'The Ghost Writer' a Hitchcock-like political thriller
If you can ignore the headlines and revived legal problems of "The Ghost Writer" director Roman Polanski ("Chinatown," "The Pianist") there’s a terrific political thriller in town. Polanski at age 75 is still one of our most talented and intriguing film directors of well crafted, suspenseful puzzles. He takes all the time he needs to draw the viewer into the increasingly paranoid state of mind of the characters, and the moral complexities in the plot, with a nod to the great Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful movies.
Based on the award-winning best selling novel, "The Ghost," by Robert Harris and adapted for the screen by him and Polanski, "The Ghost Writer" is Polanski’s best and most accessible film in recent memory. He pulls out all the stops with an eerie atmosphere that creates tension through relentless agitating music by Alexandre Desplat ("Girl With Pearl Earring"), a cold isolated island compound setting, and plenty of rainy weather to add more gloom and jangle the nerves. The film turns dangerous and becomes a carefully played out game of chess when the writer starts sleuthing too much into the past. The often witty screenplay adds to the fun.
Pierce Brosnan (l.) and Ewan McGregor star in "The Ghost Writer."
The story follows a naïve writer (who remains nameless and is played by Ewan McGregor, "Angels and Demons") who wins a plumb job ghostwriting the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Alan Lang (Pierce Brosnan). Later, he learns he’s not the first "ghost" on the project, rather the previous "ghost" died in unusual circumstances. When the writer gets to Lang’s household, he finds a bitter wife Ruth (Olivia Williams, "An Education"), a suggestive, too close personal assistant Amelia (Kim Cattrell, "Sex in the City"), and a tight-lipped cadre of security men, secretaries and household workers. When the PM’s former defense minister (Robert Pugh) suggests Lang committed war crimes while in office, it hits the news and an international court plans to take up the matter. The writer realizes that Lang, his wife and staff may have more to hide.
"The Ghost Writer" toys with the obvious similarities between the characters with their real life equivalents of former PM Tony Blair and wife Cheri, former Secretary of State Condi Rice, and military contractor Halliburton.
Ewan McGregor gives perhaps his best performance to date as the ghostwriter, using his naïve loner persona to good effect. The supporting cast is wonderful, especially Tom Wilkinson in a small but devious role. It’s also good to see the 93-year-old Eli Wallach getting a juicy role.
"The Ghost Writer" is the best kind of classic suspenseful entertainment, made by a master filmmaker who doesn’t need computer special effects, explosions or many four letter words to engage the audience and give them a thrill ride.