Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Cliff Gorman: Sonny Valerio

Photos 

Quotes 

• Sonny Valerio : "If a warrior's head were to be suddenly cut off, he should still be able to perform one more action with certainty." What the fuck does that mean?

  Ray Vargo : It's poetry. The poetry of war.

• Sonny Valerio : What the fuck is his name?

  Louie : Ghost Dog.

  Sonny Valerio : What?

  Louie : Ghost Dog.

  Sonny Valerio : Ghost Dog?

  Old Consigliere : He said Ghost Dog!

  Louie : Yeah. He calls himself Ghost Dog. I don't know, a lot of these Black guys today, these gangster-type guys, they make up names like that.

  Ray Vargo : Is that true?

  Sonny Valerio : Sure. He means like the rappers, you know, All the rappers, they got names like that: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Ice Cube, Q-Tip, Method Man. My favorite was always Flavor Flav from Public Enemy. You got the funky fresh fly flavor.

  [rhymes hip-hop verse] 

  Ray Vargo : I don't know about that, but it makes me think of Indians. They got name like, uhh, Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, Running Bear, Black Elk.

  [makes elk noise] 

  Sonny Valerio : Yeah. That kind of shit.

  Old Consigliere : Yeah. Indians, Niggers, Same thing.

• [interviewing Louie for information about Ghost Dog] 

  Sonny Valerio : Where's he live?

  Louie : Fuck, if I know. That's the next strange thing. I mean, I can't just call him up. Instead, he contacts me every day through a bird.

  [pause] 

  Sonny Valerio : Did you just say he contacts you through a bird? Did I just hear you say that?

• Sonny Valerio : Did you just say he contacts you through a fucking bird?

  Ray Vargo : What particular species of bird?

• Ray Vargo : Did you try to follow the bird? Put a bug on it? Anything like that?

  Louie : No, I never had a reason to do anything like that. Like I said I realize that the arrangement I made with this guy is pretty weird, but he's always shown me complete respect.

  Sonny Valerio : Well, a whole new century is coming, Louie, and Mr. Vargo wants every member of his family to make a priority to erase this weirdo.

  Louie : This guy is a professional. Go after him can be very dangerous.

  Sonny Valerio : Handsome Frank was one of us so now we're gonna peel this nigger cap back. Better him than you, right Louie?

• [Deleted scene; accountant exits after sharing some bad news] 

  Ray Vargo : [stunned]  Is he gay?

  Sonny Valerio : He drives a Porsche...

  [pause] 

  Old Consigliere : He's gay!

• Johnny Morini : I'm sorry we're late, Mr. Vargo. Sonny! Mr. Bonaccelli here was delayed on his way over.

  Sonny Valerio : Sit down. Johnny, why don't you step outside, have yourself a smoke?

  Johnny Morini : Sure, Sonny. Mr. Vargo!

  [Leaves] 

  Sonny Valerio : We got a really big problem here, Louie. It seems like you're directly responsible for it. Your mystery man fucked up.

  Louie : But Morini told me he put the girl... Mr. Vargo's daughter on the bus.

  Sonny Valerio : He did, but she got off the bus and went to Handsome Frank's house.

  Louie : You wanted Handsome Frank whacked. So he got whacked. From outside. I set it all up, no traces, no nothing. Morini said that she was on the bus, but, Jesus, I mean he's lucky he didn't do her too, right?

  Ray Vargo : If he had, you would be fucking dead.

  Sonny Valerio : This is not a good situation, Louie.

  Louie : Where is she now? I mean, is she all right?

  Sonny Valerio : Don't worry about Mr. Vargo's daughter. What we need to do is eliminate the scumbag who whacked Frank. Frank was one of us. His killer needs to be neutralized. Erased from the face of the planet.

  Louie : For the past four years this guy's done, maybe, twelve perfect contracts. Perfect. Like a ghost. He's very valuable, he's totally untraceable. I'm sure he didn't realize anyone was gonna be there when he did Handsome Frank, or he would've backed off. He sure as hell didn't know that she was gonna be there.

  Sonny Valerio : Louie, unless you wanna be buried next to Frank, now is the time to tell us everything you know about this mysterious, ghost-like, untraceable, fuckin' button man.

• Sonny Valerio : Now is the time to tell us everything you know about this mysterious ghostlike untraceable fuckin' button man.

• Louie : It's a pigeon. It must be a carrier pigeon or whatever.

  Old Consigliere : Passenger pigeon! They've been extinct since 1914!

  Sonny Valerio : Am I fucking dreaming here or what? All right, Louie, forget about the bird, okay?