Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (1999)

For me, this is one of the best movies... but I wouldn't watch it more than a couple of times in my life.

It's about a man who follows a forgotten way of life in a displaced setting. The main character is a guy named Ghost Dog. He's an assassin who lives in a shack on the roof of a building. Because of past events, Ghost Dog now does work for, and pretty much serves the will of, this mob member, Louie. Near the beginning of the movie Ghost Dog is commissioned to kill a gangster in the same mob as Louie because he overstepped himself. After he killed the guy, he noticed that there was a young woman in the room who had witnessed everything, but he doesn't kill her, she gives and a book and he leaves. That young woman is unfortunately the daughter of the leader of the mob, and because of that event, he has marked Ghost Dog for death. After an indirect attack, Ghost Dog decides to go after the entire family.

Mob movies have never been my preferred genre. I'll watch them of course, but it is a rare thing for me to choose to watch one of my own volition. This movie could, I suppose, be considered a mob movie, but it is actually more about a way of life. The samurai code. Ghost Dog follows the code of the samurai and lives his life how one would assume a modern-day samurai would live it. In a way, the movie is less about the characters and plot than it is about the way of the samurai. As the movie progresses, there are quotes from a book (Hagakure) that explain Ghost Dog's actions and place them within the samurai code.

The movie can be kind of slow at times, it's more slow-paced than fast. The soundtrack can also be kind of depressing. There are a lot of dark colours and many scenes are shot at night. Because of this it's not on the top of my recommendations list. It sort of feels like only a certain kind of person would really value it, others may think it's boring, but if you are able to get into it it's a really great film. It's about tradition and honour, but told in a modern way.

The book, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, is also a really good book. It's not plot based, but is more a collection of philosophies and stories explaining the samurai code. I bought it after seeing the movie and really loved it. I was obviously much younger then and it was actually this movie that inspired a short karate phase. I recommend you look for the book, whether you enjoy the film or not.