Henry Saw: The Ghost Writer

A grown-up and worthy thriller...


Roman Polanksi's newest film feels like a real throwback even if it really isn't. There is something about a tight thriller composed of good acting, skillful direction, and little nuanced touches to add some flavor, that can't help but remind one of Hitchcock and...the early work of Polanksi. Polanski's last movie was the little seen Oliver Twist and, before that, the Oscar Winning The Pianist. The last time Polanksi made a genuine thriller was 1988's Frantic, another movie with a Hitchcock vibe, and one of his most entertaining works. Polanksi is best known for Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown, two of the all-time greats, and which both set a high standard for any conspiracy movie. While I would not put The Ghost Writer up in that rarefied air, it really is a well done film, and recommended to anyone who wants a movie aimed at thinking adults.

Ewan McGregor plays a ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). The first ghostwriter, a former aide of Lang's, died under mysterious circumstances. The Ghost is brought to a small island off the coast of Massachusetts where Lang and his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) are staying. The job quickly becomes harder than he could have imagined when Lang is charged with orchestrating the illegal capture and torture of terrorist suspects for the CIA and is accused of war crimes...



This is not a flashy movie. Unlike Shutter Island, another thriller made by one of the greatest living directors, The Ghost Writer does not show off. Polanski lets the plot and his well chosen actors carry the film. McGregor, who has made some poor choices over the last decade, finally picked a proper role for himself. As the alcoholic and somewhat blank "Ghost" McGregor does a good job of playing a man who goes from being indifferent to reluctantly curious. It would be easy to accuse McGregor of underplaying the part, or sleepwalking through the first half of the movie, but that's the character. Brosnan fully inhabits Adam Lang. He's not playing Tony Blair, thank goodness, and he brings the right amount of smarm and conviction to the role. The standout is Olivia Williams, but then I've always liked her, who brings a lot of complexity to the role of Ruth Lang.

The one major flaw in the ensemble is Kim Cattrall who plays an English (her accent is all over the place) assistant to Adam Lang. She has a strange smirk on her face the entire time, I guess its supposed to be menacing, but it just makes her look like she's happy to be cast in a real movie made by a real director. Tom Wilkinson also shows up in a smaller role, the kind of job he can do in his sleep, but he's solid as always.

The plot is engrossing, filled with red herrings and maguffins, and deliberately paced. Polanksi never overplays a moment, never lets the score trick us into feeling something other than what we're watching on the screen, and puts little things in the background that you will have fun discussing after the film is over. The end of the film is the one place where Polanksi really flexes his directorial muscles, look for an excellent sequence where a note is passed among many hands, and he ends the movie with a perfect image.



There are brief moments where the film drags and its possible that the political and real life parallels could be a bit distracting for some audience members. Also, and this is a nit-pick, but there was some distracting over-dubbing of the F-Word in order to secure a PG-13 rating in the US (how many people under 17 are running out to see The Ghost Writer?). Those are the extent of my problems with this tightly made thriller.

The Ghost Writer is not a game changer...it's not a modern masterpiece...but its one of the best films of its genre in the last few years. I can't tell you to rush out and see it, it will work just fine on DVD, but definitely seek it out when you have the chance. It's a great director doing what he does best.

Grade: A-

Best Scene: The note being passed along...