Polanski returns to masterful form

Hitchcockian thriller stuns

By Alex Mugford

The Ghost Writer Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, and Kim Cattrall Entertainment One Ltd. 128 mins Rated PG

The plot of The Ghost Writer sets off fireworks. In the beginning when a dead body washes ashore, the fuse ignites and it methodically burns down. In the end, it ignites into a glorious display of beauty in film.

Fireworks would be the appropriate metaphor since this might be the last film for 76-year-old director Roman Polanski, who finished post-production for this film under house arrest. He was unable to accept his Best Director Oscar for The Pianist (2002) because of his felony status in America.

In his latest opus, the aptly unnamed, “Ghost” (McGregor) is hired to complete the memoirs of Adam Lang (Brosnan), a former British Prime Minister. Ghost joins Lang and his staff in seclusion as they continue to write his memoirs that remain unfinished since the previous ghostwriter is mysteriously found dead.

As Ghost begins work on the manuscript, Lang is accused of authorizing the kidnapping and torture of terrorist suspects, which becomes the world’s number one headline. Lang is forced into a blitzkrieg of media attention as Ghost simultaneously finds inconsistencies in Lang’s story. Following clues left by his predecessor, he continues an investigation that could dig up secrets about the PM’s past which will endanger Ghost’s life.

The Ghost Writer resonates former British PM Tony Blair, the Bush administration and even Polanski himself. I’m sure Blair and Bush have their fair share of war crime accusations, but even a little more humorous is the film’s premise and how it relates to Polanski.

The setting is Martha’s Vineyard where Lang decides to stay in lieu of heading back to Britain for fear of prosecution, which parallels Polanski’s Where In The World is Carmen Sandiego-esque life. Polanski has avoided the US for decades so Martha’s Vineyard and the rest of the setting was actually filmed in Germany. Polanski fans will have a chuckle at that one.

The film is a thriller that follows a steady rhythm throughout. You’ll either love the slowly unveiling plot or curse that nothing cataclysmic is happening. All of the thrills are saved until the end which I didn’t mind because when the thrills were finally unveiled, it was extremely satisfying.

The final shots of the film showcase Polanski’s consummate creativity, most notably the scene where a note is passed through a crowd with the film’s big revelation written on it, and the shot before the credits, which were both brilliantly conceived. Brosnan is a no-brainer to play the Prime Minister, and thanks to Polanski’s solid directing, he blends incredibly well with the innocent yet intelligent Ewan McGregor as The Ghost. The Ghost is an ordinary writer who is sent on an investigation of sorts but his findings are not unusual. He doesn’t develop magic investigative skills like Langdon from the Da Vinci Code for example, but with open eyes, pieces together the clues that lead the story to its conclusion.

The subject matter and the story will make you feel grown up and you’ll leave the theatre feeling like you should have been wearing a suit and sipping on wine while watching. If this really is Polanski’s swan song, then it’s an admirable farewell. I appreciate that he doesn’t question the intelligence of his audience. This is classic filmmaking the way that Alfred Hitchcock used to do and the way Brian De Palma is still trying to do. Moody cinematography and an elegant script are crafted into one of the finest examples of filmmaking this year.

3.5 out of 4 stars

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