Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai15

Directed by Jim Jarmusch | USA | 1999 | 1h 56m | Starring Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman, Frank Minucci

In 1990s New York, a self-taught hitman lives by a strict code of honour drawn from ancient Japanese traditions. But when a job goes wrong, he finds himself betrayed by his employers and hunted by the mafia. Starring Forest Whitaker in one of his most iconic roles, Jim Jarmusch’s postmodern riff on the hitman thriller blends gangster cinema with martial arts mythology, and features a brilliant original score from Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA (who also has a cameo).

Classic Season: Samurai Summer

Reviews

‘At once a tribute to traditional notions of honour, loyalty, friendship and professionalism, and a stylish, ironic pastiche inspired by the likes of Melville and Suzuki, it’s very funny, insightful, and highly original.’
★★★★
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

‘A downbeat, stylish and strange film’
★★★★
Simon Braund, Empire Magazine

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We showed Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai between August 15, 2025 and August 16, 2025.

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Today (Friday 19th June)
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17:45

Oldboy 18
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Obsession 18
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Tomorrow (Saturday 20th June)
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14:30

The Turin Horse 15
2h 35m | Hungarian w/ English subtitles
Bleak Week 2026: Cinema of Despair
Inspired by an anecdote involving philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, Béla Tarr's award-winning parable follows a frail farmer and his young daughter struggling to eke out a living amidst harsh conditions in the Hungarian countryside.

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18:00

Obsession 18
1h 49m
Bear pines for his friend Nikki but can't confess his feelings, until a lucky charm does the work for him. In this sharp, darkly comic horror debut, getting what you want proves to have a terrible, skin-crawling cost.

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20:45

Red Rooms 18
1h 58m | French w/ English subtitles
Bleak Week 2026: Cinema of Despair
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Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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