Forest Whitaker,
John Tormey,
Cliff Gorman,
Henry Silva,
Isaach De Bankolé
... see more 
A surreal crime drama told as only Jim Jarmusch could, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai stars Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a hit man living in an unidentified but run-down city in what license plate... read more
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Release Date: March 3, 2000
DVD Release Date: August 22, 2000
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Stats: 2,430 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (2,430)
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November 18, 2011A solitary, bird loving hitman is targeted by his own employer but his code of honour prevents him from direct retaliation. Ghost Dog is probably Jim Jarmusch's most accessible film but is still a quirky and off beat affair that feels all the world like a Hip Hop version of a Tak... read more
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October 27, 2011fb1664868775Jarmusch's samurai/gangster featuring a soundtrack from The Rza. Though not on the same level as his other films, it is still a worthwhile watch.
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October 27, 2011Top Class. This film is amazingly uneventful, but still completely brilliant. Its a slow burner, but theres enough going to keep you watching. A perfect mix of the Samurai and Gangster genres, with a good gangster rap soundtrack to give it a unique atmosphere. The action seens ar... read more
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September 29, 2011Jarmusch's compelling though curious urban poem, waist deep in a melange of the transplanted cultures of the United States, about honor, morality and purpose in the changing flux that is modern life. Instead of the white hat/black hat, good guy/ bad guy recognition motif, f'inst... read more
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July 16, 2011Forest Whitaker as a modern day samurai? Well its a great homepage to many crime films of the 60s and somewhat 70s as well as unique blending of a crime thriller and a samurai movie. Interesting, weird themes and cinematics and engaging characters.
Still i will watch it again... read more -
July 22, 2010A black hitman who thinks he's a samurai? Old italian mobsters who listen to rap music? None of this should work, and yet it does.
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November 24, 2009my favorite jarmusch by a long shot. gangsters and samurai: too fucking cool
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September 20, 2009I want to beat the living crap out of myself for not seeing this movie seven years earlier. This is one of the most amazing movies I've ever seen. The soundtrack is as awesome as the story. Ghost Dog is the fucking man!!!! He's like Terry Malloy, Leon and Kurosawa samurai all rol... read more
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August 27, 2009Ghost Dog oozes cool, Jarmusch balances action, drama and comedy, perfectly. This is also one of Whitaker's best performances.
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November 6, 2008Forest Whitaker proves that he can be quite the badass (not that he wasn't a badass already). RZA's soundtrack and cameo were pretty cool, too. As were the French ice cream salesman and his interactions with Forest Whitaker (Ghost Dog).
Critic Reviews
April 5, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
January 1, 2000
Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle
Too whimsically staged to take as serious suspense, too grimly real to be amusing. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Ernest Hardy, Film.com
Hypnotic and quietly subversive.
January 1, 2000
Ty Burr, Entertainment Weekly
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai brings the minimalist director who found fame with 1984's Stranger Than Paradise back to the land of the living. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today
Too solemn.
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
The movie ambles along without much direction. Full Review
January 1, 2000
John Anderson, Newsday
Dryly funny and important.
January 1, 2000
Steven Rosen, Denver Post
Ghost Dog can be as now as the latest hit rap disc, with its hip-hop-culture references and remarkably chilly and affecting score by The RZA of Wu-Tang Clan. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post
A self-conscious but surprisingly entertaining fusion of gangster, martial-arts and western movies.
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