review: The Ghost Writer
say what you will about Roman Polanski the man, but you can’t deny that Polanski the artist is a master filmmaker. his most recent film, The Ghost Writer, is a testament to his craft, and it’s really a shame that his legal problems have overshadowed this intelligent, old school thriller.
Ewan McGregor stars as a ghost writer (appropriately, he’s a man with no name, but is referred to as ‘the Ghost’) who’s been hired to finish a nearly-completed memoir of former British prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). the previous ghost writer had recently died under mysterious circumstances and the new Ghost is thrust into the bunker-like compound of the ex-PM on cold and dreary Martha’s Vineyard, where he gets acquainted with Lang’s executive assistant/mistress, Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall), and the PM’s scary smart and persistently foul wife Ruth (Olivia Williams). though he begrudgingly begins his duties (he’s only in it for the money), the Ghost soon finds himself in the role of investigative journalist as the World Court charges Lang for war crimes in collusion with the American government.
this scathingly plausible story probably sounds familiar because it’s meant to mirror reality: Lang = Tony Blair, Ruth = Cherie Blair, Hatherton = Halliburton, the Condoleezza Rice-looking politician = Condoleezza Rice. the ex-PM’s legal woes and life in exile also parallels Polanski’s, and the ironies of art imitating life imitating art were further compounded when Polanski had to finish post-production on this film while under house arrest at his Swiss chalet. as Brosnan remarked during an interview, “the movie’s in the can, [Polanski]’s in the can.”
realities aside, The Ghost Writer is an extremely well-crafted and an almost Hitchcockian thriller. Polanski doesn’t invest in quick cuts to maintain the suspenseful pace; he smoothly builds tension with extended shots and steady, dialogue-free scenes, letting the actors’ faces do the work. when the characters do speak, the dialogue by Polanski and novelist Robert Harris (who adapted the story from his book The Ghost) is sharp, and in Ruth’s case, acidic. when the Ghost hits a nerve by asking her if she had ever wanted to be a proper politician, she shoots back with a steely stare and a “of course, didn’t you want to be a proper writer?” without missing a beat.
McGregor and Brosnan are competent in their roles (though Brosnan to a lesser degree…maybe they should have just cast Michael Sheen as Blair again, i mean Lang), but the standout is Williams, whose Ruth is a total 180 from the sweet Rosemary Cross of Rushmore. despite her character’s bitter and miserable demeanor, the actress somehow makes her sympathetic and even endearing. there are also a couple of memorable cameos from Jim Belushi as the publishing boss and Eli Wallach (the dude’s 94 and still acting!) as an island resident.
what results is a taut and satisfying cinematic experience, the kind that grabs you and keeps you guessing right up to the very end.
