Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Victor Argo

Ghost Dog lives above the world, alongside a flock of birds, in a homemade shack on the roof of an abandoned building. Guided by the words of an ancient samurai text, Ghost Dog is a professional kille...( read more  read more... )r able to dissolve into the night and move through the city unnoticed. When Ghost Dog's code is dangerously betrayed by the dysfunctional mafia family that occasionally employs him, he reacts strictly in accord with the Way of the Samurai. In Ghost Dog's words, "We're like two ancient tribes, both almost extinct... and everything seems to be changing around us".

Flixster Users

82% liked it

40,020 ratings

Critics

81% liked it

90 critics

R, 1 hr. 56 min.

Directed by: Jim Jarmusch

Release Date: March 3, 2000

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DVD Release Date: August 22, 2000

Stats: 2,167 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,167)


  • November 24, 2009
    my favorite jarmusch by a long shot. gangsters and samurai: too fucking cool
  • September 20, 2009
    I want to beat the living crap out of myself for not seeing this movie seven years earlier. This is one of the most amazing movies I've ever seen. The soundtrack is as awesome as the story. Ghost Dog is the fucking man!!!! He's like Terry Malloy, Leon and Kurosawa samurai all rol...( read more)led into one. The exchanges between Ghost Dog and his best friend were hilarious as was the idiotic yet not completely inaccurate representation of the mob ("stupid fucking white men.") The scene with Ghost Dog and the hunters was phenomenal! My only gripes were the incredibly devoid explanation as to why The Mob was after Ghost Dog in the first place and the end, despite the fact I knew it had to go down that way. The second viewing didn't freak me out the way the first one did but still a solid movie. Highly recommended...
  • August 27, 2009
    Ghost Dog oozes cool, Jarmusch balances action, drama and comedy, perfectly. This is also one of Whitaker's best performances.
  • November 6, 2008
    Forest Whitaker proves that he can be quite the badass (not that he wasn't a badass already). RZA's soundtrack and cameo were pretty cool, too. As were the French ice cream salesman and his interactions with Forest Whitaker (Ghost Dog).
  • June 2, 2008
    Ghost Dog: According to what one of the elders said, taking an enemy on the battlefield is like a hawk taking a bird. Even though it enters into the midst of a thousand of them, it gives no attention to any bird than the one it first marked.

    An insightful story and one of my fa...( read more)vorite movies, about a man who reads about and lives his life by the code of the samurai. He also happens to be a retainer for a member of an aging New Jersey organized crime syndicate and serves as a hit man, until something goes wrong.

    Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is found in death. Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day, when one's body and mind are at peace, one should meditate upon being ripped apart by arrows, rifles, spears, and swords, being carried away by surging waves, being thrown into the midst of a great fire, being struck by lightning, being shaken to death by a great earthquake, falling from thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease or committing seppuku at the death of one's master. And every day, without fail, one should consider himself as dead. This is the substance of the Way of the Samurai.

    The character of Ghost Dog is very intriguing. In a normal world, this man is essentially a crazy person. He lives on the roof of a building, he practices the code of the samurai, and hangs around with pigeons. However, with this movie, the character is treated with grace and cool. He moves like a ghost, being noticed when he wants to be. Acts in violence only when the situation requires it. And is respected by most in various ways.

    Samurai in Camouflage: Ghost Dog, power, equality.
    Ghost Dog: Always see everything, my brother.

    His only friend is a Haitian man who speaks French, neither person understands each other, but they still can relate to each other in their own way. During the film, Ghost Dog also befriends a little girl, wonderfully played by newbie at the time Camille Winbush, who shares a passion for reading.

    Louie: Nothing seems to make sense anymore.

    As the story goes on, Ghost Dog is conflicted from having to face the mob, who wants to have him killed, despite having remained a mysterious helper for them, and trying not to disappoint the relationship with Louie, the one he sees as his master.

    Vinny: You know, Louie, there's one good thing about this Ghost Dog guy.
    Louie: What's that, Vin?
    Vinny: He's sending us out the old way. Like real fucking gangsters.

    A very good character-crime-drama mixed with some action, humor, a great performance from Whitaker, and a great soundtrack by RZA who composed a flawless score, one of my favorites.

    Sonny Valerio: Now is the time to tell us everything you know about this mysterious ghostlike untraceable fuckin' button man.

    Being a Jim Jarmusch film, the film is slowly paced using fade out transitions, which helps in this case to reflects old samurai films and very effectively combines present times with the aspects of a samurai's life. It also shows the clash of different cultures in a number of ways: samurai and the mob, old systems and new changing of orders, and people's perception and people that wish to have a dedication to something in their lives.

    Sonny Valerio: "If a warrior's head were to be suddenly cut off, he should still be able to perform one more action with certainty." What the fuck does that mean?
    Ray Vargo: It's poetry. The poetry of war.

    Among the number of repeated motifs and themes of the film, two worth mentioning are the passages of samurai code narrated throughout, each reflecting the state of Ghost Dog's character and the issues taking place in the plot. Also, the fact that the members of the mafia have an affinity for cartoons (now that's quirky), and each time one is shown, it reflects elements of the plot.

    Ghost Dog: There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there is nothing left to do, and nothing else to pursue.

    This film is such a great combination of strange characters, modernized samurai philosophy, and settings, that I can't help but enjoy all aspects of it. Wonderful film.

    Pearline: In the Kamigata area they have a sort of tiered lunchbox they use for a single day when flower viewing. Upon returning, they throw them away, trampling them underfoot. The end is important in all things.
  • October 21, 2009
    The guy playing the ice cream dude is priceless. Forest Whitaker is awesome. The direction is also very neat, even though it's quite different than the previous films Jarmusch made.
  • October 3, 2009
    What an odd film for Mr. Whitaker...never quite seen him in a role like this. Thusly, I would check it out.
  • September 27, 2009
    I love this movie if you havent seen it you better
  • September 18, 2009
    To have a super belive.
  • September 18, 2009
    Definitely the coolest and most psychologically obscure film of Jim Jarmusch. A modern gem that does justice to the old style of samurai films and John Woo action masterpieces (yes, when he did good films) and the loneliness of the protagonist, concept taken mainly by genius Jean...( read more)-Pierre Melville. Fantastic.

    81/100

Critic Reviews


April 5, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A handsomely shot, cool-sounding head-scratcher of a film that probably isn't worth the wear on the fingernails. full review

January 1, 2000
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Fascinating but uneven. full review

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, At the Movies

By the end, Whitaker's character has generated true poignance. full review

January 1, 2000
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Deeply hypnotic as well as entertaining. full review

January 1, 2000
Ty Burr, Entertainment Weekly

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai brings the minimalist director who found fame with 1984's Stranger Than Paradise back to the land of the living.

View more Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai Trivia

Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samura... Trivia


  • who starred in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai  Answer »
  • Forest Whitaker stars a modern day samurai, in this great film from 1999.  Answer »
  • Name the actor from the movies below: Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai Fast Times At Ridgemont High Green Tiger Bird  Answer »
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