Roman Polanski has directed yet another cinematic success with The Ghost Writer, a political thriller — and adaptation of Robert Harris’s book of the same name — that acutely delves into the lives of its high-powered characters, isolated from their country and the rest of the world on a secluded, bleak and wintry Massachusetts island compound.
Former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) has hired an unnamed ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) to finish the memoirs of his quick rise to political power. But one thing’s off: the sleepy-eyed ghost must step into the role of his predecessor, another writer mysteriously found dead on assignment, while dealing with Lang’s latest international scandal involving accusations of conspiring with the CIA.
The film drills deeper into the unfolding mystery with a suspenseful musical score, an intriguing plot and snappy dialogue that keep the viewer second-guessing. Suspense builds in the discrepancies between the past uncovered by the ghost writer — told by Lang’s brooding wife (Olivia Williams) — and the glossy exterior painted by the unstable prime minister and his right hand PR woman (Kim Cattrall). Though Polanski’s new film will again be shadowed by controversy, it is a captivating and stylish work that is a worthy addition to the director’s canon.
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan
Rated PG-13, 128 min.
4 Stars
