CrimeDrama

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

- Live by the code. Die by the code.

An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of ancient Japan finds himself targeted for death by the mob.

Release Date : 1999-10-06

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : JVCStudioCanalBac FilmsPandora FilmARD DegetoPlywood Productions

Production Country : FranceGermanyJapanUnited States of America

Alternative Titles : Ghost Dog: Der Weg des Samurai

Cast

Character Name : Ghost Dog

Original Name : Forest Whitaker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Louie

Original Name : John Tormey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sonny Valerio

Original Name : Cliff Gorman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Big Angie

Original Name : Frank Minucci

Gender : Male

Character Name : Handsome Frank

Original Name : Richard Portnow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Louise Vargo

Original Name : Tricia Vessey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ray Vargo

Original Name : Henry Silva

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Consigliere

Original Name : Gene Ruffini

Gender : Male

Character Name : Valerio's Bodyguard

Original Name : Frank Adonis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vinny

Original Name : Victor Argo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Ghost Dog

Original Name : Damon Whitaker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Johnny Morini

Original Name : Vince Viverito

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mugger

Original Name : Chuck Jeffreys

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chinese Restaurant Owner

Original Name : Dennis Liu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boy in Window

Original Name : Kenny Guay

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gangsta in Red

Original Name : Gano Grills

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gangsta in Red

Original Name : Touché Cornel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gangsta in Red

Original Name : Jamie Hector

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kung Fu Master

Original Name : Yan Ming Shi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sammy the Snake

Original Name : Vinny Vella

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joe Rags

Original Name : Joseph Rigano

Gender : Male

Character Name : Punk in Alley

Original Name : Roberto Lopez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Punk in Alley

Original Name : Salvatore Alagna

Gender : Male

Character Name : Punk in Alley

Original Name : Jerry Todisco

Gender : Male

Character Name : Raymond

Original Name : Isaach de Bankolé

Gender : Male

Character Name : MC in Blue

Original Name : Dreddy Kruger

Gender : Male

Character Name : MC in Blue

Original Name : Timbo King

Gender : Male

Character Name : MC in Blue

Original Name : Clay Da Raider

Gender : Male

Character Name : MC in Blue

Original Name : Dead and Stinking

Gender : Male

Character Name : MC in Blue

Original Name : Deflon Sallahr

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pearline

Original Name : Camille Winbush

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nobody

Original Name : Gary Farmer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pigeonkeeper

Original Name : Clebert Ford

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rooftop Boatbuilder

Original Name : José Rabelo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lefty

Original Name : Jerry Sturiano

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tony

Original Name : Tony Rigo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Al

Original Name : Alfred Nittoli

Gender : Male

Character Name : Social Club Landlord

Original Name : Angel Caban

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl in Silver

Original Name : Luz Valentin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Club Couple

Original Name : Renee Bluestone

Gender : Female

Character Name : Club Couple

Original Name : Jordan Peck

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bear Hunter

Original Name : Jonathan Teague Cook

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bear Hunter

Original Name : Tracy Howe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Voice of Scratchy (voice) (archive footage)

Original Name : Harry Shearer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Female Sheriff

Original Name : Vanessa Hollingshead

Gender : Male

Character Name : Blonde with Jaguar

Original Name : Sharon Angela

Gender : Female

Character Name : Samurai in Camouflage

Original Name : RZA

Gender : Male

Character Name : Accountant (scenes deleted)

Original Name : Scott Bryce

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Gangster (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Diomede

Gender : Male

Reviews

CRCulver

@CRCulver

2021-06-23

The eponymous protagonist of Jim Jarmusch's 1999 film GHOST DOG is an African-American hitman (Forest Whitaker) working for an Italian mafia in New Jersey and living according to the Hagakure, Japan's samurai code. After a hit goes wrong through no fault of the assassin's own, his mafia liaison Louie (John Tormey) is sympathetic, but explains that his superiors now want Ghost Dog dead. The film follows Ghost Dog's revenge and depicts a clash between two ancient tribes that both seem out of date in this modern world: Ghost Dog's samurai code and Italian mafia ideas of loyalty. Jarmusch has always been open about the fact that he soaks up a huge number of inspirations from earlier films, books, and music and then lets them reflect in his own work. Any cinephile will instantly recognize Jean-Pierre Melville's 1967 film Le Samouraï as the point of departure for GHOST DOG. In Meville's classic, a Parisian hired assassin lives according to a strict code. But Melville didn't really know much about Japan, and even the quotation from a samurai text at the beginning of his film was just made up by Meville himself. Jarmusch seems to have decided, "OK, I'll show you a hired-assassin film that's *really* rooted in the code of the Samurai". Forest Whitaker quotes from Hagakure throughout the film, and there are also references to the work of Akira Kurosawa. But GHOST DOG is not a remake, and Jarmusch takes the basic premise in a very individual direction. There's a lot of humour here, something missing from the serious Melville inspiration. In casting for the mafia dons, Jarmusch chose faces as brutal and distinctive as Dick Tracy's rogues gallery: Henry Silva as the don, and Cliff Gorman and Gene Ruffini as his righthand men. But Jarmusch then gives them the occasional zany line that cracks that chilling façade. Isaach de Bankole plays a supporting role as a French-speaking Haitian immigrant and Ghost Dog's best friend, a role that is pure comic relief because the man doesn't speak English and Ghost Dog doesn't understand French, but they always manage to understand each other. Until the late 1990s, Jarmusch had mainly been known as a fairly low-budget independent filmmaker writing cute little stories about personal relationships in low-key American life. Jarmusch's America was consistently depicted as run-down neighbourhoods and overgrown vacant lots. With its generous budget, large cast and special effects, GHOST DOG marked a huge leap forward in Jarmusch's work. Still, it maintains Jarmusch's interest in America as a land of urban blight and seedy underbellies: most of the film takes place in an ugly New Jersey urban setting. Furthermore, instead of being glamorized, the Italian mafia is depicted as a spent force, mainly elderly men who can't rake in the cash and influence they used to, and even forced to pay protection money to Chinese newcomers. As the film reaches its shocking ending, the glamour is drained from Ghost Dog's warrior code, as well. The music for GHOST DOG was provided by RZA, at the time still best known as part of the Wu-Tang Clan. The music mainly consists of wordless beats, though, with actual rapping only at a few points. Personally, I find the use of hip-hop a weak point of the film (Jarmusch looks like an outsider looking in to this scene, unable to organically make it part of his own work), and RZA's insistence on appearing in the film itself disrupts the rhythm of the film's climax.