Ghost Dog

2025 Words5 Pages

Ghost Dog problems with format Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a self-taught samurai, living by an 18th century code which is written in the book ?Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai?t. Living on a rooftop within the skyline of a modern day city, with a coop of homing pigeons that he uses to communicate with Louie (John Tormey) a lower member of the local Mafia. Their strange relationship formed when Louie saved Ghost Dog as a teenager, and then in way of the samurai became his Master with Ghost Dog as the Retainer. From then on Ghost Dog has been Louie?s hitman for his special tasks, which have been executed flawless. He is ordered to execute Handsome Frank and the task is performed in front of Louise (Tricia Vessey), the daughter of Mafia don Ray Vargo (Henry Silva). Though Frank?s death was contracted, it is against the order of their society and Louise should not have witnessed this, so Vargo assigns whole Mafia after the man responsible, and if Ghost Dog can?t be found then Louie is to be dealt with. Ghost Dog realises he is being hunted and has to deal with the whole organisation, tackling them head on and just leaving Louie to revenge the death of his boss. The film plays off the rules and morals of the samurai against the gangster?s, showing the success of an ancient tradition in co��rison to a dying way of life. Jim Jarmusch, the writer and director wanted to make a film around Forest Whitaker; to make use of his large powerfiul figure and appearance while yet still having a softer side within his manner of speech. So after taking in Whitaker?s interests in ancient tradition and martial arts, he added other ideas from his own interests to form the story of an assassin stuck within the genre?s of Marti... ... middle of paper ... ...role that does not follow the rules of society or of the criminals. Along Bibliography with all the iconography, as outlined by film theorist McArthur, such as the physical appearance of the characters, the urban environment in which the fiction is played out, and the technology at the characters? disposal; principally the guns and cars. But the physical threat comes in the form of Ghost Dog and not the ageing Mafia, the genre of Gangster seems to be the backdrop for a story of higher morals and greater levels of fate. The way of the Samurai is brought in terms of comparison with today?s society and exposes the gangsters as frauds when it comes to living by methods of violence. The Course Reader http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/l280/ http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/movies/OO/O3/1 6/filmculture.html http://www.kamera.co.uk/features/ghostdog.htrnl

Open Document