Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is not only a cult classic but a significant cultural bridge influencing text in the genre of anime and fundamentally rewiring the North American perception of the medium by connecting Japanese samurai philosophy with Black American hip-hop culture. Although the Wu Tang Clan had long sampled audio from vintage kung-fu films, the success of this film’s urban soundtrack inspired Japanese creators to look to the west for musical collaboration. A beautiful, reciprocal, genre-blending loop was formed as Japanese anime themes, imagery and style and artwork evolved into lifestyle in North America. In this film, director “Jim Jarmusch combined 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”. This film features “moody cinematography by the great Robby Müller, a sublime score by the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, and a host of colorful character actors. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai plays like a pop-culture-sampling cinematic mixtape built around a one-of-a-kind tragic hero.” – Criterion Collection
