‘Ghost Dog’ a complex flick
■The samurai film offers great acting by Forest Whitaker
and masterful directing from indie auteur Jim Jarmusch
By Eric Pfeiffer
Oregon Daily Emerald
Slide into your movie seat and
focus on the moment.
Ghost Dog is your 90-minute
retainer. After you’ve watched the
events of this film unfold, con
template the interwoven com
plexities of the empty popcorn
bucket and relax as your mind an
ticipates the soothing simplicity
of your 9 a.m. physics midterm.
Sound ridiculous, intriguing or
perhaps both?
The critically-acclaimed new
film, starring Forest Whitaker, di
rected by Jim Jarmusch and with
a powerful soundtrack from RZA,
takes viewers on a multi-layered
journey, exploring topics ranging
from spirituality to the cultural
significance of hip-hop music.
The movie plot sounds some
thing like an old B-movie samu
rai flick from the 1960s. And it is,
plus countless other elements all
at once.
Whitaker plays Ghost Dog, a
samurai in modern-day Detroit,
with a life-debt to his retainer
Louie (John Tormey). Twelve
years earlier, Louie saved Ghost
Dog’s life from a gang of street
thugs. Shortly thereafter, he ap
pears at Louie’s-doorstep, offering
his unique services. Whenever
Louie; or someone from his “fam
ily” needs to make a hit on a local
thug, he can call in Ghost Dog to
take care of business.
Not by cell-phone or pager, but
by pigeon.
Ghost Dog lives alone, in a tiny
shack, on the roof of an apartment
building in downtown Detroit.
His possessions are of only the
most basic necessity: a bed, pi
geon food and a CD player to lis
ten to his favorite rap music.
Using one of several dozen car
rier pigeons to communicate with
Louie on a daily basis, Ghost Dog
sends and receives instructions
for his next assignment.
Things have gone this way for
more than 10 years, until a mo
ment of chance alters Ghost Dog’s
life and sets the movie’s plot into
motion.
The movie plot
sounds something like an
old B-movie samurai flick
from the 1960s. And it is,
plus countless other ele
ments all at once. ▲▲
While performing his most re
cent hit on a relative of the family,
Ghost Dog leaves behind a young
woman at the scene. She wasn’t
supposed to be there, so he feels
no reason to end her life.
However, we soon learn that
this woman is the daughter of a
family leader. The only accept
able retribution for this fatal mis
take is another killing. But this
time, it’s Ghost Dog who is being
hunted.
Louie does his best to convince
the family otherwise, but it’s his
life or Ghost Dog’s, and probably
both. Ghost Dog is then left with
the dual responsibility of defend
ing his own life and maintaining
his loyalty to Louie while at the
same time killing all of his col
leagues.
Whitaker is exceptional in his
performance. Silent for most of
the film, he periodically narrates
text from the Hagakure, an 18th
century book of samurai code that
serves as his spiritual guide.
Even in near silence, Whitaker
conveys a wealth of rich emo
tions, ranging from the cold bru
tality he unleashes on the Italian
mob, to the unconditional kind
ness and generosity he lavishes
upon an immigrant ice-cream
vendor and a young girl whom he
meets in a local park.
The film is directed by Jim Jar
musch, who in 1996 gave us
Dead Man, starring Johnny Depp.
He has also directed music videos
for the Talking Heads, Tom Waits
and Neil Yojung. Jarmusch does a
brilliant job with the screenplay
he also wrote, taking what ap
pears on the surface to be a sim
ple tale of violence and weaving
it into a masterpiece of quality
writing,' convincing acting and
the best hip-hop soundtrack ever
produced.
In its own right, the soundtrack
gives us more aesthetic and
rhythmic satisfaction than most
films do in their entirety. RZA,
the genius producer behind the
Wu-Tang Clan, has produced a
soundtrack of the highest quality,
one that both enriches the story
line and provides a hypnotic
mood for the film’s setting.
Don’t be fooled by the lacklus
ter previews or the guy sitting
next to you who thinks sound
tracks should only be done by El
ton John. This is a film worth see
ing, more than once.
Coppola s debut film uplifting
■ Virgin Suicides is a visually compelling ghost story with
romance, a bit of humor and a wealth of good spirit
By Eric Pfeiffer
Oregon Daily Emerald
It’s okay to see a movie by your
self.
At least that’s what I kept telling
myself on my way to the Bijou last
weekend, as I carried my note
book and smuggled junk food into
the theater for the premiere of
“The Virgin Suicides.”
Two hours later, I couldn’t
have been happier for the soli
tude. Not because it was a terri
ble film. Just the opposite. This
first-time offering from director
Sophia Coppola is a work of art
that would make dad proud.
And it’s a great film to think
about afterward.
I love watching movies. When
I was six years old, I saw “Return
of the Jedi” seven times in the
theater. When I was eleven, I se
cretly took the bus into the city
to watch the midnight sneak pre
view of the first Batman film.
And a few years ago, I broke-up
with a girl because she and her
mom dragged me to see “The
English Patient.” And they loved
it.
As a film, “The Virgin Sui
cides” succeeds on many levels.
First, the leverage of Francis
Ford Coppola, who produced the
film, cannot be denied. Would a
first-time filmmaker get the sup
port of James Woods, Kathleen
Turner, Danny Devito, Kirsten
Dunst and an assortment of other
big-name players for their direc
torial debut? Probably not.
But this is far from a case of
daddy’s girl does good.
Sophia Coppola takes the
wealth of talent and delivers a
film of exceptional value.
The story revolves around five
young women, the Lisbon girls,
growing up in 1970s Michigan.
At the onset of the film, we are
introduced to the story through
the narrative voice of a group of
young boys who were fascinated
by the girls and continue to be
haunted by their ghosts 25 years
later.
The youngest Lisbon, 13-year
CC At the onset of the
film, we are introduced
to the story through the
narrative voice of a
group of young boys who
we re fascinated by the
girls and continue to be
haunted by their ghosts
25 years later. yy
old Cecilia, has just attempted to
commit suicide. Through the
boy’s narration, we learn that she
will be successful in her second
try, and the rest of Lisbon girls
will soon follow suit.
You might think this sets the
stage for a depressing power
house of gothic proportions. It
doesn’t. The film is uplifting,
very humorous and filmed with
a strong sense of visual poetics.
Coppola lets us into the final
days of the Lisbon girls, as they
struggle for happiness and an an
swer to their sister’s death.
James Woods and Kathleen
Turner both deliver great per
formances as the protective par
ents of the Lisbon girls. However,
even in their overbearing, tumul
tuous, Catholic parenting, it’s dif
ficult not to like the parents. Es
pecially Woods, who reveals a
depth to his character that would
easily be overlooked by less tal
ented actors.*
The supporting cast is tops as
well. Kirsten Dunst is Lux, the
most outgoing of the Lisbon chil
dren. Her world erupts with sex
ual energy as she begins to dis
cover boys, alcohol and the new
cultural revolution, i.e. drugs.
In hot pursuit of Lux is Trip
Fontaine (Josh Hartnett), the
school’s heartthrob and cultural
revolutionary, i.e. doper. Ad
mired by all the other school
girls, he only has eyes for Lux,
who continually denounces his
calling. It’s a young romance that
revels in its ethereal shedding of
innocence.
The film’s soundtrack was pro
duced by the French band Air. The
group’s synth-retro feel fits exquis
itely into the film's context, as they
reveal a darker sound not heard on
previous releases. I bought the
film’s soundtrack about a month
before the film premiered, and it
was the perfect gateway into this
other-worldly collage of wonder,
wisdom and death.
There are a few weak points to
the film: more time could have
been given in some of the charac
ter development, and some of the
film’s questions are unnecessarily
left unresolved. But overall it’s a
fabulous debut from Coppola and,
hopefully, a promise for another
generation of great films from the
Coppola family.
University of Oregon Dance Department I
GROUND ZERO:
Reinventing Dance in the Year 2000
Spring Student Dance Concert • 8 pm, May 18-20
Dougherty Dance Theatre
346-3386 * $3,students/$6 general
From mild to
EXCL
It doesn't
lictve to be
dirty to be good.
ZLiySlVEUV-,
/Urr
EXOTIC • EROTIC
TOYS • VIDEOS • LINGERIE
1166 South A • Springfield • 726-6969 • Open 24 Hours (Almost)
i
ODE Classifieds.
Run your for sale item for five days
(items under $1,000)...
if you don't sell it, we'll run it
5 more days for free!