365+ movies in 365 days: Day 6 - The Ghost Writer

Today I went out to the movies. I wanted to catch Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" before it disappeared from theatres. The film is based on the Robert Harris best selling novel "The Ghost" published in 2007.

The film stars Ewan McGregor as a ghost writer hired to write the memoirs of the former Prime Minister of England, played by Pierce Brosnan. McGregor is replacing a writer who died under suspicious circumstances while working on the book. Within hours of meeting him, the Prime Minister is accused of war crimes during his tenure in office. As the scandal unfolds the writer starts discovering clues that seem to hint at a bigger secret. As he begins to unravel the mystery he begins to suspect his life is in danger.

I went into this film already knowing the ending, because I read the book. That being said, I really enjoyed the film, and if you have not read the book, you'll probably enjoy it even more.

Roman Polanski directs and excellent thriller. He captures the mood and desolation of a New England resort community in winter. The atmosphere is oppressive and gloomy. Since Polanski can not set foot in the U.S. a coastal town on the North Sea substitutes for Massachusetts. Polanksi used the weather, the empty beach and the design of a starkly modern beach house to build tension and suspense throughout the film.

Ewn McGregor is at the center of the film and his excellent as a man who is drawn into things almost against his will and better instincts. Pierce Brosnan plays the ex-Prime Minister with just the right amount of hubris and anger.

The rest of the cast is excellent especially Olivia Williams as the prime Minister's wife and Tom Wilkonson in a small but crucial role. There is also an unexpected cameo by Eli Wallach.

The film opened to limited release on February 19th and then went into wide release on March 19th. It never played in more than 900 theatres and with a box office gross of $14 million against a budget of $45 million it would be considered a failure. Roman Polanski was in the news for his arrested in Switzerland at the time of it's release. That may have hampered its box office performance. But it will make money overseas and when it comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars. See this movie if you can. A first rate suspense picture and political thriller.

The movie was viewed at the Regal Cinemas (formerly UA) Stonestown in San Francisco.