Both shows are based on
gangster theme. There are few interesting observations from these two movies at
least in my point of view.
In The Wire, it is very
clear who are the good characters and who are the bad characters. It is a
battle between the gangster team and also the authorities. The show started in
the crime scene with blood, dead body and the flash of the cops cars, followed
by in the court room of the trial of D'Angelo Barksdale and continued on the
hunt of the gangster key members like Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell in
Baltimore area which is their base for the gang illegal operation.
But in Ghost Dog, it is
really hard to see and differentiate the good and bad characters throughout the
show. There is no clear indication for viewers to differentiate it. We
knew Louie saved Ghost Dog when he was a teenager, and Ghost Dog as a
return be a retainer of Louie. We can see him as very loyal but that was it.
The girl - the niece of the mafia - was also seen an innocent figures in the
movie. But, she seems to be the head of the gangster as she instructed the
killing of Ghost Dog at the end of the movie. She asked the driver to go and
that can be interpreted as person in command.
The Ghost Dog have more
multicultural element than The Wire. In Ghost Dog, Ghost Dog read bunch of
Japanese books like, Hagakure, Rashōmon, etc. Also, Ghost Dog have a
French-speaking friend and also Italian mafia rivals. In contrast to The Wire,
the story really based on two ethnics - African American and also 'White' - which
are very common in US.
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ReplyDeleteIn my personal opinion I see both "The Wire" and "Ghost Dog" as highlighting the difficulties which arise from the existence of various hegemonic masculinities. Each character both in "The Wire" and "Ghost Dog" each define themselves through a form of masculinity whether it is Stringers concept of business in "The Wire, Avon's concept of "the street corner" in "The Wire, or Ghost Dog's concept of the code of the samurai. In each of these instances the characters actively develop and defining themselves through interactions with other male characters. I argue that rather than simply attempting to distinguish good and evil in a gangster film, both "The Wire" and "Ghost Dog" highlight each character's justifications which legitimize their choices and highlight how each character further finds themselves through a concept of masculine identity. This effectively blurs the lines between good and evil.
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