365 Films
Entry #124
Ghost Dog:
The Way of the Samurai (2000)
Directed by
Jim Jarmusch
My path towards the cinematic output of
Jim Jarmusch began with 2000’s Ghost Dog:
The Way of the Samurai. It
combined Jarmusch’s deadpan wit with my then (must emphasize the past tense use
of that word) love of on screen bloodshed. In a way, Ghost Dog is almost the best primer for a complete
Jarmusch newbie, it is, by far,
one of his most accessible efforts yet the indescribable strangeness of his
vision pervades every shot in this film.
As hard as it is to believe now there was a time when the presence of
Forest Whitaker in a lead role provoked a sense of excited anticipation rather
than quizzical confusion. There
was a time (before the Oscar sadly) when he was an unknown quantity and his
hulking mass mixed with his lullaby whisper voice to produce an incredibly
fascinating screen presence. Ghost
Dog is the movie he should have won the Oscar for and Ghost Dog is hands down
the career capping performance for him thus far. This is one of those movies where it becomes abundantly
clear from frame one just how in sync the director and actor are together in
pursuing this particular cinematic vision. Just observe how beautifully Whitaker and Jarmusch regular Isaach
De Bankolé play their relationship together as hitman and casual acquaintance Raymond,
the ice cream man. Neither one can
understand a word the other is saying but their body language indicates years
of easy camaraderie. In keeping
with Jarmusch’s delightfully absurdist view of humanity, the manner in which he
depicts the Hip-Hop influence in a predominately white institution like the mafia
is done with such tenderness and affection that it never becomes a hectoring
sermon a la James Toback’s Black and White (released the same year). Jarmusch’s combines playfully comedic
sight gags and character moments with a genuine sense of moral seriousness to
produce one of the strangest and most satisfying gangster/existential hit man
hybrid movies ever made.
No comments:
Post a Comment