The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer (2010) starts with a ghostwriter being hired. Adam Lang, a former British prime minister, is having his memoirs written; the first ghostwriter has been found dead and another takes over. The new man travels to a house on a remote American island and begins reading the draft his predecessor left. The source is Robert Harris's 2007 novel The Ghost. Lang is an open reference to Tony Blair, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the war on terror and the special relationship with the United States sit at the centre. Harris has said his anger at Blair's policies partly drove the book. The production was interrupted by the director's legal situation. Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in September 2009 on his way to the Zurich Film Festival. He finished the edit from house arrest at his Swiss home and could not attend the Berlin premiere in February 2010. Because he could not enter Britain or the United States, the film was shot entirely in Germany and nearby. The Martha's Vineyard scenes were filmed on the North Sea island of Sylt, and both the interiors and exteriors of London were done in Berlin. Ewan McGregor plays the writer, Pierce Brosnan plays Lang and Olivia Williams his wife. Polanski won Best Director at both the Berlin Film Festival and the 2010 European Film Awards. It cost 45 million dollars and made 60.3 million. It runs 128 minutes. Good for: political thrillers, crime built on atmosphere, and McGregor and Brosnan. Less good for: the pace is slow and there is no action. The final shot is clever but does not quite match the tension of everything before it. For many viewers the director's own history cannot be set aside.