Ewan McGregor is a nameless writer in the Roman Polanksi-directed political thriller The Ghost Writer. Courtesy of Summit Entertainment

The Ghost Writer
(128 minutes; Summit Entertainment, LLC)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Produced by Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde, Patrick Wachsberger
Written by Roman Polanski, Robert Harris
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Tom Wilkinson

Picture this: storms, the sea, a secluded island, the political background and the solitary hero who is busy chasing the truth. These elements seem to remind us of Shutter Island, a recent thriller by Martin Scorsese.
Senior director Roman Polanski’s latest film The Ghost Writer, offers a quite similar feel but surely with a different outcome.  

The French-born director, writer, actor and producer was awarded Best Director at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival in February for his work in this critically acclaimed movie.  

Polanski needs no introduction Some of his famous credits are Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, Macbeth, Frantic, Oliver Twist and The Pianist.

The Pianist received international acclaim and won three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Adrian Brody, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ronald Harwood and Best Director for Polanski.     
Polanski is now back with the trilling story of a political conspiracy.

Starting in a bit slow plot, Polanski somewhat show us how to bring in a thriller story without overdoing it.
The story centers on a talented British writer, whose name is not revealed during the film, played by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. He’s hired to ghostwrite the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan).

But the writer feels that something is not right from the first time he’s offered this job as he finds out that the previous ghostwriter, who is also a longtime aide of Lang, mysteriously died of drowning.

The McGregor’s character must travel from London to Lang’s beach house in a remote island in the US, only to find that the ex-prime minister leads a mysterious life.

Things get complicated when Lang is accused by his political opponent of being involved in a scandal over his harsh anti-terrorism method in authorizing the CIA-backed rendition of suspected terrorists.

Because of the complication, the writer is now “trapped” on the island with Lang, his politically cunning muse Ruth (Olivia Williams), his personal assistant and mistress Amelia Bly (Kim Catrall) and a small group of staffers and bodyguards.

This is where the twisted plot comes in. The main character has to choose between two options: keep focusing on his work in completing the book no matter what happens, or reveal the mystery behind the political intrigue.
The writer tries to uncover the dark secrets himself, by digging information about Lang’s past, searching for clues from people mentioned in the memoirs and from others living in the neighborhood.

Mounting evidence leaves him with this question; was his predecessor committed suicide or being murdered? And did Lang have any involvement with the CIA?

Answering the questions would likely put his project, if not his life, in jeopardy.

And throughout the film, Polanksi is successful in keeping you at the edge of your seat as you keep guessing which parts of the truths will be revealed.

This thriller may come off a bit weighty for some, but Polanski knows how to pull in the crowd. In fact, he was confident enough to put some humor in the midst of complicated plots.

Polanski writes the screenplay for this movie together with Robert Harris, writer of the book which the movie was on based on and this has helped a lot in the story-telling department.

The casts play their parts quite well. Ewan McGregor, known for his roles in Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge, Star Wars, The Island and Angles and Demons, made a good appearance as the writer for hire.

Pierce Brosnan seems to be born for the role. He has the charm and charisma to play the cunning politician and traces from his man-in-suit roles, Remington Steele and James Bond only serve to augment his magnanimity.
Also joining the cast is Tom Wilkinson (The Full Monty, Shakespeare In Love, Michael Clayton), who plays Paul Emmet, a Harvard professor connected to Lang.

This leaves actress Kim Catrall with an insurmountable task of upstaging the two fine actors. Her Sex and the City credentials have certainly worked against her. She is probably the only actor in the film that seems to be in a wrong movie.

Aside from the Catrall factor, this movie will not disappoint you, as you will be kept wanting to know what the ghost writer will find next or whether he would still be alive when the credit rolls.

Verdict: It’s Roman Polanski, so you’d better put this film on your list.

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