Stars: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall
Director: Roman Polanski
Release Date: August 3, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13
The Ghost Writer stars Ewan McGregor as the unnamed protagonist hired to ghost write the autobiography of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). McGregor's character is familiar: a solitary author with a sharp wit who probably spends a bit too much time hitting the bottle of whiskey. Although he finds it troubling that the first ghost writer for Lang's memoirs mysteriously drowned, he quickly accepts the job for the large payment he is promised and is sent to stay at Lang's modern, upscale beach house on an island off the northern coast of the U.S. Soon after he begins the rewrite, however, mysteries begin to unfold.
Both McGregor and Brosnan deliver great performances, especially in the somewhat awkward scenes where they are forced to interact with each other. Brosnan stretches his talent a little by playing a "possible" antagonist who is growing old and is fed up with the criticism that comes from being a political leader. Other performances are generally very good too, except for the completely unconvincing Kim Cattrall as Lang's assistant. Whoever thought that Samantha from Sex and the City could fake a British accent was obviously mistaken.
The film really starts to shine about halfway through when the writer starts to have doubts about Lang and, out of curiosity, does a little detective work behind his back. What is so great about the mystery is that it never really unfolds until the very end. McGregor's character discovers very little clues so that the viewer starts to doubt the presence of a scandal at all. The couple of scenes where the writer is being followed while he hunts down sources from Lang's past are so simple and drawn-out that it becomes completely believable. Where most movies utilize the fact that they are fiction to include unrealistic events, The Ghost Writer takes a bold risk by omitting these types of sequences. What remains is stunningly realistic tension and suspense that makes you feel like the events could actually be happening.
The soundtrack throughout much of the film, especially during the suspenseful scenes, seems somewhat out of place. Although the score is undoubtedly well orchestrated, it often feels like it would be better suited for a different movie (possibly even one of Brosnan's Bond movies). It's a small hindrance, and possibly just personal taste, but it is worth noting, since it took me out of the film a few times.
The DVD contains three supplementary features, including an interview with Roman Polanski, a feature titled "Fiction or Reality", and a mini-documentary with the cast-not an enormous set of bonus material, but better than what most DVDs are including these days.
I certainly recommend seeing The Ghost Writer, especially for anyone who is turned off by modern choppy filmmaking. Its suspense is enough to keep anyone on the edge of their seat even without any high-speed chase scenes or gun battles. I will give a disclaimer, though, to anyone who favors optimistic stories-Polanski is quite cynical and may leave you feeling depressed.
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