THIS contemporary urban gangster story set, one assumes, in New York - with a Japanese Samurai edge - is an engaging one, although it may not be the crowd-pleasing action movie many may have wanted.

Forest Whitaker plays Ghost Dog, a hitman who is being hunted by the mafia after bungling a contract. A skillful, resourceful loner, and avid reader of the book "The Ways of the Samurai", Ghostdog is far too good for his mafioso enemies and polishing them off becomes a rudimentary task. However, as a samurai warrior, Ghostdog must always obey his 'retainer', which is a letdown to those wanting him to emerge as top dog as the credits roll.

There are echoes of Mystery Train in Ghost Dog's engaging bonding with a French ice-cream seller and a 11-year-old schoolgirl into books. Much of the action takes place either in the park, in Ghost Dog's pigeon loft apartment or in the smart cars he opens with a Dr Who-like gadget that cleverly opens doors and engages the ignition.

The film is at its funniest in the beginning when a mafioso Louie is interogated about Ghost Dog's whereabouts by his Mafia hoods. Jim Jarmusch's film will also be admired (and castigated) for its unhurried approach and admirable capture of the assassin's cold, clinical professionalism.

The ending is a little disappointing since the film, up to the final stage, is fun and intelligently amusing, relying on character build-up rather than cheap thrills to build up tension.

This is a typical Jarmusch film in many ways with many idiosyncratic moments of genuine humour, although the dense and often elliptical references to The Ways of the Samurai will take more than one viewing to comprehend.