The Ghost

Few mainstream films released this year are likely to come surrounded by the sort of controversy that is already attached to The Ghost. The latest offering from director Roman Polanski, who remains under house arrest in Switzerland while awaiting possible extradition to the US, it’s an adaptation of Robert Harris’ best-selling 2006 novel of the same name. A former British prime minister, his wife and staff are holed up in a luxurious beachside mansion on an unnamed island off the east coast of America. The writer of the statesman’s memoirs dies under mysterious circumstances – seemingly falling drunk from the deck of a ferry. An eager young ghostwriter – more used to penning the autobiographies of TV celebrities – is the surprising choice of replacement, and is duly flown out to take up residence on the island. At the same time, an investigation into the former PM is launched to decide whether he is guilty of international war crimes; namely, green-lighting the illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and passing them over to the CIA for torture and interrogation.

Sound familiar? With Tony Blair recently questioned by the Chilcot enquiry into events that led up to the allied invasion of Iraq, and questions remaining over the rendition of terror suspects, The Ghost couldn’t be more timely. There are certain, obvious parallels, but The Ghost remains a work of fiction, which although taking the possible illegal invasion of a Middle Eastern country as a starting point, has used it to construct an elaborate and multi-layered conspiracy theory thriller.

Pierce Brosnan plays former PM Adam Lang, with Olivia Williams as his wife and Ewan McGregor as the writer (simply referred to as ‘the ghost’). McGregor, for once, is well cast as the cocky chancer who finds himself out of his depth, unused to being in such close proximity to real power and unprepared when the war crime investigation escalates – stoked by a former cabinet minister and friend of Lang’s. However, if ‘the ghost’ was chosen because of his ability to gloss over the finer details, it’s a tactic that misfires as the hapless writer finds himself drawn inadvertently towards uncovering the truth. Why was Lang so compliant with the CIA and what happened to the previous ghostwriter?

While the subject matter may be current, Polanski’s latest is decidedly Hitchcockian in execution. It boasts some modern plot devices, such as when McGregor traces the last steps of his predecessor courtesy of his car’s sat nav, and the windswept island setting lends a bleak and brittle tone to the unfolding drama. The three leads give effective performances – as does Kim Cattrall, flexing her muscles in a refreshingly dramatic but understated role as the PM’s secretary. The end result, built upon old-fashioned intrigue and charm, is a thought-provoking, contemporary political thriller.

Last edited: 10th April 2010

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