science 3000".

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