A political thriller from filmmaking master Roman Polanski (The Pianist, Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby), based on the novel by Robert Harris (Enigma). When a successful British ghost writer, 'The Ghost' (Ewan McGregor), agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), his agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start – not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, died in an unfortunate accident.
The Ghost flies out to work on the project, in the middle of winter, to an oceanfront house on an island off the US Eastern seaboard. But the day after he arrives, trouble begins...
The whiff of Polanski scandal was fresh in the air when this played at the New Zealand International Film Festival, and while that’s dissipated for the time being, The Ghost Writer goes into general release amidst still-unanswered questions about Britain’s actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. These still threaten Tony Blair and form a more fitting current affairs backdrop to a superior conspiracy thriller that prurient interest somewhat overshadowed.
That Pierce Brosnan delivers an excellent thinly-veiled portrayal of the former PM hardly hurts. It’s a role that gives him the opportunity to turn in a less than flattering portrait of an egotistical man, preoccupied with public opinion and mourning the loss of his rockstar-like status.
While Brosnan’s performance is perhaps the best thing about the film, he doesn’t get the majority of screen time, this falling to Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of the unequipped everyman getting in over his head – an archetypal character in conspiracy flicks and one that he’s more than competent enough to tackle.
The Ghost Writer may hardly rank amongst Polanski’s finest work but still hits all the right notes; it's an often-tense affair that comes with just the right amount of cynicism, a great cast, and one that treats the audience with a modicum of intelligence.
By Steve Newall, Flicks.co.nz
I absolutely loved this movie, especially for the brilliant show stopping performance from Olivia Williams. Roman Polanski did good here.
My favourite from 2010 Film Festival. Impressive acting from three main leads including Ewan McGregor as the ghost writer and Pierce Brosnan as former British PM and Blair clone. This thriller starts off slowly but the build up is absorbing like missing pieces of a jig saw which click into place at the end. Who is the true villain in this masterpiece theater? Realistic ending.
Though if it had ended any other way it would not been as good. The director may be an alleged rapist but he is still a very good filmmaker. The film was well cast and had a wonderful mood and feel to it.
This was a good movie, all actors suited their given parts and were believable (how does Pierce Brosnan keep getting hotter the more he ages?). After being taken down some intriguing lanes to get to that prize at the end it is a little unfortunate that the prize is something you have had before and worse still comes in a sh*tty package. It is definitely worth seeing, but if you are a thinking man turn your brain waves off for a while.
The Loafers love a good thriller and we're pretty much into political intrigue, so this was a real winner with us. An up-to-date, highly relevant plot with an excellent script all put together by Roman Polanski. His main mistake was casting Pierce Brosnan as the ex British PM (although he might also have done better than Ewen McGregor). All 6 of us thoroughly enjoyed it, though the ending is a bit strange. 4.5 stars.
In Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer," a man without a past rattles around in the life of a man with too much of one. He begins by reading the work of an earlier ghost who mysteriously drowned, and finds it boring and conventional. Hired to pep up the manuscript to justify a $10 million advance, he discovers material to make it exciting, all right, and possibly deadly.
A gripping and gravitas-filled adult thriller.
If Polanski had volunteered to spend the year or two that this film took him to make in a Californian jail, that would have been time well spent. As it is, he has turned in one of the worst films of his career, and robbed me of a couple of hours when I could have been enjoying the afternoon sunshine. Boo
Alexandre Desplat deftly draws out the increasing uncertainty that anchors Roman Polanski’s tale (here retaining novelist Robert Harris’ original title) of a writer negotiating the dangerous memoirs of a Blair-like PM, resulting in an exquisitely suspenseful work.
Roman Polanski's deft take on Robert Harris's political thriller is the director's most purely enjoyable film for years
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 11th Nov 2010.
Release date: November 11th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
