Ghost Dog - The Way Of The Samurai (DVD)

...Basic Plot'''

Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is an assassin living in Jersey City (although, we're never told that) who holds true to Bushido, the ancient Japanese chivalric code of the Samurai, and is guided in particular by the tenets of _Hagakure_, a series of commentaries and guidelines that were outlined in the early 18th century. The Samurai is a servant or retainer who pledges his life and sword to a master, and in Ghost Dog's ...
...several years before (or so Ghost Dog thinks) and by so doing unwittingly earned the future assassin's loyalty. Between jobs Ghost Dog lives in a shack on the roof of a building with only some carrier pigeons and some books to keep him company. His only human friends are a Haitian ice-cream vendor and chatterbox, Raymond (Isaach de Bankolé), who can only speak French, and a precocious-but-sweet little girl, Pearline (Camille Winbush), with whom Ghost ... more

Despite what more serious-minded critics seem to believe, movies are, and always will be, entertainments. They are a diversion, a means of escape (for a while) from mundane things, no more, no less. They toy with our emotions, stimulate our fears and energize our fantasies and that's why we love them. But in satisfying the public's craving for sensation (in both senses of the word) the studios can at times overdo things by producing enormous slabs of cake when just a light snack would satisfy us more. They bludgeon the senses rather than tease them. That's why the movie gods gave us independent filmmakers. Sometimes we need to pull back from the big picture, with all its noise and bluster, and spend a quiet moment experiencing the subtleties of things. In doing so we might begin to see the big picture just that little bit more clearly.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a movie from 1999 that allows us to do just that. Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, it is the superficially-simple tale of a hit-man who is forced to turn on his employers. Yet it is not a conventional shoot-em-up with a conventional narrative. The movie is basically about the dilemmas that are created when strongly-held beliefs and rigid convictions are forced to cope with a very fluid and uncertain world. It is a story full of jarring relationships, odd pictures and connections and some absurdist humour. Above all, it holds to Jarmusch's own belief that "the beauty of life is in small details, not in big events".

The Basic Plot

Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is an assassin living in Jersey City (although, we're never told that) who holds true to Bushido, the ancient Japanese chivalric code of the Samurai, and is guided in particular by the tenets of Hagakure, a series of commentaries and guidelines that were outlined in the early 18th century. The Samurai is a servant or retainer who pledges his life and sword to a master, and in Ghost Dog's case his master is a local mobster, Louie (John Tormey), who had saved him from a beating several years before (or so Ghost Dog thinks) and by so doing unwittingly earned the future assassin's loyalty. Between jobs Ghost Dog lives in a shack on the roof of a building with only some carrier pigeons and some books to keep him company. His only human friends are a Haitian ice-cream vendor and chatterbox, Raymond (Isaach de Bankolé), who can only speak French, and a precocious-but-sweet little girl, Pearline (Camille Winbush), with whom Ghost Dog talks about books and eats ice cream in the local park.

One day Louie is ordered to 'whack' another mob 'soldier', Handsome Frank (Richard Portnow), who has been having a relationship with Louise Vargo (Tricia Vessey), the daughter of Mob boss Ray Vargo (Henry Silva). Louie gives the job to Ghost Dog and the hit is carried out seamlessly. Unfortunately, the girl was witness to the slaying of her lover and Mr Vargo decides that things would be simpler all round if Ghost Dog were himself eliminated. The task is given to Louie and the dilemmas begin for both master and servant.

***

The central figure in the movie is, of course, Ghost Dog himself, and in following his movements we learn of his lifestyle and the philosophy that informs it. He might even be described as the walking dead. The movie opens with our man reading Hagakure in his shack. He reads...

"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily...
...And every day without fail one should consider himself as dead. This is the substance of the Way of the Samurai."

And such a detachment proves difficult for our assassin. The ways of the world, its people and concerns, demand attention and, inevitably, a measure of emotional investment. Ghost Dog must renounce his feelings towards his friends AND his enemies if he is to honour his code and, ultimately, achieve grace.

(The Japanese Samurai were heavily influenced by Zen, an austere and direct form of the Buddhism that in its turn evolved from the Vedanta of Classical India. One of the fundamental tenets of Vedanta was the instruction, "Kill desire, the enemy of the Soul" (from the Bhagavad Gita). In other words, the unchanging reality of existence only makes itself known when the ever-changing and illusory world of the senses is transcended. That world is transcended by renouncing all attachment to it. The Way of the Samurai involved an extreme, almost nihilistic, form of that detachment.)

That's not to say the movie is a dry philosophy lesson - it is 100% entertainment - but to understand the motivations of the lead character is to be able to enjoy his journey and, therefore, the movie so much more.

***

The narrative is overlaid now and again by Whitaker's voiceover reading sections of his 'guidebook'. The subsequent scenes show how his character strives to follow the advice given. He is motivated at all times by a loyalty to his master, Louie, and when master is forced to turn against servant all the ingenuity at the servant's disposal is called for to avoid an immediate 'whacking'. This shows that our Samurai hasn't completely renounced all emotional attachment to his world. Part of him would still like to live. Yet he can't break his code. However, he can bend it, and does.

Ghost Dog owns virtually nothing other than the tools of his trade, and even they are worn and often homemade, although meticulously maintained. He steals cars to take him to jobs and on one occasion he even steals a shiny suit off the back of a man in order to gain entry into Mr Vargo's 'castle'. He is a man who lives on his wits but is content to weather his fate ("Nothing happens for no reason."). He sees himself as the last of a dying tribe, the last upholder of an ancient tradition.

The same might be said about the mob for whom he works and ultimately guns for. Mr Vargo's 'family' are a hopeless and, at times, comical bunch, a collection of fat wheezing old men. Even Mr Vargo himself has a cadaverous look about him. On a couple of occasions we even see them being chased for unpaid rent. Clearly the world has passed our mobsters by. Yet they can still waste a guy if needs be - our Samurai knows that very well - and, like their nemesis, they work to some sort of code: No man is killed for no reason.

***

Beyond the immediate story of the 'two tribes' lies the real beauty of the movie. It is full of small details, often humorous and absurd, that perhaps mean nothing in themselves but when seen together add to the big picture. The mobsters are always watching cartoons on TV before their nemesis comes calling, cartoons that mirror the impending fate of the viewer and which can be seen as portents. A curious dog turns up on a couple of occasions, doing nothing, just staring. It clearly wants something, but what? Even when Ghost Dog has Mr Vargo in the cross-hairs of his rifle a little bird lands on the scope and blocks the shot. Yet our Samurai doesn't flinch. The shot was not meant to be and he calmly moves onwards to find a new opportunity.

We might even think that because of his detachment Ghost Dog is able to see meanings and connections that are hidden from those living right in the middle of things, right up-close to everyday life and deafened by the noise of it. The meanings are there but ordinarily we don't see them and fail to make connections. Our assassin may in fact be the happiest man in the movie despite his inevitable fate. His whole existence is layered in meanings and certainties, and he is totally content, or at least as content as it's possible to be while still joined at the hip to the world around him. The ultimate pleasure from the movie is simply in recognizing endless possibilities and variations and the fact that even the most inevitable fate has many paths to it.

Whatever we may make of this movie we realise that there can never be an ending to the story. Both master and servant are not so sure, whatever they may say, that their respective tribes are doomed. Both in Louise Vargo and in Pearline we may well see the way forwards for both... perhaps.

***

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a slow-moving offbeat movie. The word that springs to mind is 'quirky', but as director Jaramusch is on record as saying that he hates that description, we will avoid it. Much has been made of the movie's 'Samurai' philosophy, too much perhaps, and it would be a mistake to read too much into its 'Zen(ish)' narrative. The movie is best enjoyed as a drama, and when all is said and done, a drama is all it is. But it does shake us out of our torpor and that can be no bad thing. Instead of washing over us pleasantly like a warm shower, it flows down our throats, makes us choke and splutter and, ultimately, wakes us up. Ghost Dog's world is not a rational and reasonable place, yet he flows through it effortlessly, expecting nothing and simply investing all his attention in the moment, which is, of course, where everything is. That may be the ultimate mistake of the unhappy folk around him. But unhappy folk cannot all be Samurai!

***

The soundtrack, produced by RZA from hip-hop ensemble, the Wu-Tang Clan, is also worth a mention. Hip-hop is not a musical genre that I can speak of with any authority at all but the soundtrack is impressive and atmospheric. The background music has a distinctly Japanese feel to it and there are also elements of reggae and modern jazz. The whole sound is spare but feels just right. There is a Ghost Dog - themed CD available from the Wu-Tang Clan.

DVD Editions

My copy was the 2002 release with anamorphic widescreen, full audio features and scene selection. It also contains the theatrical trailer and some outtakes, none of which are particularly diverting. There is a new DVD release of this movie just out (June 08) but I can't find any details as yet about its features. Both editions can be picked up online for around £5. 

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