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Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Play trailer 1:02 Poster for Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai R 1999 1h 56m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 106 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a contract killer, a master of his trade who can whirl a gun at warp speed and moves through this world like a phantom -- stealthy and evanescent. In the spirit of the samurai, he has pledged his loyalty to a small time mobster named Louie (John Tormey) who saved his life many years before.
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Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

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Critics Consensus

An innovative blend of samurai and gangster lifestyles.

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Critics Reviews

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Anton Bitel Little White Lies 11/17/2023
what might sound like an ordinary gangster picture is in fact a rich amalgam of crisscrossing genres, where East meets West and culture itself follows more than one Way. Go to Full Review Kambole Campbell One Room With A View 08/25/2018
Even when aware of all the strange, disparate elements, it still surprises. Go to Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out 06/24/2006
At once a tribute to traditional notions of honour, loyalty, friendship and professionalism, and a stylish, ironic pastiche inspired by the likes of Melville and Suzuki, it's very funny, insightful, and highly original. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 08/05/2024
7/10
Jarmusch, with his aesthetic density, manages to direct it with a balance that never loses its sense of irony when it questions the various cultural stereotypes that build his dialectical discourse on the master and the vassal. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Jack Gross Loud and Clear Reviews 08/03/2024
5/5
Its tone is elusive, existing somewhere between nostalgic, melancholic, resigned, and optimistic. Above all else, though, it’s truly unlike any film you’ve seen before, operating as a functional pastiche of so many great works of art. Go to Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch 11/25/2023
It almost feels like we’re in another world: Jarmusch [blurs] out everything else so the movie becomes a meditation on the impulse to moralize one’s misdoings by subscribing to rigid definitions of “honor.” [...] A bone-deep reflective masterpiece. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Eugene A. @Asqarman May 16 Best movie is Jim Jarmuch See more L G @Lorodon Apr 17 It is an ok movie. If you don't want to think about anything this works. For me the characters felt really flat and there is no build up or character development. The characters are introduced and from there on they each do exactly what you expect them to do. The plot provides no real background about who the character are and therefore they all feel 1-dimensional. I was bored pretty quickly. See more Raphaël T @Salbataaar Feb 13 If you like gangster movies, samouraïs, elusive plots, contemplative moments and you are ok with strange and unexplained elements, you are going to love this movie. I don't really know how to tell it, but this movie grows on me even more everytime I watch it. It has the qualities of mafia movies with a depth that still eludes me somehow. Anyway, it's a must-see. And if you did not like it, you should watch it again. See more sean O. @seandaddy0 Jan 24 I love quirky movies See more Leprechaun K @LeprechaunKing Jan 18 Movie borrows heavily from material in Le Samourai. One could argue it is a full-on satirical remake of the classic. Whitaker's performance is fantastic and basically carries the entire movie on his back. It is entertaining enough but the ending is predictable and too familiar. See more Zachary K @ZacharyKing Dec 2 A wonderful story of an underground book club, and the lengths people will go to in order to stop overdue late fees. Also a pretty well executed ad for time shares in japan. 7/10 See more Read all reviews
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

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Cast & Crew

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Jim Jarmusch

Director

Forest Whitaker

Ghost Dog

John Tormey

Louie

Cliff Gorman

Sonny Valerio

Henry Silva

Ray Vargo

Isaach de Bankolé

Raymond

Movie Clips

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Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Cold Lampin' with Flavor Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Cold Lampin' with Flavor 3:20 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Final Shootout Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Final Shootout 2:16 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - I'm Your Retainer Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - I'm Your Retainer 1:45 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Should I Shoot Him? Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Should I Shoot Him? 1:56 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - The Bird Man Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - The Bird Man 2:26 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Bear Hunters Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Bear Hunters 1:51 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Self Defense Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - Self Defense 1:07 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - The Way of the Samurai Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - The Way of the Samurai 1:30 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - I Follow a Code Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - I Follow a Code 2:05 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - You Want My Rolex? Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Official Clip - You Want My Rolex? 1:27 View more videos

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Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Trailer 1 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Trailer 1 1:02 View more videos
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Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) encounters the Samurai in Camouflage (The RZA) in Artisan's Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai Cliff Gorman is underboss Sonny Valerio and Henry Silva is Ray Vargo, crime family leader, in Artisan's Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a professional killer who lives by the precepts of the eighteenth century warrior text Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai, in Artisan's Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai When Ghost Dog's (Forest Whitaker) code is dangerously betrayed by the dysfunctional mafia family that occasionally employs him, he reacts strictly in accord with the Way of the Samurai Cliff Gorman is Sonny Valerio, Victor Argo is Vinny and John Tormey is Louie, all members of the struggling Vargo crime family in Artisan's Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai Writer/director Jim Jarmusch and Forest Whitaker on the set of Artisan's Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a professional killer able to dissolve into the night and move through the city unnoticed, guided by the words of an ancient samurai text Tricia Vessey is Louise Vargo, the strangely detached daughter of the head of the Vargo crime family in Artisan's Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai - 2000 Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a professional killer able to dissolve into the night and move through the city unnoticed, guided by the words of an ancient samurai text View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a contract killer, a master of his trade who can whirl a gun at warp speed and moves through this world like a phantom -- stealthy and evanescent. In the spirit of the samurai, he has pledged his loyalty to a small time mobster named Louie (John Tormey) who saved his life many years before.
Director
Jim Jarmusch
Producer
Richard Guay, Jim Jarmusch
Screenwriter
Jim Jarmusch
Distributor
Artisan Entertainment
Production Co
Pandora Filmproduktion GmbH, Le Studio Canal +, Bac Films, JVC Entertainment, Degeto Film, Plywood Productions
Rating
R (Strong Violence|Language)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 18, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.3M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)