One of my favourite films. Its got a bit of everything I like and more besides. Part gangster movie part martial arts movie with a lot of comedy and philosophy thrown in. Its beautifully shot and acted and manages to make something unique out of familiar elements.
Black comedy, style, cool soundtrack but its also a film with heart. Kicks ass all round!
What a very strange film. I understand that it has achieved something of a cult status and I'm not surprised. The characters in it are governed by two different codes, sort of Samurai v Mafia and it's all about trust, loyalty and betrayal. The Ghost Dog character (played by Forest Whitaker) believes he owes a debt to one mafioso (Louie, played by John Tormey) whom he believes saved his life. But (in an echo of Rashomon) each character sees a different version of this event... Ghost Dog's best friend is a Haitian ice-cream seller who speaks only French and Ghost Dog speaks only English – yet they manage to understand each other. The film covers not only this communication and friendship, but also violence, revenge, racism – and yet it's all played with a tongue-in-cheek humour. From the bizarre premise that Ghost Dog is a somewhat portly yet efficient hit-man who communicates only by carrier pigeon, you can see that this is most definitely a weird film – in fact, the kind you ether love or hate. I'm still undecided, so I 'll give it 3/5 stars – but it may be worth 4...