The Ghost Writer
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski's latest is a political thriller which sees Ewan McGregor's Ghost Writer brought in to help polish former UK Prime Minister Adam Lang's memoirs following the suicide of the previous writer.
But he finds himself embroiled in a political storm when Lang (an excellent Pierce Brosnan - who's, erm playing Pierce Brosnan in effect) is caught up in a war crimes trial - Lang's accused of agreeing to the illegal capture and torture of terror suspects for the CIA.
Before the ghostwriter knows it, he's surrounded by controversy, as well as protests from anti war supporters. And he begins to find the conspiracy goes deeper than he imagined the further into the work he gets.
The Ghost Writer is a tense, smart piece of film; a crackling sizzling political thriller - even if occasionally it veers into slightly unbelievable territory (suddenly the ghost writer becomes a crack investigative expert).
But it's the central performance of McGregor which makes this film such a compelling watch as it unfolds in front of you. Whether it's handling some of the comic relief lines (and dry humour) which are peppered through the script ("All the words are there just in the wrong order" he remarks about the book) or steering us with a sense of impending dread towards the end of the film, you can't take your eyes off him.
The rest of the supporting cast are great too including Brosnan's suave PM who recalls Tony Blair and the anti war parallels are frighteningly close to the truth; Kim Cattrall is snooty as the assistant and Olivia Williams is beguiling as Lang's wife - you're never quite sure whether to sympathise with her poor wife routine.
Also quite funny is the long suffering of the protection squad - in one scene Lang throws down his phone in disgust and breaks it - seconds later, a lackey emerges to clean it up. There are moments like this throughout and it gives the film a really rounded feel.
It's a great film from Polanski and holds your attention for two hours as the paranoia ramps up and the revelations finally reveal the truth.
Watch a scene from The Ghost Writer here.
Watch the trailer for The Ghost Writer here.
