The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer

Director: Roman Polanski

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams

Many people say that Roman Polanski should be in prison, not still making films. I tend to agree with them. But boy, does he really know how to intrigue and envelop an audience. Polanski's latest effort stars Ewan McGregor as an unnamed “ghost writer” who is hired to revise and finish the memoir of Adam Lang, former British Prime Minister. Lang's original writer, Mike McAra drowned suspiciously. Only a day into the project, Lang is accused of working with the CIA to support illegal torture methods of middle eastern terrorists. “The Ghost” soon discovers that his predecessor may have come close to discovering the truth about Lang before he disappeared.

Based on a novel by Robert Harris, The Ghost Writer is a taut, suspenseful and relevant political drama. Harris' intention in his Adam Lang character was to draw comparison to Tony Blair, Britain’s last Prime Minister and a controversial figure in the war on terror. Polanski's fascinatingly original camera work is reminiscent of Hitchcock; the claustrophobia, the shaky back and forth shots of “the Ghost” in a car chase all create a sense of the character being watched, studied and scrutinized. This film was released on the same day as Shutter Island and they both depict a man trapped on an island, (though the type of land formation is irrelevant,) physically and psychologically. This is also a theme echoed in Steig Larsson's novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. “The Ghost,” no matter where he goes is never alone, whether it's the presence of another human or Polanski's doing, (following him with the camera, so to speak.) Both Scorsese and Polanski were really speaking to Hitchcock's style with their films released in 2010.

Ewan McGregor gives a somber subtlety to his role, but also a lighter, almost comedic at times, performance. His character was thrown into a situation to which he had no ties, and so his honesty is believable. Brosnan and Williams give great supporting turns as the Langs, a couple with troubles, secrets, and things to hide. Brosnan is a perfect politician, and I think he was born to play one. He has charisma, he has rhetoric, and he's not afraid to use it! His wife, Ruth, is portrayed by a very fiery Olivia Williams; a woman who has always had control over her husband and has recently been losing it while he has had charges brought against him for war crimes.

Polanski brings his signature to this film. It is a moody political thriller, almost Gothic in tone. Compared to most of today's super slick, fast paced an sleek political thriller's, Polanski's effort is a breath of fresh air as both a faithful novel adaption and a taut and chilling film.