From acclaimed director Roman Polanski and resonating with topical themes, this atmospheric and intriguing political thriller charts one man's determination to discover the truth and to tell it, if necessary, from beyond the grave.
It's easy to assume a great deal about The Ghost. Clearly a political thriller, dripping with gravitas while poking a sharp stick at Tony Blair -played by a suave ex-Bond no less- batting away accusations of war crimes. Obvious isn't it?
Actually, not at all. Ewan McGregor plays 'The Ghost', a writer hired to complete an ex-Prime Minister's autobiography after the previous ghost was tragically killed. In an early scene (almost stolen by a cheeky James Belushi cameo) he claims that he is the ideal writer precisely because he knows nothing about politics and that's the ideal viewer too, because this film isn't directly interested in them either. And thank goodness for that, because what we have is a frothy, exciting thriller with an eccentric sense of British humour and great dialogue that is easy to underestimate.
The actual plot is a classic Film Noir, shot through with paranoia and Hitchcockian wit. The script, adapted by Robert Harris from his novel with director Roman Polanski, has an easy charm, and yet crackles with tension. McGregor disappointed me at first, as he has abandoned his own Scottish accent for a London one, but I soon warmed to the choice, especially as his delivery hints at Marlowe ironic weariness. Inspired by money more than honour, a hint of a love for alcohol, a touch of casual flirting with both 'Femme Fatales' and we have our world weary detective reborn as the reluctant ghost writer. The isolated island with strange characters, his inappropriate behaviour with certain women, his visit to a mysterious Professor and more, only add to the spell. It certainly resembles little of political thrillers such as All The Presidents Men or even actioners like Patriot Games at the other end of the scale, and instead, its relationship with the Double Indemnity's of this world make it feel unusually fresh as a very British take on a typical American thriller of the 40s. I told you it was eccentric! But it works brilliantly well.
The two ladies in the film, Kim Cattrall as Brosnan's assistant and Olivia Williams as his wife and probably the real political power, are both excellent, especially Williams ("for God's sake, if we come across a terrorist, I'll text you!", she yells at a security guard who won't leave her alone) though Cattrall impresses by finding a balance between intelligent, sultry and dizzy as her part demands. And Pierce Brosnan was another surprise because he represented my biggest reason to ignore this film and I'm happy to say how absolutely wrong I was.
You can't entirely avoid the story's barbed relevance and the trailer made it seem obvious as to be clunky, and Brosnan's grinning assured confidence had to be the biggest clunk of all. But this is not a Blair biopic. Brosnan affects an awkwardness bordering on stupidity that is both very funny and makes him unpredictably dangerous, yet distances him from being an impression. He balances the character perfectly when he could have phoned in a Bond clone and as such, this is one of his best roles. There is one moment where he disembarks from a plane and at the top of the steps, he pauses, statesman-like, yet briefly confused as to where he might be! You could say he is playing a fool who in turn is playing a part himself. Of course, your opinion of Blair might mean I just strengthened the idea this is a sharp satire...
However, the eccentricity of choosing to use a Noir setup, naturally undoes any satire and this is very important because the film can exist on its own terms. It's like the film is happy to make Tony Blair sweat, but just as quick to nudge him in the ribs and yell "gotcha!". Blair's situation informs the film rather than becomes what it is about. Still, a sequence with the protesters including the grieving father of a solder is treated with enough respect to be substantial.
The irreverence and lightness of touch in the cast is Polanski's doing and it follows through in his direction, accompanied by a wonderfully unusual score from Alexandre Desplat (Fantastic Mr Fox, and BAFTA winner for The Kings Speech). It's a meticulous film, with a melancholic Autumnal air and stunning details in the tight setups, but it's always fun; little things like McGregor's awkwardness as he clambers into a car with a large case, or the way his honesty sometimes gets the better of him contrary to a regular thriller hero, consistently grounds the film. The behaviour of the staff, from the relaxed security guards to the poor caretaker trying to fill his barrow with twigs in the wind, is very funny, yet still feels designed for a purpose, while the tightly controlled manuscript almost becomes a Maltese Falcon type object!
Like a proper Noir, the story is serious and exciting and Polanski executes a couple of action beats perfectly. It just never forgets to be fun and the very final moments underline that dual nature beautifully. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to seeing it again.
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Please note this is a region B Blu-ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play. Based on Robert Harris' acclaimed novel, The Ghost is the story of a ghostwriter hired to take over writing the memoirs of one former British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan - James Bond, The Thomas Crown Affair), after the ex-Prime Minister's first co-writer dies in an accident. Soon after the Ghost accepts the assignment, a high-ranking British official accuses Lang of illegally seizing suspected terrorists and handing them over for torture by CIA, a war crime. The controversy brings reporters and protesters swarming to the Martha's Vineyard mansion where Lang is staying with his wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his media-handler turned mistress, Amelia (Kim Cattrall - Sex And The City, My Boy Jack). As The Ghost works, he begins uncover to clues revealing the previous writer may have pieced together a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA, and that somehow this information is hidden in the manuscript he left behind. From acclaimed director Roman Polanski (Oliver Twist, The Pianist, Chinatown) and resonating with topical themes, this atmospheric and intriguing political thriller charts one man's determination to discover the truth and to tell it, if necessary, from beyond the grave. Actors Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Timothy Hutton, Tom Wilkinson, James Belushi, Jon Bernthal, Jaymes Butler, Daphne Alexander, Angelique Fernandez & Michael S. Ruscheinsky Director Roman Polanski Certificate 15 years and over Year 2010 Screen 16:9 Anamorphic Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.1) Duration 1 hour and 34 minutes (approx)
Roman Polanski directs this political thriller based on the novel by Robert Harris. Ewan McGregor plays a ghost-writer who is hired to work on the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) following the mysterious demise of his previous collaborator. Taken to a luxury mansion on an island off the American East Coast to begin work on the book, he is introduced to the unsettlingly mercurial Prime Minister, his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his personal assistant Amelia (Kim Cattrall). When Lang subsequently becomes embroiled in a major international scandal that reveals just how far he was prepared to go in order to nurture UK's 'special relationship' with the USA, the ghost-writer finds himself caught up in a deadly web of secrets and lies.
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