The Ghost Writer is the story of a former British Prime Minister, played by Pierce Brosnan, who is in the midst of writing his memoirs of his time in office. Or, rather, he's having his "ghost", played by Ewan McGregor, mold his thoughts into a book. The story contains too much detail to provide much information here, but the plot basically revolves around the death of the first ghost who was writing the memoirs for Brosnan. The first ghost writer of Brosnan's memoirs, a close friend of the Prime Minister, is found dead on the beach, the victim of an apparent suicide or unfortunate accident. Or was it? McGregor, upon arrival, starts to unravel the secrets that the first ghost uncovered. It's a curious case of two ghosts speaking to each other.
Something is amiss in the house of the Prime Minister. He's been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a former British Minister. The CIA may be involved with Brosnan in some way. Put plainly, everyone's a suspect for something.
And Polanski handles all of the intrigue with a masterfully deft touch. He allows the suspense to build naturally. Through side-long glances and little hints of dialogue Polanski reveals the supposed motives and misdeeds of the characters without showing his hand too much.
The film doesn't have the action or thrills of some contemporary films, but it more than makes up for it with a tight story-line that truly does keep the viewer guessing. Say what you will about Polanski and his deplorable personal life and sins, but the man can flat make entertaining and smart movies.
As the film closes, McGregor discovers the secrets that explain all of the intrigue, hidden in the manuscript prepared by the first ghost. He must decide what to do with this explosive and even deadly information. McGregor has learned the consequences that words can have. Now, will he suffer the consequences from words left unsaid?
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- Stuart -
