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There's a huge difference between cult hit and underground cult oddity. The second of which you love but most, or none of your friends have seen. Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai definitely falls into that later catagory. And while you've long dreamed of a sequel, no one else really knows what you're talking about. Well, perhaps they'll soon understand, as Ghost Dog 2 is happening nearly 10 years after the first movie arrived.

Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai hit the indie circuit in 2000 and made a little bit of noise amongst genre fans. It starred Forest Whitaker, who didn't necessarily scream silent warrior at the time, and still doesn't, though Rogue One helps his street cred. The movie was directed by Jim Jarmusch who hasn't ever made a mainstream movie his entire life. Now, the pair are back, thanks to Wu Tang rapper RZA. He is writing the sequel to Ghost Dog,...

A killer for hire whose big clients are cartoon-watching Mafiosi who can't pay the rent on time, the deadly serious lead character in Jim Jarmusch's moderately successful competition entry is an enigma who doesn't have a line of dialogue until 45 minutes into the film. What is provided in the way of illuminating the character's mindset are excerpts from a book about Samurai warriors who possess an uncompromising sense of loyalty, and daily are so prepared to die they already consider themselves "dead."

Much funnier and less consequential than the Indie filmmaker's loved and loathed western "Dead Man", "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" has commercial promise. It is a satisfactorily provoking and offbeat take on the otherwise tired hitman genre until the violence starts escalating in the final act. Overall, the most glaring deficiency is the lack of a significant payoff in the peculiar destiny of the title character, played splendidly by Forest Whitaker.

Jarmusch is a strong director and adeptly steers clear of a conventional narrative in "Ghost Dog", but the results are somewhat mixed when it comes to the cast of characters, particularly the aforementioned gangsters led by Henry Silva. John Tormey stands out as Louie, the "master" who once saved the life of rooftop-dwelling Ghost Dog and communicates with him via messenger pigeons. Apart from Cliff Gorman's spirited turn, the rest of the thugs are shallow caricatures whose denseness grows tiresome.

The simple story finds Ghost Dog on the outs with his employers when they hire him to whack a "made man" and then seek in-house retribution. But the shadowy, nearly friendless assassin is not one to be caught unprepared. Although his vows forbid him to question or harm his master, when he knows he's a target, the efficient killer goes after the other mobsters. Unfortunately, Jarmusch includes a few too many jokey killings that sour the conclusion.

French-speaking Isaach De Bankole ("Night on Earth") is a welcome addition as an Ice Cream vendor who oddly communicates perfectly with the English-only Ghost Dog. Camille Winbush is also memorable as a little girl that the lead discusses books with and who seems destined also to adopt the "ancient ways" in a changing world.

GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI

JVC, BAC Films, Le Sudio Canal Plus present

In association with Pandora Film and ARD/Degeto Film

A Plywood production

Writer-director:Jim Jarmusch

Producer:Richard Guay, Jim Jarmusch

Director of photography:Robby Muller

Production designer:Ted Berner

Editor:Jay Rabinowitz

Music:RZA

Costume designer:John Dunn

Color/stereo

Cast:

Ghost Dog:Forest Whitaker

Louie:John Tormey

Ray Vargo:Henry Silva

Raymond:Isaach De Bankole

Pearline:Camille Winbush

Running time -- 116 minutes...