BOTTOM
LINE:
The
stellar cast and Polanski’s deliberate direction make this
an entertaining thriller of Hitchcockian style, despite being somewhat
slow in places and ending on a downer.
THE
GOOD: Director
Roman Polanski has pulled off a thriller that is definitely inspired
by a Hitchcock style of filmmaking that is quite refreshing, especially
considering other films of the same ilk. Ewan McGregor plays the
unnamed Ghost Writer who is hired to write the memoirs for former
British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). It all appears
simple enough to begin with, but a mystery starts with Lang’s
previous ghost writer committing suicide, and McGregor’s ghost
writer slowly unearthing more details of Lang’s life which
lead him on a dangerous journey to discover the truth. McGregor
is in fine form as the curious ghost writer who unearths Lang’s
disturbing past. Pierce Brosnan is a great fit as the ex-prime minister,
while Olivia Williams brings a frosty toughness to the proceedings
as Lang’s wife, who is a mysterious character in her own right.
The structure of the film, as mentioned before, follows a Hitchcock-like
approach as the ghost writer stumbles upon one piece of the puzzle
at a time, with each piece complicating the mystery and tension
as it builds to its inevitable conclusion. There is also the focus
on a central protagonist where everything is filtered through him
and his interpretation of the events. Another refreshing touch on
this film is that it makes no allusions that it is drawing inspiration
from the Tony Blair-George Bush collaboration, even to go as far
as having a Condoleezza Rize lookalike in one of the news reports,
and a Robin Cook look-a-like playing a pivotal role as ex-foreign
secretary, and also alluding to Lang’s devotion to American
political interests. “The Ghost Writer” is an entertaining
thriller.
