Review of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) by Margarita M — 30 Aug 2008
I havenâ??t watched this film in a while, and after seeing it for the third time, I still think itâ??s beautiful. Jarmusch has a great eye. Music, camera movements, and the way editing is used to pierce through expected divisions of on- and off-screen space create contrasting tones that elegantly envelope and contextualise each individual character and also parallel the dynamics of their interactions.
The narrative enhances this effect by its segmentation, structured around quotes from the text of the â??Hagakure,â?? the moral code of samurai (this is also the favourite book of the filmâ??s main character Ghost Dog).
One of my favourite scenes is the one where Ghost Dog is introducing Pearline to his best friend Raymond. Echoes Godardâ??s â??Le Weekend,â?? and I think it addresses the same issues of how exchanges between cultural codes are negotiated.
Amazing soundtrack courtesy of RZA.
This review of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) was written by Margarita M on 30 Aug 2008.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai has generally received very positive reviews.
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