.

.

Roman Polanski is as much known as a fugitive from justice as he is a film director. His years of self-imposed exile have brought much sympathy from the far fringe of Hollywood. As much as they praise the director, the forces of L.A. law and order want the man to face justice for his accused crimes. All of this has overshadowed his career, making him a symbol more than an artist. The latest film by Polanski is The Ghost Writer.

The story starts with The Ghost (Ewan McGregor), a ghostwriter assigned to help get a manuscript into publishing shape. His name is never uttered throughout the film, just referred to as The Ghost. Called into a publishing house, he is asked to take over the memoir of British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). The publisher (great cameo by a chrome dome Jim Belushi) knows that the work is in trouble even though he hasn’t read a word of it. They want The Ghost to take over the project and place a British tone to the work. The work needs to be done in a month because everyone sees the tome as more of a bomb than a book. It seems that Lang’s former aide/writer of the project fell off the ferry coming back from the mainland. Or did he?

Once The Ghost arrives to the New England island on that winter day, he discovers that things are not as they appear. The house is more like a fortress or a prison, with guards patrolling every inch of the property. Every car is searched and every bag checked. He meets Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall), the assistant to the PM. She is a dedicated and loyal servant. She also runs the household staff and it is a very tight ship. After reading the manuscript (which is kept under tight lock and key) he sees that the work is in seriously rough shape. Stunned by the monumental task to reshape a book that is ‘brilliant in a horrible sort of way’, he calls his agent almost quitting.

Then he meets the PM and his lovely wife Ruth (Olivia Williams). She is bitter by both the situation of her household and her life. She knows that Adam is having some kind of an affair with Amelia and that he is being unfairly attacked by the world. Lang has been called a pawn of the US and all his decisions have been approved by the CIA. A cabinet minister even accuses Adam Lang of turning suspects over to the CIA. The world court wants to convict him for war crimes and water-boarding.

The reporters and protesters accumulate outside of the compound which causes The Ghost to move into the home of the PM. Living in the room of the former writer, our new man begins to suspect that things are not as they should be. He discovers research that proves the PM and his wife do not have the relationship that they portray to the public. All of these threads of deceit and treachery weave a tapestry of danger for our writer.

There are some performances in The Ghost Writer which are brilliant, starting with Pierce Brosnan as Adam Lang. He is a man who truly believes that he is in charge of his destiny and that every decision he has made has been for the good of Queen and country, which is very James Bond of him. But there are signs that he is not the brightest politician to tread the hallowed halls of Parliament. Ewan McGregor just nails it as our odd man out in this universe. His sense of judgment that goes up against his innate curiosity are to be his undoing. As he begins to peel back the layers of the mystery concerning the other writer, the picture makes no sense. In Encyclopedia Brown fashion, he takes on the Hardy Boys tactic of examining the clues and letting the answers fall where they may. He never considers the consequences of dealing with forces that may be bigger than even he expects.

There are not enough superlatives to describe the work of Olivia Williams in The Ghost Writer. She is a walking contradiction, a strong woman in an un-winnable situation. She is the lady behind the man, a man who has seemingly left her for another. In the end she is alone with the choices she has made. This is the performance that should resonate well into the end of the year awards. But Kim Cattrall is just miscast as the assistant who may be something more to our PM. Her features are stilted to the point of parody. It feels as if she were going through a dry run of the script and not the finished product. One never really understands her motivations both in the household and with the PM.

If The Ghost Writer had been directed by a no-name hack, some of the sins of production could be forgiven. Not here. This film is done by Roman Polanski, the force who re-envisioned film noir with Chinatown and the horror film with Rosemary’s Baby. Let one not forget Tess and The Pianist, both hard films to watch and both of which carry a captivating grace. Polanski is a visionary artist whose films will be studied until the end of time. In this instance, the entire exercise feels more along the lines of a vicious attack than a suspenseful political thriller. As the last reel spills, it is very obvious and not very surprising how the end ties itself up. The big reveal is almost childish in its simplicity and silliness.

The Ghost Writer is the first ‘left wing lock’ in the 2010 Oscar race. Not that it is deserving (it is not), but because it is the only way that certain crazed elements can get back at an administration that they do not agree with. The film is wish fulfillment against Tony Blair. It will be praised by loons that believe that the CIA and conservatives are just avatars of evil. It will cause much controversy and discussion but will change few minds. The entire logic of the exercise doesn’t hold up.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•