Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Jim Jarmusch combines his love for the ice-cool crime dramas of Jean-Pierre Melville and Seijun Suzuki with the philosophical dimensions of samurai mythology for an eccentrically postmodern take on the hit-man thriller. In one of his defining roles, Forest Whitaker brings a commanding serenity to his portrayal of a Zen contract killer working for a bumbling mob outfit, a modern man who adheres steadfastly to the ideals of the Japanese warrior code even as chaos and violence spiral around him. Featuring moody cinematography by the great Robby Müller, a mesmerizing score by the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, and a host of colorful character actors (including a memorably stone-faced Henry Silva), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai plays like a pop-culture-sampling cinematic mixtape built around a one-of-a-kind tragic hero. DIRECTOR-APPROVED TWO-DVD SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Jim Jarmusch • Alternate isolated stereo music track • New Q&A with Jarmusch, in which he responds to questions sent in by fans • New conversation between actors Forest Whitaker and Isaach De Bankolé, moderated by film scholar Michael B. Gillespie • New interview with casting director Ellen Lewis • New interview with Shifu Shi Yan Ming, founder of the USA Shaolin Temple • New video essay on RZA’s original score for the film • The Odyssey: A Journey into the Life of a Samurai, a 2000 program on the making of the film • Deleted scenes and outtakes • Archival interviews • Trailer • More! • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by critic Greg Tate and quotations from Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai, by the early-eighteenth-century monk Yamamoto Tsunetomo