The Ghost Writer

After seeing a couple of ho-hum movies at the theatre with Shutter Island and Alice in Wonderland, seeing Ghost Writer makes up for a lot. directed by Roman Polanski (The Pianist, Death and the Maiden), you would expect nothing less than a very grey toned pot boiler! First a little about the story…and as always without giving too much away. Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye, The Thomas Crown Affair) plays former British Prime Minister Adam Lang. It just so happens he is in need of a Ghost Writer for his memoirs, as the last one was found washed up dead on the beach. A replacement is quickly found with english writer played by Ewan McGregor (Star Wars Episode 1, Black Hawk Down), who eagerly takes over the memoirs only to find the last writers death a bit suspicious. The plot twists and turns on that basic idea, but I won’t give anything away here, go find out yourself.

It is very clear in this film that Polanski was influenced by Alfred Hitchcock. Vertigo and Frenzy come to mind. It also has a similar tone as other Polanski greats like Death and the Maiden and Frantic. This film is not about violence or blow-up-buildings action. This movie is very engaging, with plot elements being revealed a little at a time, building up tension and gaining steam as it goes. Even the score was reminiscent of a classic Hitchcock movie. As far as acting goes, even though Pierce Brosnan seems to always play the same character, he is perfectly cast as the retired Prime Minister. Ewan McGregor does a good job as well. It was also a nice surprise to see some big names in some very small roles, Eli Wallach (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, The Deep) even though he is really showing his age has a part, as well as Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, In the Bedroom, The Full Monty).

As you can probably tell, I can’t say enough good things about this film. And obviously fans of Hitchcock will love this movie. My recomendation is of course, go to the theatre and see this one for sure!