Hitchcock would be proud of Polanski's 'Ghost Writer'
Say what you will about Roman Polanski (frankly, I think he should return to the States, face the music and get on with his life), but his talent as a film director is undeniable. He has created a captivating political thriller here that would make (yes, I know I keep referring to him) even Sir Alfred Hitchcock proud. It’s the story of a veteran writer (Ewan McGregor) who is hired to finish the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). By the way, any hints that this is directed at the life of Tony Blair are absolutely intentional. The previous "ghost" writer died tragically just days earlier, an apparent victim of too much alcohol on a windswept seagoing ferry. The new "ghost" reads through the nearly finished manuscript under strict security at the Lang compound and is bored out of his mind. He wants to liven it up, find the "real" story behind the man, but his inquisitive nature irks a few and troubles many. What is Lang hiding? Why is he being singled out for his rough treatment of terrorist suspects in the past? And was the previous ghost writer’s death truly accidental? It’s an intriguing mystery, made even more ominous by the stark location of the concrete fortress home on a remote, treeless island surrounded by constantly stormy seas. McGregor and Brosnan are fantastic as they play this cat-and-mouse game of political power versus personal turmoil in perfect pitch. If you like film noir and you fully appreciated the recent "Shutter Island," may I suggest you make the effort to see another master filmmaker at work in "The Ghost Writer."
