Directed by:
Roman PolańskiCinematography:
Pawel EdelmanComposer:
Alexandre DesplatCast:
Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, Jon Bernthal, Tim Preece, Robert Pugh, David Rintoul, Eli Wallach (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
When a successful British ghostwriter agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, his agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start - not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, died in an accident. The ghostwriter flies out to work on the project, in the middle of winter, to an oceanfront house on an island off the U.S. Eastern seaboard. But the day he arrives, a former British cabinet minister accuses Lang of authorizing the illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and handing them over for torture by the CIA - a war crime. Lang faces prosecution by the International Criminal Court, unless he stays in the U.S. or goes to another country that does not recognize that court. The controversy brings reporters and protesters swarming to the island mansion where Lang is staying with his wife, Ruth, and his personal assistant (and mistress), Amelia. As the ghostwriter works, he uncovers clues suggesting his predecessor may have stumbled on a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA - and that somehow this information is hidden in the manuscript he left behind. Adam Lang is assassinated, but the ghostwriter eventually completes the book anyway. During the presentation of the book, the ghostwriter stumbles upon the clues to the mystery. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (13)
It's not really rocket science, as we learn at the end, but Polanski pulls the viewer along very skillfully throughout. The cold and distant atmosphere created by the weepy weather and one architecturally ornate house works. It's not classic "schizophrenia," but McGregor's paranoia grows to unsuspected proportions as the minutes tick by, especially with the equally excellent ensemble cast around him, and I waited for the climax with the eagerness of a small child. The handing of the tickets is one of the most intense scenes of the year. 4 ½.
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If I wanted to be a completely arrogant bitch, I'd throw in something about The Ghost Writer being a completely useless and anachronistic artifact with Tony Gilroy's film on the scene. Its obsolescence stands out precisely in comparison to Michael Clayton, which The Ghost Writer reminded me of a lot through how it was made (and Tom Wilkinson). Polanski tries to move with the times – technology plays a strong role in the film, a major discovery is made through GPS navigation, etc. – but in an age of societies within companies, projects hidden within other projects, corporate mergers, and covert connections between the spheres of state and commerce, The Ghost Writer is simply a step backwards. Not to mention the haphazard logic of crawling in uniform with a gun like a moron to the roof of an airport where one of the world's most watched politicians is about to arrive... sorry. Polanski dominates in the respect he's always mastered. The work with space (I could have easily drawn a detailed floor plan for the mansion where the first half of the film takes place, complete with water and electrical wiring), the pervasive paranoia of the protagonist (the departure of the ferry from which the protagonist has escaped and the visit of a security guard to the hotel room are particularly brilliant scenes), and the exemplary work with actors and mise-en-scene. Fine, except that Polanski really sticks to what he knows and I don't think we'll see anything more from him. PS: Olivia Williams is heavily stylized here à la Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton (compare the last scene of both characters in those films) and I confess I don't know much about her comic book/video game acting -)
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Very well crafted, with a gloomy rainy atmosphere, but pretty much about nothing, unfortunately. Given how relatively (unnecessarily) long it is, it almost lacks a twist or a climax. It has a lot of politically biased commentary, but only one tense scene. I must say that Polanski has quite disappointed me with this film. When it comes to tension, it’s only a weak tea of the genre’s best, though with great execution. Compared to this year’s Shutter Island, The Ghost Writer is the clear loser.
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It is almost admirable how Polanski managed to create a small cinematic treat out of a seemingly dull, shabby and not very exciting premise. Everything from the actors to the pleasantly old-fashioned direction works like a Swiss watch, the tension is not created by flashy moments, strained dialogue or, God forbid, action, but by an omnipresent paranoid atmosphere, the distant setting and the eternally cloudy weather. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised by the final twist (although the film doesn't stand on it) and I applaud Polanski for the ironic slap to the unprepared viewer at the very end. 4,5*.
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I almost want to give it more stars, because I haven't seen such a seemingly peaceful, yet every minute more incredibly dramatic and suspenseful film in a long time. Apart from Brosnan and McGregor and the precise direction of Master P., worth highlighting is the truly good music by Alexandre Desplat, the role of Eli Wallach (how does an old man still do that?), the slowly escalating atmosphere and the final quarter of an hour. I'm giving it four and a bit.
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