This movie is both a critique of and homage to tradition. It's almost like a love letter to a parent that is stuck in the archaic ways of thinking. A letter filled with respect, sadness, admiration and understanding that they're not long for this world.
Well said. Buried my grandfather last year,he raised me and gave me a code to live by. By all rights he represented tradition and order in my life, I miss him dearly and now am the order and tradition in my family. Rest in peace all warriors We will meet again
@@baloneysaucejohnson8747 while i respect the sentiment, i would be wary of mistaking hierarchy for order. a lot of older schools of thought tended to think someone had to be on top, but with families especially i think they work best uninhibited by hierarchies masquerading as tradition. obviously i don't know you personally but just a word of advice, do with it what you will.
@@funkerdoo I think hierarchies are necessary in any group. That's not to say that they should be determined by age or any other arbitrary trait (ideally they should be according to merit) or that only the person at the top should have any say. But some are naturally leaders, and others naturally followers.
This is one of the greatest low-budget films of the 90's. It felt a decade too late when it released, but now, 25 years later, Ghost Dog seems to hit that just right. If you watch it too literally, it's almost comical- like I did as a young man. But coming back to this film, with a lot more context with cinema and life, Ghost Dog feels ethereal. Poetic is a great way to describe it.
Jarmusch has memorably said that originality and novelty are fleeting and ultimately worthless in the creation of art, and that true value is found in authenticity - what he describes as stealing from everything that you love and putting it all together. His vision is the culmination of everything that came before him, yet at the same time his movies have an instantly identifiable voice that I love.
I was 19, I remember this movie, it hit hard, I can't even tell you how many times I watched it. Forest has done some incredible acting over the years, but for me, this was his best piece.
Thank you for honoring this fine film. It is truly a hidden gem. Jim Jarmusch made two films in the 90s that impacted me deeply. Ghost Dog and Dead Man.
What's interesting in light of this video's themes, is the Hagakure was written after two hundred years of peace. There was no need for samurai as warriors. They had become solely administrators. Hagakure was written by someone trying to hearken back to what what he thought the code of a samurai should be, based on a dream of a past that never was.
I get what you're saying. Even Tsunetomo himself mentions this in Hagakure. I have a copy I keep near my bedside. The film quotes about the end of an age. "Although one would like to go back to a time..." I also see this as a universal truth that is highly thematic in the film. "The good old days". For a majority of people in the world for world history, there has never been a "good old days". That is set aside for a minority with wealth and power. Why is there an African man in the US? Why do the once powerful (and notoriously racist; yet exposed as being no different from any other culture... The scene about rappers, native Americans having funny nicknames... "Indians, niggas. Same 'ting"... Then using their equivalent Italian American slang for all their ageing thugs really shows more similarities in people than differences) Italian American gangsters have no more respect? Change. Change, codes of conduct, human similarity. They're all part of the theme intertwined with a great story from ancient Japan about how everyone see events that unfolded differently, despite all being connected. That is the brilliance of Jarmusch's story telling. Dead man has a different story to tell, but still makes us ask whose story is "real". All the while asking us to embark on the journey, enjoy the ride and think about the journey we have just traversed and how it applies to ourselves. That's what what art does. It doesn't give us the answers like a basic action film or family friendly sitcom. It asks us to ask oursev something. That's the beauty of Jarmusch and the Coen Brothers. It's living art. Carefully crafted.
@@НиколайЛамбертI don't know what you say about "complete piece". You mean the analysis or the film. Because if you mean the film you are just wrong. And I rarely say another perspective on art is "wrong". But this film is complete and perfect. If you didn't see the significance in this film, watch John Wick instead... Then you get what you want. "Complete piece..." Of shit.
I also love how he comes in with two guns, "It's the bird man!" guy dies of a heart attack, and Ghost Dog slowly lowers that gun. No longer needed. Heh.
Nice. Good soundtrack and sound design. Would have been cool on the big screen. I wasn't so fortunate. But I saw it on VHS the first time. With some good friends who are still good friends with excellent taste in movies and music.
I watched ghost dog when I was in three year Buddhist retreat in 1999. During the Tibetan new year we were allowed to watch few movies. One day. What’s you are talking about gives me a good feed back of this time. Purpose gives a framework in a meaningless live, due to that for one moment nothing becomes something. Thank you. Sorry for my French English.
You have it backwards. Ghost Dog is the retainer. Louis is his "lord". Samurai means servant. So does retainer. Bushi is warrior. "Do" is "the way of". Bushido is the way of the warrior. The way of the samurai is to serve with absolute loyalty. Hope this helps.
@@RogerKomula-kl9lb Actually the large Japanese corporations were founded by descendants of old samurai families, so some did pretty well. Also a true samurai is not concerned about material gain, so they say.
I was working at a cinema when this came out. Almost always when a movie finished, most people would start getting up to leave as soon as the credit roll started. I noticed than when Ghost Dog finished, most people just sat there and chilled for a moment. I feel like there's something slightly hypnotic about this movie, the rhythm of it leaves you kinda calm afterwards.
Mafia ordered Ghost dog to be killed cause all the assets of the mafia boss is on his daughter's name. Daughter just turn 21 years old, and she is the owner of everything. So she blackmailed her father to kill the hitman who killed her lover, without knowing that her father is responsible. Mafia boss was in a strange position. He had to kill the hitman he just hired. It was left out in the movie and left to the audience to wonder what the hell is going on. Thats why they do not have the money to pay the rent. Because everything is on the girls name. They really dont have the money. The girl is the actual head of the family.
My favourite scene in the movie is when Ghost Dog walks through the city at night and everyone is distracted or turns his head the exact moment Ghost Dog walks by. He walks among them but nobody sees him - just like a Ghost Dog.
I discovered this film via the soundtrack at the start of my Wu Tang obsession a decade ago. Through the Rza connection I was so excited to see it. It totally blew my mind with the masterful pacing and subtext. The respect and deep understanding of both film history and Japanese bushido code made it such a fascinating film. It's great to see it getting the recognition it deserves.
I became aware of the RZA from watching this; then I discovered that one of my favourite singers and actresses from Japan, Meiko Kaji, was involved in a ruinous legal fight with the RZA. He stole a piano riff from one of her songs, she sued, he counter-sued for defamation and threw more money than she was able to into the suit. He preferred to pay a lawyer than pay a musician he'd admired enough to use their work, and it seriously harmed her music career for about 20 years. I like the music from Ghost Dog but I have no respect for him as a person any more.
@@Josh_Quillanwell, the countersue by RZA proved that the original copyright claim was completely inaccurate and the the sample used in Dark Fantasy was not the Kaji rift at all. All you have to do is listen to the Kaji piano rift and the RZA rift and they are 2 completely different sounds. It’s sad really, all that respect you claimed to have lost, for nothing.
@@ScottyBanton The recording I heard, they were identical. Either way, the fact remains he liked another performer's work enough to either steal or imitate it, but wasn't interested in paying for it or settling the dispute amicably, and preferred to ruin her. That's shitty behaviour.
I once tried to watch this movie with a friend but he made us turn it off as soon as he found out "ghost dog" was a man's name and it wasn't a movie about a dog that's dead
not how I was expecting your story to go - i once tried to show this movie to someone but they couldn't take it seriously because "lol look at this fat weeb" - oh well, some art isn't for all
The reason the mob kills Ghost Dog is because the boss' daughter was there, when she wasn't supposed to be, even thought that wasn't Ghost Dog's fault. It wasn't the murder that was the disrespect that demanded murder as vengeance, it was the boss' daughter being present.
@@ConspiracyOpossumyes, the daughter being there was a perfect excuse to put the inevitable hit on the Hitman, the only hitch in the plan for them personally was they didn’t inform Louie that he should hire a random shooter and not a member of his crew to do it, if they had Louie and Ghost Dog wouldn’t be on the chopping block, and the Jersey Mob wouldn’t have been hunted down as a result
@@newagain9964 any videos of that stuff? remember there was a Chinese guy going around testing MMA on various styles, was pretty fun to watch. I know the CCP was not happy having what they perceive as their image tarnished, made an example out of him unfortunately. Shame they would rather live in la la land then have their citizens learn to defend themselves. The west has gotten just as stupid with its pay for a belt grading systems at times. We even have local qi gong clubs that are essentially just social clubs with a side of qi gong. I'm ranting but my point is this, it isn't easy to find a good place to fight that isn't corrupted by greed or incompetence apart from non profits (which are increasingly rare) or basements of kind strangers.
About absurdity of the mob.. i cant quote the exact words, but there was a moment when they laughed at how black gangsters had these stupid name tags like a bunch of animals and then immidiately proceed to call his fellow mobsters with similar stupid nicknames.
Interesting analysis. One question raised: Does discipline, following a code, make one moral. The presenter answers "No". I agree. However, it DOES suggest integrity: alignment between word and deed.
@@joaocorreiamedia agreed - DOA and Audition are better than Ichi and 13 Assassins is the goat but I read Mugen No Junin and that was the closest anyone has ever come to a movie from a book...
Rented this movie when I was like 14 or 15 and it was still new-ish. Knew there was something unique about it, but still kind of surprised to see people talking about it these days.
I saw this film when it came out just before I went into the military and it spoke to me. I always loved it. Glad to know others out there saw the same virtues in the film that I did.
This was an incredible film that originally I loved for the hip hop score and the parallels between samurai and gang culture. You brought a really unique perspective to this film and gave me a new way to appreciate it.
went to see this movie by myself back when it came to the cinemas... was my first Jim Jarmusch movie... It left a great impression on me. Still is one of my favourite movies ever. Great soundtrack as well
@@AFMR0420 In the context of feudalism, a retainer is "a dependent or follower of someone of rank" or "a paid servant, especially one who has been employed for many years." It has had this meaning for literally centuries.
@@draco_1876 The word retainer has been in use for centuries to mean the servant of a lord, of course its meaning isn't specifically Japanese. Speaking of historically illiterate.
I watched this film way back when it was first released. It got a little respect back then and I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t a huge hit at the time. It gives me satisfaction to see it being ‘discovered’ and appreciated 25 years later.
This is the Video that's gonna blow your channel up. Perfect mix of intellectual introspection and a grounded human appreciation for a "dope flick" Kudos!
very underated piece of art it gives valid criticism & pays respect to traditional ways showing that their are many valuable things we can take from the past & some things we need to leave in the past
NO HE IS NOT!!!!! HE HAS NEVER EVER BEEN UNDERRATED!! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT WORD MEANS. HE HAS ALWAYS BERN ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY RATED DIRECTORS OF ALL TIME. Again,.I would pay good money for no one on the internet ti ever be allowed to use the word underrated until they looked it up and wrote the definition 2,O00 times. It has to be the most misused word on social media.
One of my favorite movies. Very thoughtful and funny at the same time. Great that you catched the difference in memory that Ghost Dog and the Mafia guy has, a lot of people miss that, since it is not actively pointed out, but changes the whole perspective of the movie. Also the funniest scene is when the Mafia bosses hear for the first time the name Ghost Dog and come up with the Rapper and Indian references, that's the first time you realize that they are some total wacky dudes :D.
Great video man. I saw this as a 12 year old when it came out and didn’t get it at all. Haven’t thought about it in years but defiantly going to watch again. Hopefully a bit more maturity will help me appreciate it on a new level
Top ten film of all time for me. It's the film that sent me down the Jarmusch rabbit hole and lead me to Dead Man, his DARK visual poem. Jarmusch is somewhat obsessed with poetry and it runs through his films in different ways. Ghost Dog also features my favorite friendship of all time, Ghost Dog and Raymond.
Outstanding observations. One of Jarmusch's very best, and an excellent lead performance by Forest Whitaker. Living life by a code as illustrated by this film, shows us the many facets of humanity following and adhering to code. I also found there is code reading, code breaking, and even writing new code to follow for the many characters in this movie.
Interesting take ,for me it's Jarmuschs weakest movie by far. I loved it as a teenager but now as an adult it's imo a quite pretentious cheap power fantasy spiced with soap opera Japanese bushido quotes in lifestyle and behaviour. I guess Jarmuschs wanted to break into a unique portrayal by using pudgy Whitaker but he plays it one dimensional like a overweight gaming nerd. It's just only surface and a caricature of a movie .
Truly a masterwork in the art of movies, and the expertise of Jarmusch's audience perspective creates for a very natural vale, following an honor bound system is something I also want to see more of. I'm so lucky to have watched Ghost dog and any JJ movie for that matter.
Everything is to be loved about this movie, from RZA soundtrack to impeccable philosophy, AND Ghost Dog is a friend of the pigeons, beautiful smart birds that people fail to notice, as invisible and timeless as him. Damn i just love this movie so much
I watched this movie when I was 9 years old.. somehow left an impact on me enough to have my first gamertag in counterstrike that year be ghost dog x) But its a movie I've come to appreciate more and more as I get older.. not that I necessarily agree with anything in the movie, or the book which I eventually read.. but appreciate it, yeah. Which I guess falls back to the original point, respect for eachothers paths in life. :) Great movie, a hidden gem indeed.
Excellent description/analysis. I have watched it twice, starting long ago. It's far from the typical Hollywood movie, but it's well worth watching and some thought.
I was obsessed with this movie when I was an edgy teenager. I really owe it a rewatch because I imagine it will hit a lot differently. I'm not sure if Jim Jarmusch even intended it this way but one thing kind of leaning into your analysis of the movie that parallels the seemingly hilarious decline of the gangsters is that the Hagakure is, itself, kind of an absurdity. Its a treatise on how one should live life as a samurai warrior...but it is a matter of historical record that its author Yamamoto Tsunetomo never actually fought in combat or any duels that we know of. All of his writing and direction on being a samurai is from a deeply reactionary and nostalgic viewpoint because he was part of a warrior class that was on the decline.
Excellent take on this underrated gem. If you look beneath the surface its many disparate layers interwoven adroitly, like when a tie and shirt that shouldnt match are brought together with the right blazer and shoes. Its accessible but at the same time not neccessarily mass market either, it deserved much more acclaim
I love this film, like how its such a departure for Jarmusch but it brings along his unmistakable tone and cadence. Another action movie departure I love is David Mamet's Spartan.
I saw Ghost Dog in 99 or 2000. Growing up in the hood in 90a LA was a brutal and scary and often confusing place/time. As a kid I couldn't wear solid color clothing, not to school or around the neighborhood. No adult would explain why. Couple this with autism and an obsession with martial arts films leading right into the "Japanimation Invasion" as it was called at the time. My step dad rented Ghost Dog and we all watched it on our 1960s era "Big Screen" (like a 40" crt that had a UHF knob AND a remote control connected by a long coiling wire (like a phone wire)) salvaged from the junkyard where my mom and step dad "worked" as scrappers (the people who steal train spikes and copper from their own plumbing). I was baffled, and I remember it poorly but I did always remember it, even when watching Rogue One I was like "no way empire is fucking with Ghost Dog, that aint going how they planned". I grew up a lot in the intervening 24 years and the world is even scarier than it was back then (Thank you supreme court) but I still remember Ghost Dog and I cant wait to re-watch it with eyes wide open this time. What my step dad described as "corny shit" is now known to me as poetry and depth, a film worth watching. But my step dad did love the Seagal direct-to-video "films" and called me homophobic slurs for riding the bus to the library. Basically a great guy. with great taste /s
Me and him we are from different ancient tribes, now we are both almost extinct. Sometimes... you gotta stick with the ancient ways. The old-school ways. I know you understand me.
I love this film so much, it had a big influence on me growing up. Having short passages from the Hagakure dotted throughout the film really ties it together
This is a great discussion/analysis of Ghost Dog, one of my favorite films of all time. I agree with all of your points, and it's not surprising that the subleties of the film get lost in the mindsets that have to have their goodies right up front for immediate gratification. When this film came out I was noticing that tendency more and more; it had always been there in some form, but for some reason it started to impact upon me more. With the Hollyweird films of late, with few exceptions like Joker, for instance its gone full-bore I'm-brain-dead-feed-me-now-or-else. More sad than anything, I believe.
I should hate this movie, but I love it. I hate pretentious, arrogance and self importance of "artsy" creators who are immune to scrutiny because "If you don't like it its because you don't get it" Ghost Dog is subversion of that. Everyone in this world is silly in its way, but they don't pretend to be otherwise. They just choose to live their life and live them in the way they chosen. Nothing more, nothing less.
Heard of the film but never seen it. But this was a lovely and intriguing intro, and I don’t mind that I now know the ending, the film is clearly more interesting than the story.
Really like your video here. Love Ghost Dog! What u show of the film is enough for folks who won't end up watching it. At same time, not too much to give best parts away.🎯🎖🏆
I watched this when I was way to young to understand the concept. I just thought it was a cool movie at the time. When I watched it again as an adult I really fell in love with it. It is weird that when Forest Whittaker is mentioned they name every single huge movie he is in and every great performance, but you rarely hear this movie mentioned.
This is a movie Tarantino wished he was the one who made it, for sure. If he came out with this in the first half of the 2000s, it will be regarded as a classic as much as Jackie Brown and Kill Bill
This film has always seemed to fly under the radar - I know so few people who’ve seen it. It’s great! It has so much going for it. It has some fantastic humour in it, just to mention thing. I remember reading Hagakure and despite being totally into Japanese martial arts and traditional culture, finding it really hard to connect with and frankly just a bit odd much of the time. But this movie actually made it really accessible. Really liked your take on it too - thanks.
My respect to you for sharing this if for no other reason than the Hagakure highlight, thank you. I haven’t seen this film in 20 years, definitely worth a revisit.
This movie is both a critique of and homage to tradition. It's almost like a love letter to a parent that is stuck in the archaic ways of thinking. A letter filled with respect, sadness, admiration and understanding that they're not long for this world.
Well said. Buried my grandfather last year,he raised me and gave me a code to live by. By all rights he represented tradition and order in my life, I miss him dearly and now am the order and tradition in my family.
Rest in peace all warriors
We will meet again
@@baloneysaucejohnson8747 while i respect the sentiment, i would be wary of mistaking hierarchy for order. a lot of older schools of thought tended to think someone had to be on top, but with families especially i think they work best uninhibited by hierarchies masquerading as tradition. obviously i don't know you personally but just a word of advice, do with it what you will.
@@funkerdoo I think hierarchies are necessary in any group. That's not to say that they should be determined by age or any other arbitrary trait (ideally they should be according to merit) or that only the person at the top should have any say. But some are naturally leaders, and others naturally followers.
Apt
You wrote yourself a letter... Read it in 20 years and you get to call yourself an ignorant child 😂😂
Ok but can we talk about how perfect The RZA's score is for thr mood and atmosphere of this film?
Absolutely on point and a masterpiece.
No doubt. Jarmusch has great taste.. the score for DEAD MAN and Broken Flowers are also top shelf.
It’s a collab. Jarmusch sets the style, the premise, RZA connects through his flow. Putting peanut butter in the chocolate as they say.
yes please let's talk about it. Especially the Birds Theme.
The score was actually brilliant..
This is one of the greatest low-budget films of the 90's. It felt a decade too late when it released, but now, 25 years later, Ghost Dog seems to hit that just right. If you watch it too literally, it's almost comical- like I did as a young man. But coming back to this film, with a lot more context with cinema and life, Ghost Dog feels ethereal. Poetic is a great way to describe it.
This film had no business being as good as it was. It’s like a patchwork quilt of styles, themes, inspirations, humour. More films like this please.
Is it good though? I really still can't tell.
I like it, but I also can't stand it in some ways.
@@XXXX-yc6wv Its embarrassing
Jarmusch has memorably said that originality and novelty are fleeting and ultimately worthless in the creation of art, and that true value is found in authenticity - what he describes as stealing from everything that you love and putting it all together. His vision is the culmination of everything that came before him, yet at the same time his movies have an instantly identifiable voice that I love.
I was 19, I remember this movie, it hit hard, I can't even tell you how many times I watched it. Forest has done some incredible acting over the years, but for me, this was his best piece.
@@tequila_tibbs7938your comment is 😂
Thank you for honoring this fine film. It is truly a hidden gem.
Jim Jarmusch made two films in the 90s that impacted me deeply. Ghost Dog and Dead Man.
2 great films
That pair has always stuck with me, as has _Only Lovers Left Alive._
@@mbryson2899 👍💜
Broken Flowers is my favorite.
Only lovers and broken flowers are both amazing also Jim jarmuche really knows how to cook
What's interesting in light of this video's themes, is the Hagakure was written after two hundred years of peace. There was no need for samurai as warriors. They had become solely administrators. Hagakure was written by someone trying to hearken back to what what he thought the code of a samurai should be, based on a dream of a past that never was.
@@gregorymaroda4860 Like Synthwave music, the memory of a dream.
It wasnt complete peace. Just instead of all-out wars small skirmishes, street duels and political assasinations.
So similar to western romanticism?
I get what you're saying. Even Tsunetomo himself mentions this in Hagakure. I have a copy I keep near my bedside.
The film quotes about the end of an age. "Although one would like to go back to a time..."
I also see this as a universal truth that is highly thematic in the film. "The good old days". For a majority of people in the world for world history, there has never been a "good old days". That is set aside for a minority with wealth and power.
Why is there an African man in the US? Why do the once powerful (and notoriously racist; yet exposed as being no different from any other culture... The scene about rappers, native Americans having funny nicknames... "Indians, niggas. Same 'ting"... Then using their equivalent Italian American slang for all their ageing thugs really shows more similarities in people than differences) Italian American gangsters have no more respect? Change. Change, codes of conduct, human similarity. They're all part of the theme intertwined with a great story from ancient Japan about how everyone see events that unfolded differently, despite all being connected.
That is the brilliance of Jarmusch's story telling.
Dead man has a different story to tell, but still makes us ask whose story is "real". All the while asking us to embark on the journey, enjoy the ride and think about the journey we have just traversed and how it applies to ourselves. That's what what art does. It doesn't give us the answers like a basic action film or family friendly sitcom. It asks us to ask oursev something. That's the beauty of Jarmusch and the Coen Brothers. It's living art. Carefully crafted.
@@НиколайЛамбертI don't know what you say about "complete piece". You mean the analysis or the film. Because if you mean the film you are just wrong. And I rarely say another perspective on art is "wrong". But this film is complete and perfect. If you didn't see the significance in this film, watch John Wick instead... Then you get what you want. "Complete piece..." Of shit.
I also love how he comes in with two guns, "It's the bird man!" guy dies of a heart attack, and Ghost Dog slowly lowers that gun. No longer needed. Heh.
he actually pulls the second gun off louis' jacket, so that his own gun isnt tied to the crime
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I was fortunate enough to see it in the theater when it came out. It really is an underrated masterpiece.
Nice. Good soundtrack and sound design. Would have been cool on the big screen. I wasn't so fortunate. But I saw it on VHS the first time. With some good friends who are still good friends with excellent taste in movies and music.
ditto
I agree it's an amazing movie
I definitely need to watch it this weekend
YASSSSS
I watched ghost dog when I was in three year Buddhist retreat in 1999. During the Tibetan new year we were allowed to watch few movies. One day. What’s you are talking about gives me a good feed back of this time. Purpose gives a framework in a meaningless live, due to that for one moment nothing becomes something. Thank you. Sorry for my French English.
You have it backwards. Ghost Dog is the retainer. Louis is his "lord". Samurai means servant. So does retainer.
Bushi is warrior. "Do" is "the way of". Bushido is the way of the warrior. The way of the samurai is to serve with absolute loyalty.
Hope this helps.
How is that working out for the samurai? Bet they're all rich with hot chicks.
@@RogerKomula-kl9lb Actually the large Japanese corporations were founded by descendants of old samurai families, so some did pretty well.
Also a true samurai is not concerned about material gain, so they say.
@@RogerKomula-kl9lb Lmao like that is how your life is.
No my friend the way of the samurai is found in death. Read Hagakure.
@@jb7483 thats not the only message of that book...
I was working at a cinema when this came out. Almost always when a movie finished, most people would start getting up to leave as soon as the credit roll started. I noticed than when Ghost Dog finished, most people just sat there and chilled for a moment. I feel like there's something slightly hypnotic about this movie, the rhythm of it leaves you kinda calm afterwards.
Spot on man that’s excatly how I felt after.
One of the most underrated films from the 90's to present day.
Underrated? It’s in the Criterion Collection 😂
@@bjedo3 Still underrated..
@@bjedo3 I was actually talking with a few people I know and they really were not aware of this film. It still kind of flies under the radar.
@@nagone11 I feel like maybe unknown and underrated are two different things
@@bjedo3 you can apply both to my statement.
Mafia ordered Ghost dog to be killed cause all the assets of the mafia boss is on his daughter's name. Daughter just turn 21 years old, and she is the owner of everything. So she blackmailed her father to kill the hitman who killed her lover, without knowing that her father is responsible. Mafia boss was in a strange position. He had to kill the hitman he just hired. It was left out in the movie and left to the audience to wonder what the hell is going on. Thats why they do not have the money to pay the rent. Because everything is on the girls name. They really dont have the money. The girl is the actual head of the family.
My favourite scene in the movie is when Ghost Dog walks through the city at night and everyone is distracted or turns his head the exact moment Ghost Dog walks by. He walks among them but nobody sees him - just like a Ghost Dog.
I discovered this film via the soundtrack at the start of my Wu Tang obsession a decade ago. Through the Rza connection I was so excited to see it. It totally blew my mind with the masterful pacing and subtext. The respect and deep understanding of both film history and Japanese bushido code made it such a fascinating film. It's great to see it getting the recognition it deserves.
The soundtrack to this movie is another character, I swear. Amazing.
I became aware of the RZA from watching this; then I discovered that one of my favourite singers and actresses from Japan, Meiko Kaji, was involved in a ruinous legal fight with the RZA. He stole a piano riff from one of her songs, she sued, he counter-sued for defamation and threw more money than she was able to into the suit. He preferred to pay a lawyer than pay a musician he'd admired enough to use their work, and it seriously harmed her music career for about 20 years. I like the music from Ghost Dog but I have no respect for him as a person any more.
@@Josh_Quillanwell, the countersue by RZA proved that the original copyright claim was completely inaccurate and the the sample used in Dark Fantasy was not the Kaji rift at all. All you have to do is listen to the Kaji piano rift and the RZA rift and they are 2 completely different sounds. It’s sad really, all that respect you claimed to have lost, for nothing.
@@ScottyBanton The recording I heard, they were identical. Either way, the fact remains he liked another performer's work enough to either steal or imitate it, but wasn't interested in paying for it or settling the dispute amicably, and preferred to ruin her. That's shitty behaviour.
@@Josh_Quillan according to you. RZA and the courts say otherwise.
I once tried to watch this movie with a friend but he made us turn it off as soon as he found out "ghost dog" was a man's name and it wasn't a movie about a dog that's dead
lol life of the party
not how I was expecting your story to go - i once tried to show this movie to someone but they couldn't take it seriously because "lol look at this fat weeb" - oh well, some art isn't for all
@@Hasshodowhy are you hanging around insecure morons?
reminds me of someone in Jersey; "ya know who also had an arc? Noah!"
some (most) people aren't deep thinkers...
maybe you should try ghost dad, might make him more happy.
Its the slowest and most laid back movie ever, but manages to hold my attention every second of the movie.
I watched about 2 minutes of your video, then paused it. Then I found Ghost Dog, watched it, loved it and came back to finish your video
The reason the mob kills Ghost Dog is because the boss' daughter was there, when she wasn't supposed to be, even thought that wasn't Ghost Dog's fault. It wasn't the murder that was the disrespect that demanded murder as vengeance, it was the boss' daughter being present.
💯👍
I agree but believe it was both reasons it’s why they hired out of the family , because they knew they were going to kill him after
@@ConspiracyOpossumyes, the daughter being there was a perfect excuse to put the inevitable hit on the Hitman, the only hitch in the plan for them personally was they didn’t inform Louie that he should hire a random shooter and not a member of his crew to do it, if they had Louie and Ghost Dog wouldn’t be on the chopping block, and the Jersey Mob wouldn’t have been hunted down as a result
thanks for the spoiler dawg
The Mob didn't kill Ghostdog. He killed them. Then the daughter had him killed.
The old Chinese guy beating up the mugger is my old Kung Fu teacher, Shi Yan Ming. He was actually in his mid thirties at the time.
You must need glasses, that guy was Black.
That’s so cool
Funny. Cause I defeated him (badly) in an underground fight in Hong Kong…u wouldn’t know anything about that.
@@newagain9964 any videos of that stuff? remember there was a Chinese guy going around testing MMA on various styles, was pretty fun to watch. I know the CCP was not happy having what they perceive as their image tarnished, made an example out of him unfortunately. Shame they would rather live in la la land then have their citizens learn to defend themselves.
The west has gotten just as stupid with its pay for a belt grading systems at times. We even have local qi gong clubs that are essentially just social clubs with a side of qi gong.
I'm ranting but my point is this, it isn't easy to find a good place to fight that isn't corrupted by greed or incompetence apart from non profits (which are increasingly rare) or basements of kind strangers.
@@AxiomaticAssumptions ikr. That’s why I’m forced to fight in Hong Kong underground. 💀
About absurdity of the mob.. i cant quote the exact words, but there was a moment when they laughed at how black gangsters had these stupid name tags like a bunch of animals and then immidiately proceed to call his fellow mobsters with similar stupid nicknames.
It was Indians' names the mob boss was referring to
Truly memorable scene!
One of those moments when I laughed out loud in the theater and no one else did. Sometimes the humour and commentary was too subtle for some folks.
@@romanjeve "Indians, N-s... same thing..." :D :D
@@ghostdog-b4g nutskins are the same as demons
Interesting analysis. One question raised: Does discipline, following a code, make one moral. The presenter answers "No". I agree. However, it DOES suggest integrity: alignment between word and deed.
If you're trying to find films that deal with the absurd, just look at most stuff Takashi Miike did. He's the master of absurdity.
Blade of the Immortal is an absolute masterpiece
Agreed and also try the 2003 version of zatoichi.
@@_Alfa_Channel I feel like BOTI is an ok Miike film, but quite far from most of his other stuff.
@@joaocorreiamedia agreed - DOA and Audition are better than Ichi and 13 Assassins is the goat but I read Mugen No Junin and that was the closest anyone has ever come to a movie from a book...
@@_Alfa_Channel I understand perfectly! Despite a film being better or worse than something else, what matters is our personal taste :)
Rented this movie when I was like 14 or 15 and it was still new-ish. Knew there was something unique about it, but still kind of surprised to see people talking about it these days.
It’s a classic. Cult classic. But legendary regardless
yeah nobody i know has ever heard of this movie and it makes me happy to discover that other people also like it
I saw this film when it came out just before I went into the military and it spoke to me. I always loved it. Glad to know others out there saw the same virtues in the film that I did.
This was an incredible film that originally I loved for the hip hop score and the parallels between samurai and gang culture. You brought a really unique perspective to this film and gave me a new way to appreciate it.
went to see this movie by myself back when it came to the cinemas... was my first Jim Jarmusch movie... It left a great impression on me. Still is one of my favourite movies ever. Great soundtrack as well
0:49 bold move man. I salute you.
A retainer is a follower, not a master. Ghost Dog was Louie's retainer, not the other way around.
Yes. Ghost Dog says to Louie "I'm your retainer. I don't mean you no disrespect".
@@AFMR0420 In the context of feudalism, a retainer is "a dependent or follower of someone of rank" or "a paid servant, especially one who has been employed for many years." It has had this meaning for literally centuries.
A retainer was a samurai. Lmao you guys are so historically illiterate
@@draco_1876 The word retainer has been in use for centuries to mean the servant of a lord, of course its meaning isn't specifically Japanese. Speaking of historically illiterate.
@@valmarsigliabut to be clear in relation to samurai retainers were considered samurai
Idk why, but I literally cried at the end. To this day I can’t explain it.
I watched this film way back when it was first released. It got a little respect back then and I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t a huge hit at the time. It gives me satisfaction to see it being ‘discovered’ and appreciated 25 years later.
This is the Video that's gonna blow your channel up.
Perfect mix of intellectual introspection and a grounded human appreciation for a "dope flick"
Kudos!
very underated piece of art it gives valid criticism & pays respect to traditional ways showing that their are many valuable things we can take from the past
& some things we need to leave in the past
Also the shots showing road signs "only left turn" or "stay in lane" both codes and disciplines to drive and live by
Jim jarmouth is so underrated, the limits of control is still my favorite movie and I love ghost dog as well
NO HE IS NOT!!!!! HE HAS NEVER EVER BEEN UNDERRATED!! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT WORD MEANS. HE HAS ALWAYS BERN ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY RATED DIRECTORS OF ALL TIME.
Again,.I would pay good money for no one on the internet ti ever be allowed to use the word underrated until they looked it up and wrote the definition 2,O00 times. It has to be the most misused word on social media.
I appreciate this film more now than when it came out.
One of my favorite movies. Very thoughtful and funny at the same time. Great that you catched the difference in memory that Ghost Dog and the Mafia guy has, a lot of people miss that, since it is not actively pointed out, but changes the whole perspective of the movie. Also the funniest scene is when the Mafia bosses hear for the first time the name Ghost Dog and come up with the Rapper and Indian references, that's the first time you realize that they are some total wacky dudes :D.
This video has been recommended to me since it dropped. Finally caved and watched it... Now I need to see this movie. Great work.
Great video man. I saw this as a 12 year old when it came out and didn’t get it at all. Haven’t thought about it in years but defiantly going to watch again. Hopefully a bit more maturity will help me appreciate it on a new level
My favorite movie, top 5 of all time. Thanks for covering this.
Top ten film of all time for me. It's the film that sent me down the Jarmusch rabbit hole and lead me to Dead Man, his DARK visual poem. Jarmusch is somewhat obsessed with poetry and it runs through his films in different ways. Ghost Dog also features my favorite friendship of all time, Ghost Dog and Raymond.
Outstanding observations. One of Jarmusch's very best, and an excellent lead performance by Forest Whitaker. Living life by a code as illustrated by this film, shows us the many facets of humanity following and adhering to code. I also found there is code reading, code breaking, and even writing new code to follow for the many characters in this movie.
Interesting take ,for me it's Jarmuschs weakest movie by far. I loved it as a teenager but now as an adult it's imo a quite pretentious cheap power fantasy spiced with soap opera Japanese bushido quotes in lifestyle and behaviour. I guess Jarmuschs wanted to break into a unique portrayal by using pudgy Whitaker but he plays it one dimensional like a overweight gaming nerd. It's just only surface and a caricature of a movie .
Truly a masterwork in the art of movies, and the expertise of Jarmusch's audience perspective creates for a very natural vale,
following an honor bound system is something I also want to see more of.
I'm so lucky to have watched Ghost dog and any JJ movie for that matter.
5:10
I was fully zoned in to the video until this scene. I had to take a laugh break 🤣 awesome video man! I'm gonna check this movie out
Everything is to be loved about this movie, from RZA soundtrack to impeccable philosophy, AND Ghost Dog is a friend of the pigeons, beautiful smart birds that people fail to notice, as invisible and timeless as him. Damn i just love this movie so much
Ghost Dog was the original John Wick and I stand by that statement.
Yeah sure kid,,,,Google Equilibrium.
This is one of my all time fav movies. It always makes me cry.
One of my favorite films. Thanks for giving a perspective that's distinctive and true to the film itself.
Glad you enjoyed it! The film was very fun to appreciate
SO HAPPY YOU GIVING THIS MOVIE THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES
Ghost dog has been my favourite film for a long time.
So happy to get this recommended, I love the movie and to see others talk about it makes me feel excited :))
I watched this movie when I was 9 years old.. somehow left an impact on me enough to have my first gamertag in counterstrike that year be ghost dog x)
But its a movie I've come to appreciate more and more as I get older.. not that I necessarily agree with anything in the movie, or the book which I eventually read.. but appreciate it, yeah. Which I guess falls back to the original point, respect for eachothers paths in life. :) Great movie, a hidden gem indeed.
I watch this movie a lot, I rented it from a local video store 20 years ago and I have been a fan since.
Excellent description/analysis. I have watched it twice, starting long ago. It's far from the typical Hollywood movie, but it's well worth watching and some thought.
I used to watch this movie often , noticing different details each time . Great Share Thanks!
Taking out the bear hunters and the elderly martial artist were my favorite scenes!
I was obsessed with this movie when I was an edgy teenager. I really owe it a rewatch because I imagine it will hit a lot differently. I'm not sure if Jim Jarmusch even intended it this way but one thing kind of leaning into your analysis of the movie that parallels the seemingly hilarious decline of the gangsters is that the Hagakure is, itself, kind of an absurdity. Its a treatise on how one should live life as a samurai warrior...but it is a matter of historical record that its author Yamamoto Tsunetomo never actually fought in combat or any duels that we know of. All of his writing and direction on being a samurai is from a deeply reactionary and nostalgic viewpoint because he was part of a warrior class that was on the decline.
With the way you described the movie I will definitely give this a watch.
One of my favorite films of all time. I watched it for the first time as a teen and was immediately hooked.
Found this film on dvd a couple months back and watch it religiously now. Great film.
Excellent take on this underrated gem. If you look beneath the surface its many disparate layers interwoven adroitly, like when a tie and shirt that shouldnt match are brought together with the right blazer and shoes.
Its accessible but at the same time not neccessarily mass market either, it deserved much more acclaim
Thanks. I stopped this video, watched Ghost Dog, and came back. Thank you for such a great recommendation.
I love this film, like how its such a departure for Jarmusch but it brings along his unmistakable tone and cadence. Another action movie departure I love is David Mamet's Spartan.
That was the longest eight minutes I've encountered in a while. Good stuff.
Absolute classic, this was such an important piece of cinema for me and still shines as a masterpiece
Ghost Dog has always been one of my favorites
I saw Ghost Dog in 99 or 2000. Growing up in the hood in 90a LA was a brutal and scary and often confusing place/time. As a kid I couldn't wear solid color clothing, not to school or around the neighborhood. No adult would explain why. Couple this with autism and an obsession with martial arts films leading right into the "Japanimation Invasion" as it was called at the time. My step dad rented Ghost Dog and we all watched it on our 1960s era "Big Screen" (like a 40" crt that had a UHF knob AND a remote control connected by a long coiling wire (like a phone wire)) salvaged from the junkyard where my mom and step dad "worked" as scrappers (the people who steal train spikes and copper from their own plumbing). I was baffled, and I remember it poorly but I did always remember it, even when watching Rogue One I was like "no way empire is fucking with Ghost Dog, that aint going how they planned". I grew up a lot in the intervening 24 years and the world is even scarier than it was back then (Thank you supreme court) but I still remember Ghost Dog and I cant wait to re-watch it with eyes wide open this time. What my step dad described as "corny shit" is now known to me as poetry and depth, a film worth watching. But my step dad did love the Seagal direct-to-video "films" and called me homophobic slurs for riding the bus to the library. Basically a great guy. with great taste /s
Me and him we are from different ancient tribes, now we are both almost extinct.
Sometimes... you gotta stick with the ancient ways. The old-school ways. I know you understand me.
One of my best chance finds on dvd at the local blockbuster back in the day... even at 15 I loved the slow burn and charm of this film.
I saw this four times in the theater. Great film. That bear hunter scene was beautiful. Thanks for the commentary.
I must have seen this wonderfully unique film 5 times over the last 20-30 years ..just fantastic :)
I love that pic...so abstract. And the score rocked! I bought the LP but it didn't have the track I wanted it for...damn!!! However, it still rock'd
I like your perspective on this movie. One of my favorites back in the day. I probably haven't seen it in 18 years, will be re-watching soon
Great breakdown!! I love this movie and can watch it on repeat ✊🏾🔥
I love this film so much, it had a big influence on me growing up. Having short passages from the Hagakure dotted throughout the film really ties it together
The title of your video made me watch this movie. Well put.
Shame about the ads though, does anyone watch these?
This is a great discussion/analysis of Ghost Dog, one of my favorite films of all time. I agree with all of your points, and it's not surprising that the subleties of the film get lost in the mindsets that have to have their goodies right up front for immediate gratification. When this film came out I was noticing that tendency more and more; it had always been there in some form, but for some reason it started to impact upon me more. With the Hollyweird films of late, with few exceptions like Joker, for instance its gone full-bore I'm-brain-dead-feed-me-now-or-else. More sad than anything, I believe.
Forest Whittaker's exquisite acting always leaves a mark.(Color of Money, Crying Game, Ghost Dog).
I should hate this movie, but I love it. I hate pretentious, arrogance and self importance of "artsy" creators who are immune to scrutiny because "If you don't like it its because you don't get it"
Ghost Dog is subversion of that. Everyone in this world is silly in its way, but they don't pretend to be otherwise. They just choose to live their life and live them in the way they chosen. Nothing more, nothing less.
Yes, cracking film. Great that Nobody from Dead Man reappears.
Heard of the film but never seen it. But this was a lovely and intriguing intro, and I don’t mind that I now know the ending, the film is clearly more interesting than the story.
Really like your video here. Love Ghost Dog! What u show of the film is enough for folks who won't end up watching it. At same time, not too much to give best parts away.🎯🎖🏆
I watched this when I was way to young to understand the concept. I just thought it was a cool movie at the time. When I watched it again as an adult I really fell in love with it. It is weird that when Forest Whittaker is mentioned they name every single huge movie he is in and every great performance, but you rarely hear this movie mentioned.
I liked how he wielded the guns like samurai swords🔥
This is a movie Tarantino wished he was the one who made it, for sure. If he came out with this in the first half of the 2000s, it will be regarded as a classic as much as Jackie Brown and Kill Bill
About to rewatch this today. It's been years.
This film has always seemed to fly under the radar - I know so few people who’ve seen it. It’s great! It has so much going for it. It has some fantastic humour in it, just to mention thing. I remember reading Hagakure and despite being totally into Japanese martial arts and traditional culture, finding it really hard to connect with and frankly just a bit odd much of the time. But this movie actually made it really accessible.
Really liked your take on it too - thanks.
Jarmusch is great. This is one of his best.
Thank you for video. "Limits of control" is very impressive as well.
former film and cultural theory lecturer here, absolutely 10/10 cultural theory presentation on a 10/10 cultural theory film
Added to my watchlist, interesting POV you bring here
My respect to you for sharing this if for no other reason than the Hagakure highlight, thank you. I haven’t seen this film in 20 years, definitely worth a revisit.
Me and my brother love this movie, and people always talk shit about it. I'm glad this popped up in my feed.
every man needs somethign bigger than himself to live for. to live!
Ive watched it so many times as kid. Love this movie...
Subscribed. Fantastic retrospective and review.
Yes, that movie is a masterpiece.
Nico please never abandon us like every frame a painting did
Forget what movie I went to see when this trailer played, but literally the entire theater busted out laughing at it, that I didn't forget.
I thought I was the only one who remembered this movie
Just watched this on Thursday again. Great movie.