Review of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) by Christopher D — 28 Oct 2009
Ghost Dog is a sincerely original concept with an original script, score and cast. Instead of focusing primarily on the fact that this is essentially a gangster flick, there is so much more to this film.
The film is accompanied by original score from RZA, famous for producing beats for Wu Tang. The sound track really gives Ghost Dog an edgy feel, whether purposeful or not the production quality is poor and adds a subtle tension at times.
Constant references are made to a book entitled Hagakure throughout the film, this is a collection of short stories / fables detailing the actions of Samurai past and constructing a philosophy about 'The Way of the Samurai'.
Ghost Dog lives his life like a modern Samurai, accepting a master and working to his Samurai code. Ghost Dog does more than just kill people, he has a soul, a code and a willingness to perform to his most efficient, this is why Ghost Dog transcends other similar films, you can empathise with his character.
Ghost Dog is subtle, sincere, a treat for the hip hop generation and there is very little funnier than a fifty year old italian man rapping along with Flava Flav.
This review of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) was written by Christopher D on 28 Oct 2009.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
