Film Reviews

The Ghost

• Rating:
• Director: Roman Polanski
• Starring: Ewan McGregor
• Details: France/Germany/UK / 128mins (15A).

Edited while under house arrest in Switzerland, The Ghost is a somewhat 'return to form' for Polanski after the misfire of Oliver Twist. A thriller steeped in noir, The Ghost delights in its twists and turns and finds humour in the story despite the overwrought tone. The film, however, is slight and won't stay long in the memory.
Although he confesses to knowing little about politics, writer McGregor is convinced by his agent to finish ghost writing the memoirs of former British PM Adam Lang (Brosnan) when the original ghost drowned. "Lang wasn't just a politician, he was a Christ" but has fallen on hard times, as reports that terrorists were tortured during his tenure and that he was just a US puppet won't go away. With hopes of getting to the heart of the man, McGregor moves to Lang's beach house and sets about his job. But when his research suggests that his predecessor uncovered more than he should have and his death might not have been an accident, McGregor finds himself slap-bang in the middle of a conspiracy.
Based on the book by Robert Harris (Enigma, Fatherland), who also pens the screenplay, The Ghost (differing from the US title The Ghost Writer) is a nifty little thriller at times and keeps the audience guessing, as Polanski delights in throwing up red herrings. Noir elements might be in place but the director plays around with them. Who is the femme fatale? All signs point to Cattrall, playing Lang's assistant and (only hinted at) mistress: we first see her at the top of the stairs (a favourite noir introduction), her pencil skirt is a nod to the '40s, her swagger, her hand on her hip, how she holds a cigarette all suggest it's her, but Polanski skews the audience's expectations and allows the film to play out under a cloud of uncertainty: if we got that wrong, what else have we assumed incorrectly?
There are a few unbelievable and convenient developments, though. McGregor moves into the same room as his predecessor and finds some valuable documents tapped to the bottom of a drawer - surely Lang's people/CIA would have swept the room and found them? McGregor is a likeable lead but his character is too passive, too ordinary a person - when he figures out all is not what it seems it's too much of a jump to believe that this quiet and reserved person would suddenly get active. Brosnan's Lang is charming and The Ghost loses something when he's not on screen. The only one who really stands out is Olivia Williams' Ruth, Lang's wife; her bolshy attitude and steely turn is the film's highlight. Tom Wilkinson's government spook is another but he's underused.
These misgivings would have been easily ignored if Polanski had a finish clever enough to match what went before but the director bungles the big reveal.

Review by Gavin Burke