The Ghost Writer review

A good mystery nowadays is hard to come by. Reason being is because of peoples need to A: know how something ends before they see it and B: because mysteries don't sell tickets anymore; at least ones that hide too much in their trailers. Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" is a fantastic return to the mystery films we don't see anymore, just as much as Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island"was (in fact they'd probably make a good double feature). It's a classy, intelligent and handsome looking picture with one of those endings that's 'movie awesome'. As in it's far fetched to happen in the real world, but in a film it's great stuff.

Ewan McGregor plays the ghost writer who is hired to replace another writer who killed himself or had accidentally killed himself from a mix of too much alcohol and a fall from a ferry at night. He'll be working on the memoirs of former British Prime Minster Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). The ghost has little care for politics and as it seems politicians but because of that he can get to the heart of Lang which could help turn the massive manuscript into something that might actually sell in stores. He travels to Cape Cod and meets Lang, his wife and his crew; he quickly realizes that this might not be the easiest job he's taken on.

Lang is constantly taking in phone calls that seem to aggravate him thus making the writing sessions hellish. Kim Cattrall plays Lang's assistant and probable mistress with adds a heavy tension when Lang, his wife and the assistant are all in a room together . And Olivia Williams, who I feel like I haven't seen since "Rushmore" plays Lang's wife who's mood and interactions with the ghost range from close and nearly personal (sometimes beyond that) to filled with piss and vinegar. Interestingly enough the way the whole mystery kicks off isn't from this other worldly clue dipped into our main character's psyche; it actually comes from his boredom on the island after Lang leaves to Washington D.C. to face some public allegations of war crimes and approving tortures. After a a brief conversation with a local man (aka the amazing Eli Wallach... if you have to ask who he is, then God help you) his interest in what happened to his predecessor is peaked, and along his minor investigations he begins discovering odd mix ups in the the old manuscript as well as hidden documents, secret messages and pictures, mysterious cars following him and a strange British protester.

Yeah there's a lot in "The Ghost Writer". And it works in that classic mystery, drama sense. McGregor is perfect for this kind of role because like most Polanski mysteries the main character is smart, snarky and often in way over his head. Those are some of McGregor's best types of characters because that a bit of him in reality. However the two performances that are actually award worthy are Williams and shocking enough Brosnan. Williams delivers a spit fire performance with much subtly and intelligence and is fantastic at misdirection. Brosnan delivers one that's pitch perfect for a politician. Someone who is out of touch with the world outside his little bubble, but wants the world to see him in a most regal light possible. And more importantly someone who's got something to hide from the ghost and the public to keep that lie going.

To quote Michael Caine, this isn't a pisser. As in not a movie you can run out to get food during or use the bathroom and come back and everything necessarily add up. Everything is done for a proper reason of atmosphere and building to the finale in which something(s) come to light. However while watching the film you might catch various other things that could lead you into asking completely different questions about a character's motives, that's always a good sign to me. Roman Polanski is a fantastic artist, a pretty shitty human being... but that's something he has to live with and doesn't effect his work. It's nice to see him returning to the forefront of the cinematic world with something so strong and it gives me hope that other filmmakers of that same caliber who have almost fallen out of sight (Brian DePalma, William Friedkin, Philip Kaufman etc) could return if only given the chance to do material that works as well as this does and I have no doubt some of them can find material this strange to get made. Right now "The Ghost Writer" is jumping around theatrically, but if it hits your area it's well worth seeing and is definitely one of the best films of the year so far.