The Ghost Writer

bnt

I'm surprised there isn't a thread on this already: Roman Polanski's latest, a high-powered political thriller based on a Robert Harris novel. It's been out in the USA and elsewhere for weeks, but is only due in the UK (and thus here) in April.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_AerBW0EcI

There's a lot more background info on Jim Emerson's journal, though I stopped at the spoiler warning 2/3 of the way down, so I don't know how it ends. It stars Ewan McGregor as a "ghost writer" for a former UK Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan), which sounds simple enough, but it gets nasty. Kim Cattrall is getting some rave reviews as the PM's "aide".

Sleazus

Will give it go. Loved the book, even the ending, which did strike me as more than a little bit of a

leftist fantasy

. Still, good fun though and the movie might be worth a look.

johnny_ultimate

Bumping this, as it's just out on DVD now (under the title of The Ghost, despite the film credits themselves stating otherwise). Absolutely terrific thriller. Wouldn't always be a big fan of political thrillers, but this has enough unique elements and rock solid direction to make it something far better. While the accents are a bit off (Kim Catrall particularly), there are some absolutely stunning performances from the reliable likes of Olivia Williams,

and in a small but important cameo Tom Wilkinson

. The story moves along nicely, and couldn't help but think of it as particularly resonant considering Tony Blair's current situation. It's fantasy, but compelling fantasy. Roman Polanski has definitely injected this film with a lot of life, from the constantly excellent framing, to

the tense chase on the ferry

, through the constant use of small but interesting mysteries (some not always answered, to his credit) that keep you hooked.

This seemed to pretty much disappear out of the cinema, so would definitely recommend checking this out!

nosco

Really really disliked this movie. Thought it was awful to be honest. McGregors acting in particular was incredibly bad. The whole movie just ambled along, and sometimes you're left wondering if it was made for tv. I think it would be viewed a lot differently if Polanski's name wasn't behind it. IMO this review sums it up very well - http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/theatrical-reviews/the-ghost/

rock whore

Really enjoyed the opening 20-30 minutes of this. It has a real Third Man kind of ambience to it. Unfortunately then the plot kicks in and ruins it. A nice distraction on telly for a long winter's evening.:)

Renn

Not going to say a whole lot on this but didn't think this was too shabby at all. Was going in with low enough expectations since I didn't hear a whole lot about it and the cast/director don't normally do it for me. Nice, stylish look to it, probably a lot of Hitchcock in there, I dunno.

As for McGregor, nah, he was good I thought. If anyone deserves criticism it's Brosnan who just cannot change gears. Ever.