Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Ghost Writer is the latest from director Roman Polanski. Polanski is best known for films like Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby — movies as respected for their scripts and storytelling as their thrills. The Ghost Writer doesn’t pack as much punch, but it gives it a good college try, and ends up being a pretty solid, fun mystery in the process.
The movie opens with an unnamed writer (Ewan McGregor) getting an assignment to ghost write a memoir for former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who’s being investigated for war crimes. McGregor’s character is taking over for another man who died mysteriously. McGregor flies to New England, where Lang, his wife and staff are living in exile. McGregor starts to work with Lang on the memoir, and notices odd clues left behind by his predecessor, the dead writer. Investigations, double-crosses and other hijinks ensue.
At first glance, The Ghost Writer looks like a fast-paced political thriller with lots of action, a convoluted plot and actors shooting each other plenty of intense, penetrating stares. Since this is, in fact, a political thriller, there’s plenty of that. But there’s also a surprising amount of wit and humor. McGregor’s character seems to be as puzzled by his situation as the audience is, and his reactions to the things he learns about Lang and his history seem nicely believable. Particularly at the end of the film, events feel a tad melodramatic or cliché. It makes it hard to take the movie seriously, but doesn’t harm the overall entertainment value.
For audiences familiar with Polanski’s work, a movie that falls into the tropes of the generic thriller may feel a little disappointing, but not every movie can be Chinatown. A movie that retains elements of the director’s classic work and recalls other classic thrillers like The Manchurian Candidate, or those of the Hitchcock variety, is still worth watching. If you’re looking for a good, smart movie to watch on a weekend, The Ghost Writer offers a lot more than others of its ilk.
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