Okay, so I've been wanting to write this one for a while now. I love Forest Whitaker. I've written about his best performances, and I will see pretty much anything he's in.
Which I think is important to note, since there are some films of his that just seem like they wouldn't work on paper. Like, say, the film where he plays a samurai hitman who waxes philosophical about Bushido.
If you've already seen the movie, then you know I'm talking about the 1999 cult classic, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. It's my favorite Forest Whitaker movie by far, and I have 5 reasons why.
First Off, It Is The Strangest, Most Bizarre "Action" Movie You Will Probably Ever See
In a lot of ways, I’m a little reluctant to call Ghost Dog an “action movie.” It’s often labeled as a “crime drama film,” and okay. I get that. I definitely wouldn’t put it in the same category as a Rambo or a Predator. But, in the same way that I'd consider most samurai movies as action flicks, I’d also include Ghost Dog in that category.
In fact, that’s what makes Ghost Dog so unique. It is both a superb, modern-day samurai movie, but also a magnificent gangster flick. There’s nothing else like it.
The story concerns a mafia hitman who follows the way of the samurai. He chills out on a rooftop and communicates through carrier pigeons. When he gets an assignment, he pulls it off with efficiency, but also badassness. For example, when he goes on a mission to kill a Made Man, he kills all of his men in the dopest way possible, with his movements looking as if he’s in double speed.
When he trains on a rooftop with his sword, it’s pretty much the coolest thing ever, as he moves so quickly, that it almost looks like he’s shadowboxing rather than swinging his blade.
In every way, the action in Ghost Dog is utterly thrilling, and it’s all blended together in this bizarre story with Forest Whitaker portraying a samurai, which sounds absolutely ludicrous, I know. That said…
The Idea Of Forest Whitaker As A Modern Day Samurai Seems Ridiculous At First. Until You Watch The Film
I remember when Ghost Dog first came out in theaters. Since it was 1999, which is often considered one of the greatest years in cinema, I spent most of my time being fascinated by movies like Fight Club, or enthralled by the phenomenon that was The Blair Witch Project. So, I didn’t catch great movies like Ghost Dog, or the fantastic The Talented Mr. Ripley in the cineplex.
No, instead, I picked it up at good old Blockbuster Video, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Even the box art made me laugh. It’s pretty bland, as it just features Forest Whitaker wearing a hood, but there’s also a blue, ethereal glow around him, and the title, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, with the tagline reading, “Live by the code. Die by the code.”
Now, I was well aware of Forest Whitaker by the early 2000s. I knew him from flicks like Platoon, Species, and Phenomenon, and it had to be around 2006 when I finally watched Ghost Dog, so I had also seen him in Phone Booth, Panic Room, and the turkey that was Battlefield Earth. So, one thing I knew with certainty was that Forest Whitaker was no samurai.
But then, I watched Ghost Dog, and all I could think was, holy crap, he actually pulled it off.
Because Ghost Dog as a character is not your traditional samurai, and Ghost Dog as a movie is not your traditional samurai movie. It definitely feels urban, and Ghost Dog himself feels like both a product of his environment, but also completely detached from it, which makes him super unique as a character. It’s a performance where you totally believe that he believes he’s a samurai, and honestly, that’s enough.
The mafia around him is both perplexed by him, but also strangely accepting of his existence. It’s a movie that wouldn’t work if the tone wasn’t just right, and somehow, it is. That said, I think a lot of that has to do with the soundtrack, which I’ll get into next.
The Soundtrack By The RZA Is A Hidden Gem
I’m a MASSIVE fan of the Wu-Tang Clan, and RZA in particular. By the 2000s, I was deeply entrenched in everything Wu-related, so I wasn’t just buying the Wu albums that featured the Clan, but also Wu side projects, like Killarmy, Sunz of Man, Gravediggaz, and La the Darkman. Just to name a few!
So, when the RZA-produced Ghost Dog soundtrack came out, I just had to have it. In fact, I heard the soundtrack long before I actually watched the movie. And, man, let me tell you. If you’re a Wu-head like myself, then the Ghost Dog soundtrack is essential listening.
There are several bangers on this album, and it’s all interlaced with lines from the film.
I knew the Ghost Dog soundtrack from front to back, but the way it’s integrated in the movie itself is quite interesting. A lot of the beats occur in the film separated from the lyrics, but the action is punctuated where the lyrics would go, which is a unique approach.
Not only that, but rap culture plays a big part in the story, with some of the gangsters even rapping at times, like a cool scene where Ghost Dog shoots a man through his sink.
In every way, RZA’s soundtrack makes this bizarre world seem somewhat credible, which is no small feat.
There Is Genuinely Excellent Wisdom In This Movie
Throughout the film, Ghost Dog often quotes lines from Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s book, Hagakure. Now, at first, I thought this was utterly ridiculous, given the way he delivers the lines. But, throughout the film, you start to really listen to what he’s saying, and it’s actually really deep stuff.
For example, he talks about what it’s like to be one's own man, but to also follow your master to the end (which plays into the climax of the film). There are also quotes on what it means to exist. Like, my favorite line in the entire movie is, “Our bodies are given life from the form of nothingness,” which is quite obvious, but I never really thought of life like that before. It’s quite existential.
However, it’s followed up by this gem: “Existing where there is nothing is the meaning of the phrase, ‘form is emptiness’. That all things are provided for by nothingness is the meaning of the phrase, ‘Emptiness is form.’ One should not think that these are two separate things.”
And, like, wow. I actually had to pause the movie and think upon what he was talking about. For me to actually interrogate my inner world while watching a movie where Forest Whitaker plays a samurai hitman is, well, definitely not what I was expecting when I first popped in this movie, that’s for sure.
Ghost Dog Is Unlike Any Other Movie In Jim Jarmusch Or Whitaker's Entire Careers
Lastly, the reason why Ghost Dog is my favorite Forest Whitaker movie is because it’s unlike anything in his (Or Jim Jarmusch’s) filmography.
And, it’s not like Whitaker just plays any one role. He was a powerhouse in The Last King of Scotland as Idi Amin, and was just as intimidating as Saw Gerrera in my favorite Star Wars movie, Rogue One.
However, while Whitaker has a pretty diverse resume (even though he does seem to play a lot of cops), there is still nothing like Ghost Dog in his list of films. It stands out as a singular work by a legendary performer, and the fact that Jim Jarmusch also doesn’t have anything else like it in his filmography is just icing on the cake.
Jarmusch is one of our most fascinating filmmakers, and this is probably his weirdest (and most wonderful) film, which is really saying something from the man who directed Dead Man.
And, that’s the list. If you haven’t seen Ghost Dog yet, please do so. It’s one of a kind!
