Ghost
Dog (2000)
Jim Jarmusch is definitely cinema's greatest multiculturalist.
His films often reflect our expanding global mentality,
where ancient cultures infuse with modern society, where
there are no longer any boundaries geographically or
culturally. This film features a black Samurai (Forest
Whitaker), an aging Italian mob, and a French speaking
ice cream vendor, among other things.
Ghost Dog, the samurai, is without a doubt one of
the most interesting characters ever to grace the screen.
Jarmusch gives him several familiar qualities yet somehow
makes it all new. There is no surprise when the character
is, in turns, a car thief, a samurai, a hit man, a pigeon
keeper, a rap listener, a friend, a chess player, a
mentor, or a hero. Whitaker performs these wonderful
characteristics with seeming ease. I don't think any
other known black actor today could have presented the
character any more perfectly. Whitaker is a remarkable
and under-rated actor.
Jarmusch, meanwhile, films the piece with his usual
subtle panache. His film moves effortlessly throughout
the story. He is never carried by arty visuals but rather
films the entire piece as a visual. His stories and
characters have always been the most important part
of his film and here he allows those arcs to carry the
film forward.
But he does infuse the film with wonderful and interesting
concepts. Whitaker reads passages from "The Book of
Samurai" while a title card presents the same text superimposed
over a scene, usually a transition shot. Jarmusch uses
hip-hop/rap music to flavor the film. He also uses cartoons
to counterpoint his plot in several scenes. What he
is presenting her is a cartoon, but a deep and philosophical
one.
Whitaker's Ghost Dog feels he owes a minor mob boss
his life, so he acts as a hit man for the mobster, never
really talking to him directly. When a hit goes slightly
awry, and here is where the plot is stretched a little
too thin, Whitaker's death is demanded by another mob
boss. Here Ghost Dog finds he must take on a new enemy
and fight for his life against an entire mob.
I haven't seen Akira Kurousawa's "Rashomon," but I
think much of the story comes from that film. The book
which that film is based is shown repeatedly throughout
the movie. This seems a modern retelling of it, filled
with Jarmusch's quirky characters and imagery, about
a man alone forced to face an entire mob. It's classic
stuff. Jarmusch simply makes it his own.
With "Ghost Dog," Jarmusch continues to solidify his
authority as America's most interesting and eclectic
independent filmmaker.
|
Report
Card
Script:
A-
Acting: A
Cinematography\Lighting: A+
Special Effects\Make Up: A+
Music: A+
Final
Grade: A+
|
Get
Your "Ghost Dog" Stuff...
|
More
of Lodger's reviews indexed alphabetically! Just click
your favorite letter to go there.
a
b c
d e
f g
h i
j k
l m
n o
p q
r s
t u
v w
x y
z
HOME
|
