The Ghost Writer

Separating the artist from their work isn't always an easy thing but I had been meaning to rewatch the relatively forgotten thriller, The Ghost Writer, from 2010 for some time. Directed by Roman Polanski, I remember this being a surprisingly slick little film with a great cast and I'm glad to say not much has changed. The larger awards generally overlooked this and now it resides today on the endless rows of various streaming services but, despite its questionable director, I feel this deserves more recognition for just how polished and well crafted it is over ten years after its release. 

Adapted from the Robert Harris novel titled The Ghost, the story follows a ghost writer assigned to help a disgraced former British PM, Stephen Lang, complete his autobiography out in the isolated, wind-swept dunes of New England at Lang's private and highly secure retreat on an island. However, the writer, played by Ewan McGregor finds not all is as it seems when he learns he is stepping in for another writer who had been found dead on a nearby beach and that there might be more to Lang's past than what he has in writing.

Filmed on a $45 million dollar budget, The Ghost Writer is shot by Paweł Edelman and looks on par with David Fincher's thrillers minus the green tinge. Lang's house is suitably fit for a Bond villain and all goes hand-in-hand with a tight screenplay, perfectly timed editing and Alexadre Desplat's score to create an engrossing story that it all neatly crafted together by Polanski's direction. Every scene serves a purpose to build intrigue and satisfies at the conclusion without any fuss. 

Much of this is in thanks to a perfect cast with McGregor as the out-of-his-depth protagonist caught in a game bigger than he knows. We also get Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Joe Bernthal just before his career really took off, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Pugh always bringing the gravitas, James Belushi and a surprising, late-career appearance from Eli Wallach. But the real star is arguably Pierce Brosnan as Stephen Lang who probably gives his one of his best performances right here. 

The Ghost Writer is a great drama and one I can easily recommend to almost all audiences. It is intriguing from the first scene and maintains itself over the two hour running time, leaving me with very little to find fault. I don't want to oversell this as it is far from a Best Picture worthy experience but still one you will not regret.