Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix, James Caan, Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, Henry Tormey, 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Tatyana M. Ali

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Summary: This gangland triple feature presents THE YARDS, GHOST DOG, and BROTHER in one specially priced box set. See individual titles for more details.<BR>THE YARDS: Director James Gray's second film is a dark and atmospheric exploration of the corruption that lies underneath both the surface of a New York City railway manufacturing company and the family that runs it. Mark Wahlberg turns in an impressive and quietly intense performance as Leo, a 24-year-old who has just been released from prison and is in need of a job. Leo gets a job working for his uncle Frank (James Caan) in the railway business, where his best friend, Willie (Joaquin Phoenix), shows him how to bribe politicians by day and sabotage the competition's work by night. Almost immediately Leo and Willie run into trouble when they go down to the railway yards to damage their competitor's work. Leo is soon on the run, hunted for a murder that Willie committed.<BR>GHOST DOG: Eastern and Western cultures and philosophies intersect in this comic drama from acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch. Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a silent modern-day warrior who lives on a rooftop shack. He spends his days breeding pigeons and playing chess in the park with his best friend, Raymond (Isaach de Bankole), a French-speaking ice-cream man. At night he goes to work as a hit man, performing his tasks stealthily and invisibly, abiding by the codes established by HAGAKURE: THE BOOK OF THE SAMURAI, an 18th-century text. One night, while on his latest hit, Ghost Dog encounters a mob boss's beautiful daughter, Louise (Tricia Vessey). Although Ghost Dog leaves her unharmed, her father nonetheless orders Ghost Dog's execution, to the dismay of Louie (John Tormey), his loyal retainer. As the mobsters struggle to locate the mysteriously untraceable Ghost Dog, he must find a way to protect himself while remaining loyal to Louie and the ancient codes that define him as an individual.<BR>BROTHER: In his first film shot in the United States, Japanese director Takeshi Kitano stars as Aniki, a stoic "yakuza" (the Japanese version of the mafia) who heads to Los Angeles after his clan loses a mob war. Unable to speak English, he still manages to take control of his little brother's small-time gang of drug dealers and quickly moves them up the criminal ladder by impassively blasting all their higher-ups and imparting an Eastern sense of honor to the new "family." Between the ritual suicides, tortures, self-mutilations, and blood-soaked gun battles, Aniki forms a special bond with black gang member Denny (Omar Epps), who teaches him some English slang in exchange for guidance. As with Kitano's previous films such as FIREWORKS, VIOLENT COP, and SONATINE, an overall sense of Zen stillness contrasts with sudden macho eruptions into violence. Offbeat and strangely subdued, BROTHER still delivers all the desired gangster goods and should make new Takeshi fans out of anyone who has seen SCARFACE or THE GODFATHER.

This gangland triple feature presents THE YARDS, GHOST DOG, and BROTHER in one specially priced box set. See individual titles for more details.
THE YARDS: Director James Gray's second film is a dark and atmospheric exploration of the corruption that lies underneath both the surface of a New York City railway manufacturing company and the family that runs it. Mark Wahlberg turns in an impressive and quietly intense performance as Leo, a 24-year-old who has just been released from prison and is in need of a job. Leo gets a job working for his uncle Frank (James Caan) in the railway business, where his best friend, Willie (Joaquin Phoenix), shows him how to bribe politicians by day and sabotage the competition's work by night. Almost immediately Leo and Willie run into trouble when they go down to the railway yards to damage their competitor's work. Leo is soon on the run, hunted for a murder that Willie committed.
GHOST DOG: Eastern and Western cultures and philosophies intersect in this comic drama from acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch. Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is a silent modern-day warrior who lives on a rooftop shack. He spends his days breeding pigeons and playing chess in the park with his best friend, Raymond (Isaach de Bankole), a French-speaking ice-cream man. At night he goes to work as a hit man, performing his tasks stealthily and invisibly, abiding by the codes established by HAGAKURE: THE BOOK OF THE SAMURAI, an 18th-century text. One night, while on his latest hit, Ghost Dog encounters a mob boss's beautiful daughter, Louise (Tricia Vessey). Although Ghost Dog leaves her unharmed, her father nonetheless orders Ghost Dog's execution, to the dismay of Louie (John Tormey), his loyal retainer. As the mobsters struggle to locate the mysteriously untraceable Ghost Dog, he must find a way to protect himself while remaining loyal to Louie and the ancient codes that define him as an individual.
BROTHER: In his first film shot in the United States, Japanese director Takeshi Kitano stars as Aniki, a stoic yakuza (the Japanese version of the mafia) who heads to Los Angeles after his clan loses a mob war. Unable to speak English, he still manages to take control of his little brother's small-time gang of drug dealers and quickly moves them up the criminal ladder by impassively blasting all their higher-ups and imparting an Eastern sense of honor to the new family. Between the ritual suicides, tortures, self-mutilations, and blood-soaked gun battles, Aniki forms a special bond with black gang member Denny (Omar Epps), who teaches him some English slang in exchange for guidance. As with Kitano's previous films such as FIREWORKS, VIOLENT COP, and SONATINE, an overall sense of Zen stillness contrasts with sudden macho eruptions into violence. Offbeat and strangely subdued, BROTHER still delivers all the desired gangster goods and should make new Takeshi fans out of anyone who has seen SCARFACE or THE GODFATHER.

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Aspect Ratio:	Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Theatrical Trailer
Year:	1999
Release Date:	September 30, 2002
Runtime:	329 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 9097
Keywords:	Brother, Dog, Ghost, Box, General, Wide, Screen, Triple, Set, Yards, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller