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The Ghost Writer
Mar. 25th, 2010 12:25 amThe Ghost Writer
CIA, secret friendships and deals for weapons of war; it sounds like C-SPAN but it's actually The Ghost Writer. This is the newest film by Roman Polanski so the director has received more publicity than the film itself. However, to ignore a film because of a director would be unfair to the other cast and crew that worked so hard on it. More important than that, this is a thrilling film of twists and turns.
Ewan McGregor plays a writer who's just agreed to ghost write an autobiography for a quarter of a million in cash, plus expenses. The only catch is that the first ghostwriter washed up dead on a beach and the subject of the book, a former British Prime Minister, is being charged with war crimes. He allowed British citizens in foreign countries to be charged as criminals and taken to secret prisons run by the United States. Sarah Palin's ghostwriter probably didn't have it this rough.
Through Ewan McGregor, the title character is likable and sympathetic. Just his grin alone makes you want to wrap him in bubble wrap or at the very least, loan him a cloak of invisibility so he won't end up dead. No one is safe in this film even though it's filled with recognizable actors and actresses. James Belushi as the publisher, Kim Cattrall wearing outfits that Samantha wouldn't be caught dead in, Tom Wilkinson as a college professor and Timothy Hutton as a lawyer. Hutton could be distracting at times. He's too good at his role on Leverage so one almost expects him to be pulling a con in this one as well and that's not so off the mark.
It's almost impossible to watch a Roman Polanski film without thinking about his personal life especially with the subject matter shown here. The former Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan) and his family struggle with the charges against him. They could stay in the United States which doesn't recognize the court charging him, but that would mean that they could never go home again. They could attend a funeral in Britain for the previous Ghostwriter, but he would be whisked away to face trial. He would be separated from his wife and children for an unknown period of time or even face the death penalty. How much is based on his personal experiences?
The Ghost Writer can be very frustrating to watch at times. When the pace slows down enough for the viewer to process what they have seen, it becomes frighteningly plausible complete with a defense contract that benefitted from the war the Prime Minister supported. It may be named Hatherton but it doesn't take a genius to guess they really meant Haliburton. Were we sold on a war under false pretenses? It's very possible. Will we ever know the truth? It's doubtful, but it appears that we will have no shortage of films on the subject; both fictional and documentary. At least The Ghostwriter and Green Zone include entertainment with their troubled questions.
CIA, secret friendships and deals for weapons of war; it sounds like C-SPAN but it's actually The Ghost Writer. This is the newest film by Roman Polanski so the director has received more publicity than the film itself. However, to ignore a film because of a director would be unfair to the other cast and crew that worked so hard on it. More important than that, this is a thrilling film of twists and turns.
Ewan McGregor plays a writer who's just agreed to ghost write an autobiography for a quarter of a million in cash, plus expenses. The only catch is that the first ghostwriter washed up dead on a beach and the subject of the book, a former British Prime Minister, is being charged with war crimes. He allowed British citizens in foreign countries to be charged as criminals and taken to secret prisons run by the United States. Sarah Palin's ghostwriter probably didn't have it this rough.
Through Ewan McGregor, the title character is likable and sympathetic. Just his grin alone makes you want to wrap him in bubble wrap or at the very least, loan him a cloak of invisibility so he won't end up dead. No one is safe in this film even though it's filled with recognizable actors and actresses. James Belushi as the publisher, Kim Cattrall wearing outfits that Samantha wouldn't be caught dead in, Tom Wilkinson as a college professor and Timothy Hutton as a lawyer. Hutton could be distracting at times. He's too good at his role on Leverage so one almost expects him to be pulling a con in this one as well and that's not so off the mark.
It's almost impossible to watch a Roman Polanski film without thinking about his personal life especially with the subject matter shown here. The former Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan) and his family struggle with the charges against him. They could stay in the United States which doesn't recognize the court charging him, but that would mean that they could never go home again. They could attend a funeral in Britain for the previous Ghostwriter, but he would be whisked away to face trial. He would be separated from his wife and children for an unknown period of time or even face the death penalty. How much is based on his personal experiences?
The Ghost Writer can be very frustrating to watch at times. When the pace slows down enough for the viewer to process what they have seen, it becomes frighteningly plausible complete with a defense contract that benefitted from the war the Prime Minister supported. It may be named Hatherton but it doesn't take a genius to guess they really meant Haliburton. Were we sold on a war under false pretenses? It's very possible. Will we ever know the truth? It's doubtful, but it appears that we will have no shortage of films on the subject; both fictional and documentary. At least The Ghostwriter and Green Zone include entertainment with their troubled questions.
