Distribution

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Dir: Jim Jarmusch

USA / Japan

1999

116 mins

15

Part of: Black Star
Cast:

Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey

Forest Whitaker is a self-taught samurai hitman marked for death by the mafia in Jim Jarmusch’s surreal, stylish fable. 

Ghost Dog is a meditative, alienated presence, deploying violence only according to the strict codes of the samurai. When a hit goes wrong, he must avenge himself by tackling the mafia’s worst men.

Blessed with stunning cinematography from Robby Müller and a brilliant original score from Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA (who also cameos) and Whitaker’s unique screen presence, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is an intoxicating and strangely moving fusion of gangsta, gangster and ninja worlds. Jim Jarmusch, taking a major leap in his filmmaking, riffs on Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï as well as the classics of the gangster genre and many of the martial arts classics beloved by hip-hop artists.

With thanks to the BFI and Ashley Clarke

This title is no longer available for booking from the ICO

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