'Deadpan Walking: The Early Films of Jim Jarmusch' – 'Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'

Director: Jim Jarmusch Run Time: 116 min. Release Year: 1999

Starring: Cliff Gorman, Forest Whitaker, Frank Minucci, John Tormey, Richard Portnow

Synopsis: Jim Jarmusch combines his love for the ice-cool crime dramas of Jean-Pierre Melville and Seijun Suzuki with the philosophical dimensions of samurai mythology for an eccentrically postmodern take on the hit-man thriller. In one of his defining roles, Forest Whitaker brings a commanding serenity to his portrayal of a Zen contract killer working for a bumbling mob outfit, a modern man who adheres steadfastly to the ideals of the Japanese warrior code even as chaos and violence spiral around him. Featuring moody cinematography by the great Robby Müller, a mesmerizing score by the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, and a host of colorful character actors (including a memorably stone-faced Henry Silva), "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" plays like a pop-culture-sampling cinematic mixtape built around a one-of-a-kind tragic hero.

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