The Ghost Writer

Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall and Tom Wilkinson
Releasing in cinemas: 12 August 2010
Rated: MA 15+

Well, they don’t make ‘em like this any more. Roman Polanski’s new political thriller, The Ghost Writer, is a throw-back to the complex Hitchcockian thrillers of the 1960s – and even to Polanski’s own Chinatown and Frantic. From Alexandre Desplat’s score with its heady echoes of Bernard Hermann, to the restrained but shocking conclusion, you could almost swear you were watching a film by Hitchcock himself.

The story itself however is clearly taken from today’s headlines. Adapted by Robert Harris from his own novel The Ghost, the plot involves the rendition and torture of terror suspects, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, CIA “black” operations, political memoirs and shadowy multinational corporations. Many of the characters too will be familiar – a British Labour prime minister with uncomfortably close connections to the US; his incisively intelligent wife; a sacked foreign minister who disagreed with the government’s direction. You don’t have to look too far to recognise them as figures from the Tony Blair years in the UK. There’s even a shot of a “US Secretary of State” who bears a remarkable resemblance to Condoleezza Rice.

If art mirrors life (or perhaps life mirrors art), then the confluence of circumstance in the film is certainly striking. In the film, the former PM Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) is a virtual exile in the United States after “war crimes” charges are levelled against him in Europe. Of course, Polanski was (and is) a virtual exile in Europe after leaving the US in the fallout from statutory rape charges.

The irony of the fact that he was arrested in Switzerland before the film was completed and held pending an extradition request from the US could not have been lost on the director (who apparently continued editing it in jail and while under house arrest). Also, perhaps a little oddly, the director displays little sympathy for his fellow (albeit fictional) exile, though that is no doubt partly due to the source material.

The “ghost writer” of the title is a nameless hack (brilliantly played by Ewan McGregor) who’s engaged by a large publishing house to “polish” the Lang’s rather bulky memoir. It seems the previous “ghost” met an untimely end, necessitating a replacement. Deadlines are tight, so he’s whisked from London to Martha’s Vineyard to spend a month with the former PM at a ritzy beachside house. When he arrives, he’s met by the officious Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall). Amelia keeps the paper manuscript under lock-and-key, and won’t allow any access to the electronic version – and keeps almost as tight a rein on her boss. For his part, Lang is a bit put-out at the new arrival. He felt a connection with the previous writer, and fears that his “baby” will be spoiled. Apart from staff members, the only other person in the house is Lang’s wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams). She is clearly brighter than her husband but lacks his bombastic temperament; preferring to remain in the shadows of her spouse’s career.

The Ghost Writer should be an object lesson for aspiring filmmakers. The precision and deftness of Polanski’s directorial touch is joy to behold. Every scene, indeed every shot, has a purpose – nothing is wasted even though the film runs for just on two hours. The washed-out colour palette and sombre lighting convey the gloominess of a gray January in New England.

The cast are, by and large, great. As mentioned, Ewan McGregor is wonderful as the sharply observant writer. The film is seen through his eyes, so he needs to be good to carry it; and does so with some aplomb. It’s great to see Olivia Williams continuing her comeback on the big screen, and she provides many of the film’s best dramatic and thespian moments. Pierce Brosnan fits the wily politician to a tee, and Timothy Hutton and Tom Wilkinson are as reliable as ever in strong supporting roles. The odd-one-out in the ensemble is Kim Cattrall who seems entirely lost at times. Perhaps it was the strange trans-Atlantic accent she tried to effect, but she appeared quite wooden in several places.

Although I have a few reservations, by and large I loved The Ghost Writer. Anyone with any kind of interest in politics, fine acting or great filmmaking should see this film. This is certainly one of the more memorable films of 2010 so far.

David Edwards