Review: THE GHOST WRITER

The political noir THE GHOST WRITER is reminiscent of the great dramas of the 1970s, a time when movies contained complex storylines, social commentary, and characters that were allowed to be flawed and ambiguous instead of being purely good or purely evil. It’s directed by Roman Polanski, who’s been making great films for five decades now, and his latest is a solid nail-biter that, thanks to the strong performances and deft storytelling, plays extremely well whether or not you like politics or care much about foreign policy. Though Polanksi has been in the headlines lately for less fortunate reasons, THE GHOST WRITER shows that he has not lost his artistic touch at all and at age 76 has made a film with an energy and vitality that’s in short supply in today’s Hollywood product.

Based on the Robert Harris novel “The Ghost” (the film was probably retitled so viewers wouldn’t assume Polanski had returned to the supernatural), the title character of THE GHOST WRITER (played by Ewan McGregor), is never given a name (and is even constantly referred to as ‘The Ghost’), clever since he’s one of those authors who is hired to anonymously bring shape to his clients’ own autobiography without receiving credit. His newest task is to hole up in the Cape Cod beach house of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) and quickly complete his memoirs for an easy $250,000 paycheck. A different writer, a Lang confidante, had begun the assignment but mysteriously drowned before finishing. The Ghost at first enjoys interviewing Lang and fleshing out his dull manuscript. “All the words are there,” he notes of the book, “they’re just in the wrong order”. But he soon notices foreboding things happening at Lang’s seaside compound – his staff is on edge and something sinister is in the air. Lang is guarded by an assistant (Kim Cattrall) who everyone, including Lang’s wife (Olivia Williams), seems to accept as his mistress. Soon after the Ghost arrives, a war-related scandal breaks out: a former colleague accuses Lang of ordering the torture of four terror suspects, one of whom died in the process. The Ghost happens upon some of his deceased predecessor’s notes, discovers Lang’s darker secrets, and soon finds his own life in danger.

With intrigue that unfolds at a stately pace and a slow-build of suspense, THE GHOST WRITER is far from an action-driven thriller but the fun comes from following the Ghost as he attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery. THE GHOST WRITER is reminiscent of a Hitchcock thriller as Polanski draws the viewer into the familiar story of an ordinary man who finds himself in a strange situation that becomes more crazy and dangerous as the story progresses. The script, by Polanski and Harris, puts us in the Ghosts shoes, the story is told from his point of view and the audience sees and hears no more than he does. Polanski has made a film quiet on the surface, using stable, brooding establishing shots and measured editing that underlines the tension in conversations, never shocking the audience with surprises or cheap gimmicks. McGregor is excellent as a man who’s not quite as smart as he thinks he his – because he’s looking at only a small pieces of the puzzle, without realizing that he’s in a conspiracy that’s way over his head. Pierce Brosnan has the essential charm that allows the viewer to believe he was once a Prime Minister in a role clearly modeled after Tony Blair and Olivia Williams is frightening as the brittle but scheming power behind her husband. Tom Wilkinson, Jim Belushi, Timothy Hutton, and Eli Wallach all pop up in nifty small roles. The only false note was a miscast Kim Cattrall, not so much because of her iffy accent but because it’s never clear how her character fits into the conspiracy.

THE GHOST WRITER will always be known as the film Polanski finished while under house arrest for fleeing the U.S. after a rape conviction and the parallels between the fictional Prime Minister Lang and the director are startling. After Lang has been accused of crimes against humanity by an international court, he must remain in exile in the United States since our country does not recognize the jurisdiction of that court. It’s almost like Polanski is having fun with his own situation and perhaps this was why he was attracted to the source material in the first place. I hope viewers won’t avoid THE GHOST WRITER because of Polanski’s scandals and judge the film on its own merits, for from its haunting opening scene aboard a ferry until it’s twisted-joke final shot, GHOST WRITER is clearly the work of a master.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars