I had heard of Jim Jarmusch as being something of an interesting auteur, this served as my introduction to him. I dont know if it is one of his best, but overall I liked it, especially the opening. There is so much to notice in the early sequences, you can't help but get engrossed, that is presuming you are paying attention.
Basically, the film follows a contract killer for the mob (which includes a handful of familiar faces from the world of gangster film character actors) who eventually becomes a target himself, and as an outsider, is shown little respect. But the film is more interested in details than the overall story, as summarised by a passage in a samurai book, quotes from which appear throughout the film in title cards: 'Matters of great concern should be treated lightly. Matters of small concern should be treated seriously'.
It is a character study, and the most interesting aspect of the film is how the character is introduced in such a way to appear to be something approaching a mythical figure, a legend of folklore. A hooded vigilante stalks the town at night, unnoticed, he comes within touching distance of a few people, but they don't see him, that includes the cops. We see him steal a car and do a hit, throughout he has a controlled, soft touch and will not be rushed. This is his city. He is known to the local black community, like a local celebrity. He hardly speaks, only in English and has a best friend who only speaks French (no-one else does) yet they still get along and understand eachother. He transcends language perhaps? He is shown talking to his pigeon, and seemingly understanding the bird's response - maybe suggesting the same thing. And even the name: Ghost Dog, suggests something otherworldly.
I enjoyed a nice idiosyncratic moment where GD and his French bestie see a man building a boat on a rooftop. The French man shouts down to him asking if when it's done will he just sail off into the clouds, the builder responds by saying 'I don't understand', in French! This again may be meant to transcend language, it may be the concept of going to a better place he doesn't understand, instead of the words - which would be a nice intellectual comedy on city life.
I noticed a minor but interesting moment of effects realism that comes when someone is shot twice in the heart then once in the head. The head shot doesn't spurt out blood as you may expect, but drips blood slowly.. it may not look as cinematic but could be realistic if the heart has already stopped.
More symbolism comes when he returns to his pigeon shack, which has been ransacked. All the birds have been killed, (there is even one left in his bed, godfather style) he looks down at his feet and there is a pure white bird dead, in a pool of blood. This clearly has a deeper, hidden meaning. Presuming (rather safely) the white bird represents good, and has been killed, it could simply mean that things are about to get bad ie. his sense of calm is about to end and he will break wreck. Or, perhaps the killers, representing forces of destruction, are extinguishing any real good left in the world. Either way he is stood over it, showing he is on a higher plane. This is important, it wouldn't mean the same if he was looking at it on a ledge or eye height.
To be critical - perhaps it gets a bit swamped by its own grandeur at the end, but it offers lots to analyse and think about, which is important.
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