Roman Polanski creates his own mystery thriller which not only he directs but also co-writes together with political journalist Robert Harris who wrote the novel upon which “The Ghost Writer” is based. Though the storyline is remarkably full of plot holes, it still manages to charm and attract audiences.
Ewan McGregor stars as a successful British ghostwriter called The Ghost who agrees to complete the memoirs of Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), a former British Prime Minister. His agent assures him it’s an opportunity of a lifetime he must grab however the project seems doomed from the beginning with his predecessors dying of an unfortunate accident.
Despite this, the ghost still agrees to work on the project and flies to an oceanfront house on an island off the U.S. Eastern seaboard in the middle of winter. But then, after he arrives, the former British cabinet member accuses Lang of authorizing illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and sending them over to be tortured by the CIA.
As the Ghost continues to work under the roof of Lang, his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams), and his personal assistant Amelia(Kim Catrall), he uncovers clues indicating that his predecessor may have discovered a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA. With these hints, the questions remain whether Lang was in the service of the American intelligence and was the predecessor murdered to prevent the release of truth. Soon, he learns the hard way that the past can be deadly and only those who live tell the tale.
What’s lovely about “Ghost Writer” is the way it is formatted to resemble a game of chess. One would never know what’s bound to happen and most of the time one must always be on guard for the worst. The film succeeds in creating tension as audience are also racked with fear that McGregor can be attacked anytime and anywhere. One gets the feeling that his character is always unsafe in every scene in the film regardless of location. Adding to the increasing tension delivered by Polanski’s images is the great score assembled by Alexandre Desplat.
Despite the film’s success in imbibing tension to excite and fear viewers, there are major setbacks that can’t be hidden. For one, Robert Harris fails in igniting sufficient explosive plot points for Polanski to work on. The storyline could have been great but the major loop holes are pulling the film back.
Aside from the plot, McGregor also fails to deliver with his performance. He’s not entirely believable as a journalist. Instead of working in the same speed and nature as an artisan and expert, he acts similar to a novice who was given a first-time big job to complete. In term of emotional aspect, he barely transitions from one emotion to another. McGregor as an actor could have done more and better.
