Something a Little Different

Recently I watched a rather unique movie that, although could be best described as a crime-drama, has distinct martial arts undertones. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) is an artfully done film with an improbable theme: a professional assassin (Ghost Dog) who is the retainer of a Mafiosa who saved his life years earlier. Forest Whitaker plays the title character with aplomb, adhering to a samurai code laid out in Hagakure, a philosophical tome written in the eighteenth century that features anecdotes on Japanese warriorship and feudal etiquette, among other interesting topics. Ghost Dog recites from Hagakure throughout the story during critical impasses, but the book also offers some lessons that definitely falls outside the realm of martial arts in the normal sense. Here are a few snippets:

• When embarking on a long journey it is best to keep lice out of one's underwear.

• If you arrive home to find your wife committing adultery, kill the adulterer and make it look like he was a burglar. Then divorce your wife.

• Even if one's head were to be completely cut off, he should be able to do one more action with certainty.

If philosophy is your thing and you're looking for something a little different I recommend both a reading of Hagakure and a viewing of Ghost Dog to fulfill your martial arts needs for enlightenment and entertainment.