I firstly saw this movie on TV. And I was fascinated. Not only by the way it was shot. But also by the acting and the samurai phylosophy that is a big part of this film.
The soundtrack by the RZA, who also produced the soundtrack of Kill Bill, is very suitable. For Wu Tang Clan this man allready produced some samurai influenced tracks in the past.
But if you think you are going to see a simular film to Kill Bill you will be deceived. You don't have to expect a very fast storyline and a lot of action.
Quickly summarized, the story is about an assassin (Ghostdog), living a lonely life on a rooftop full of pigeons. He lives like a samurai. His wisdom comes from a book: 'The code of the samurai'. Every now and then we read a line from this book.
A member of the maffia saved his life as a kid and therefore he consideres this man as his master. He kills for his master and contacts him only trough his pigeons.
When he must kill a maffiaboss it is the maffiacode to kill him. Eventually his master is the one to do this.
The few social contacts Ghostdog has are very moving. His only friend is a french speaking icecream salesman. Although they speak another language they understand each other perfectly.
Also very nicely portraited is the relationship he develops with a little girl, sitting on a bench in the park. The girl likes to read and they talk about books. In the end this girl is the one to inherit 'The code of the samurai'.
The story is as simple as strong. And Jim Jarmusch shot the film very beautifully.
I bought it on DVD and it is a valuable accession to my collection.