Friday Night Flicks: Ghost Dog — The Way of the Samurai
I have many interests and hobbies. For the sake of myself and my neighbors in LA, we’re lucky pigeon keeping isn't one of them.
After struggling to find a movie one night, my cinefile brother said, "Ghost Dog — Way of the Samurai. Watch it. And we'll talk later."
In director Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog — The Way of the Samurai, Carson California's own Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker calmly moves about as a hitman, executing contracts for one made-man in an aging mafia rank.
Director Jim Jarmusch and Forest Whitaker on the set of Ghost Dog — The Way of the Samurai.
I was immediately hooked by the intro: a bird flying over a dark industrial town to the tune of a soft percussive beat. As the opening credits rolled, in scribbled red font: “Music by RZA.”
I smiled, feeling like I was getting a 3-for-1 art experience. I was also reminded how over and over again I've heard this sentence: My friend is going to do the music. Imagine your friend is RZA.
So I recommend this film today for the 3-for-1 experience: Forest Whitaker's acting, Jim Jarmusch’s directing and RZA's composition. A fourth reason would be Jarmusch's unique sense of humor in scenes like:
Okay, I better stop before I go overboard. Like adding to my list of hobbies by taking a trip to the local pet store to pick up my first pair of pigeons and bag of feed. Similar to sleeping with the Boss's daughter: I’d better not.—Phillip Dillon
