the "mobsters" were broke as hell wore the same clothes everyday and basically would have just as much money havin a day job like regular people
thats one thing that people i watch this with seem to never catch on to...
They signaled the down and out bit right off when you see an exchange of money but it's the mafia guy who's short. Then there's the rent. The problem for these morons is that they couldn't hold a regular job if they wanted to. The movie showed that they were bankrupt, morally and financially, and maybe the two were related.
The character Louie, the one that was in contact with Ghost Dog, looked really familiar to me, then I got it. Take the character Christopher from The Sopranos, add 40 years and a lot of hard times with not much money, and there you go.
I'm sure someone has noticed this before, but something many people seem to overlook is that there is really no logical reason for Ghost Dog to be hunted by the mob. We know that he carried out a hit he was instructed to do, which was succesful, but apparently botched because of Vargo's daughter witnessing it, which compromises Ghost Dog as a hitman because he can now be identified. While this seems to be the reason that the mob tries to have him killed, the actually reason that is given is because "Handsome Frank was one of our own. Now, we're gonna peel this *beep* cap back," even though the mafia boss, or someone else in the organization above Loius, actually ordered the hit on Frank. I think that this is in some ways a comment about the ineffectual way the mafia is run, something that is a theme throughout the film, what with the mobsters being run down, broke, and incompetent, but their response to Ghost Dog and Handsome Frank's death are really the ultimate comment on their cluelessness and stupidity. Stupid *beep* white men.
At least that's what I get from it. Perhaps someone else does notice a legitimate reason that the mob is hunting Ghost Dog? To me, it just seems to be something of a mistake.
Well, as you said, they weren't exactly clever, and they seemed offended by him. So they needed some excuse, but to me it didn't seem they knew which, ending up on the both you mentioned. Also they seemed offended that he had actually seen the girl. The way I saw it, it seemed they didn't like her bein seen by anybody.
**********
Hugs...
[deleted]
in the beginning ,ghost dog has a picture of a woman on his wall, and twice in he movie he passes the same gravestone and nods and blow a kiss at it. his dead wife maybe?
shareThis is the best explanation. It makes sense bcoz you never whack a made guy, she witnessed it and therefore GD must be silenced.
shareYou guys seriously missed why that happened? They pinned it on Ghost Dog because they were full of *beep* They are saying one thing and doing another. They screwed up and people were pissed they killed a made man, so they made Ghost Dog a kind of scape goat.
shareI thought Louie looked exactly like Fat Tony from the Simpsons.
shareI just liked the whole theme of dying lifestyles. It reminded me of "Last Samurai".
Ghost Dog was trying to live the life of a samurai in an age where they had passed on, and the mafiosa were trying to live the life of mafia-men after that age had ended.
Random comment = check out Stephen Levitt's book "Freakonomics" which has a chapter on "Why do drug dealers still live with their moms." It gives an economic explanation of the depressed lifestyles of the gangsters.
share[deleted]
At the start of the movie, Ghost Dog, a physically large individual, walks down the street but no one at all seems to notice him. They literally almost bump into him but never do as though he is invisible or a Ghost. He is called ghost dog because I think of his ability to evade scrutiny and the loyalty he shows louie, just like a faithful dog should.
When he steals the car at the start, a police car briefly is seen driving past in a similar way as above.
Some of the black gang members rapping in the park and leaning against walls are either members of or associates of the wu tang clan.
Most importantly, when Ghostdog remembers the time when louie saved his life, the assailants gun is pointed at his face, while in louies memory, the gun was actually pointed at him and not ghostdog.
This message will soon be deleted by an administrator
Most importantly, when Ghostdog remembers the time when louie saved his life, the assailants gun is pointed at his face, while in louies memory, the gun was actually pointed at him and not ghostdog.
The girl in silver only appeared for a few seconds when Ghost Dog was driving past her. How do you know her look? I didn't even see her face.
shareWell, at least something I have observed and which has not been noticed by some of my friends:
The book Rashomon seems to play quite an important role in this movie. There is an old classic japanese movie called Rashomon which is based on two famous short stories. Rashomon shows a murder from many different perspectives. A number of persons tell the story about the murder and everybody's telling a different story.
This idea has been also picked up by Jim J. if I am right: There is one key scene which explains why GhostDog chose the italian mafioso as his master. This scene is told once by Ghost Dog and once by his master, the mafioso. Seen from Ghost Dog's perspective, the mafioso saved Ghost Dog's life, the mafisio shot the gangster.
However, from the mafioso's perspective, he just shot the gangsters because they pointed their guns at him. This makes a difference: Ghost Dog believes that the mafioso saved his life while the mafioso killed the gangsters to defend himself.
Of course, nobody knows which version is the true one.
And this makes it very interesting: Did Ghost Dog base his decision to serve the mafioso on wrong assumptions? Or is the mafioso not the tough gangster he wants to be (or needs to be)?
i didn't read every thread on this movie, so sorry if some of these were already cleared:
1) cartoons - every mob guy is watchin one, each one is about some kind of violence.
2) dog - the female dog in this case, why is that? And why is she watching ghost dog?
in the begining there was a picture of a young woman on the ghost dog's wall...are these two somehow connected?
3) different flashbacks - ghost dog and louie don't recall g'dog's beating the same way.
4) franch ice cream guy - i don't know why is he there but i feel he has importing part in the movie...is understanding between him and g'dog the point here? I don't know
5) g'dog - when he goes out for the first hit, it looks like he's invisible, people on the street don't pay any attention to him...ok, this is cause of the smaurai way..but just like clear that out.
the bloody clocks are bloody wrong
the bloody days are bloody long
- On the flashback: i think Louie's version (where he gets pointed at) is only the version he tells his boss. He wants to show that he had to shoot the white guy, because he does not want to admit that he saved a *beep* just for the sake of it.
- Why did he steal the blue dress? Did he want it for Vargas Daughter? That seems very odd to me, but i see no other reason to do it.
This one is kinda obvious, but may have gone over some heads:
I loved the part where the mafiosos are acknowledging/goofing on certain groups propensity toward using nicknames. They start naming rappers (i.e. Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Flava Flav) and then Indians (i.e. Sitting Bull, Running Bear etc.)
The Mafiosos treat this as if it's a silly practice, and then call for their henchmen who have names such as Big Angie, Joe Rags and Lefty. Brilliant!
The other thing I noticed was the totally obvious bloodbags in pouches in the gray wool shirt of the large black guy who gets mistaken for Ghost Dog on the rooftop and shot by the mafia guys. I knew he was getting shot way before his character did!
[deleted]
Ghost Dog stole the hooker's dress so that she would not immediately run to the cops to report a robbery, since showing up in her underwear would not have garnered her much respect or trust.
And just something cool that I noticed: At one point in the movie (I think it's just before he steals those people's clothes) Ghost Dog drives by a bar, whose blue neon sign reads "Liquid Sword." The GZA's (RZA's relative and Wu-Tang Clan member) most renowned album is titled "Liquid Swords." When I noticed this I smiled to myself at this form of shout-out from the RZA.
Ooh nice one. I didnt notice that one.
This message will soon be deleted by an administrator
When Ghost Dog leaves a pet-supply store with his bird food, the sign above the door reads "BIRDLAND".
Forest Whitaker played the great jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker in Clint Eastwood's "Bird" (1988). Parker is perhaps best known from the period when he played at the famous "Birdland" club in New York, which was, in fact, named after him.
"Do you know, we could go,
We are free;
Any place you could think of
We could be"
umm quick question, if the mafia is so poor, how come they got a nice castle
shareNo offense, but the mobsters' relative poverty is an extremely obvious point.
We clearly see that the mobsters owe money right when we meet them, and the scene where GD sends his pigeon to their meeting only drills this point home.
"FUNNY HOW SECRETS TRAVEL..."
of course i understand that. and that was some great social commentary right there. but my only vice is that they have this view of the mobsters wich is quite genius, but then they just contrast it by having the castle dont you think?
share[deleted]
the castle was owned by the boss. He was not poor; he wore suits and drove big cars. I think he was the only mafioso who had a strong character (and later; his daughter).
The mafia boss never shows any fear, not even when he stares down the barrel of the gun.
Ghost Dog seems to be pretty known where he lives.
Ghost Dog isn't the only one following an ancient way; the older (oriental?) man that kicks the robber, and the mafioso's too; they all live by ancient standards.
I also think that the fact that the daughter had ghost dog killed in the end wasn't due to a mafia law, but a samurai law.
There's a deleted scene on the DVD which explains the mafia's financial mess. Apparently the boss's assets (the castle) were in a trust to be paid to the daughter when she turns 21. She had just turned 21 meaning all those financial assets were off limits to the boss. He was left with a bunch of failing businesses and a lot of debts.
sharethe 'castle' has a for sale sign. handsome frank's house had one too, i can't remember if sonny's house had one.
shareWhen Ghost Dog and Raymond (ice-cream guy) are on top of the roof they look across to the adjacent building and see a man constructing a boat. Where most would find a guy constructing a boat, on top of a building, in the middle of a city crazy and bizarre, Ghost Dog remarks it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.
I think the boat is used to symbolise how the gangsters see Ghost Dog, a man they can’t comprehend. Ghost dog sees beauty in the old man and his boat because he recognises himself, the futility of the whole process. He’s living my morals and rules that are hundreds of years out of date. Is the old man like Noah, waiting for a flood that will wipe out the bad in the world? Just like the old man, Ghost dog is also hoping for change, the world and it’s values back to how it used to be.
I like Jarmusch's notion of mixing up cultures, lifestyles and codes in this movie.
In the scene in Louie's apartment, you see symbols both Islamic (Kabe, or Qaba, however it's spelled in English) and Christianity (a cross) on the walls. (There may also be a Jewish symbol, but I can't remember).
Ghost Dog himself is a black man, who works for an Italian mobster and is following the code of Japanese warriors. His best friend is a French man. During the scene where the two see the guy building a boat at the rooftop, notice that all three men speak in a respectful and kind way, although all three speak different languages and do not understand each other.
As for the Mafia's having no reason to go after Ghost Dog... I think of it as the whole point, the main theme of the movie. As mentioned, there's no real reason for killing Ghost Gog (since it was the mob who approved and ordered the murdering of Handsome Frank in the first place) This is an extremely dysfunctional mob family, they can't even pay rent. (in a deleted scene on the DVD, their accountant explains to them how they are losing money in all the businesses they do). They appear to be racist (Indians, n**gars, same thing...) and they are shocked when they learn that one of them, Louie, is using a black man as his hitman, yet they have an Asian man among themselves. Sonny himself appears to hate blacks, yet he likes rap music. Nothing about them seems to make sense, perhaps it's Jarmusch's way of showing that violence is meaningless, or stupid men are dangerous, whatever, you can interpret it in a million ways.
I also agree with the explanation about Louie's and Ghost Dog's versions of how he saved him. I agree that Louie shot the boy simply because he pointed a gun at him; not because he wanted to save (or even cared about) Ghost Dog. He even admits that Ghost Dog found him some time later, saying "he owed him." Which means that Louie did not take care of GD, or even take him to a hospital, after saving his life. So it's obvious that he interferred with the beating only because it was a street fight in his neighborhood.
Henry Silva's character is a perfect caricature of his whole career, he's the never-smiling tough guy, yet he is irresistibly funny. He's a great actor in all his films, and hats off to the casting agent who chose him for this role.
Never be complete.
In the park, the ice cream vendor (Isaach De Bankolé) seems to sell only 2 flavours, or at least all he talks about are chocolate vs. vanilla. I think this is an allusion to Jarmusch's film "Coffee & Cigarettes" where Isaach also appears. A recurring theme in C&C is the stark contrast of black things against white things. Also in C&C there's a recurring theme of some people thinking coffee is good for your health while others say it's not. In Ghost Dog, Isaach is constantly flipping back & forth between ice cream being good for your health or not.
share[deleted]
I thought the mafia characters were intentionally campy.
Fun Words to Say: Balzac, Schwumpleton, Kwosion, Clavicle.