The Ghost Writer
There’s an air of familiarity to the story, in more ways than one. Former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) is accused of war crimes and finds himself exiled in a bunker-like estate—a cross between Bauhaus and Usonian architecture. Just prior to these allegations by MP Robert Rycart (Robert Pugh), the original ghost writer of Lang’s memoirs washes ashore near the Martha’s Vineyard retreat. Right from the low-angle, opening shot of the gaping maw of a ferry carrying the writer’s unrecovered vehicle, a sense of dread looms over us. The bleak weather is accented by echoes of Bernard Herrmann in Alexandre Desplat’s signature, pizzicato score.
Enter the new ghost writer, played superlatively by Ewan McGregor, whose last biography of a magician was titled I Came, I Sawed, I Conquered. He’s ideal for the job, he says, because, “I know nothing about politics. I’ll get right to the heart of who Adam Lang is.” His agent, Rick Ricardelli (Jon Bernthal), enthusiastically pitches him. Surely his share of a hefty, $250,000 advance had nothing to do with it. He meets with the publisher’s rep, John Maddox (James Belushi), and Lang’s attorney, Sidney Kroll (Timothy Hutton). Dubiously, given the circumstances, they ask whether or not he has any family. Lang, they argue, is on a lecture tour. The job would require significant travel.
Kroll hands the biographer a manuscript to review for his opinion, which is stolen by thieves on motorbike the instant he leaves Rinehart Publishing. The insane security protocols and secrecy around the former PM and the book, a draft of which is secured in a hidden compartment in Lang’s office, arouse the writer’s suspicions. He follows the breadcrumbs of a fragmented plot in an attempt to piece together a more interesting story than the nauseatingly-verbose draft completed by Lang, prefaced by a lineage that reads like Matthew.
The story involves intricately crafted misdirection and political intrigue in a style reminiscent of David Mamet’s Spartan. The omnipresent machinations beckon a second viewing for a deeper read. Several threads unravel before our hack detective, including one Paul Emmett (Tom Wilkinson)—a college professor and former schoolmate of Lang’s. Complicating matters is a love quadrangle of sorts, between Adam and his personal assistant Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall, failing miserably at a Brit accent), the practically-estranged Ruth Lang (Olivia Williams) and the ghost. “I thought you’d be asleep,” says the writer the morning after. Ruth translates, “You mean you thought I’d be gone.”
Pierce Brosnan’s Lang is merely the MacGuffin, telegraphed by his intentional blandness. More fascinating are Tom Wilkinson’s and Olivia Williams’ performances. Mr. Wilkinson adds a staccato flavor to this iteration of his dry, professorial bent. Supremely analytical, he openly acknowledges academic hubris as the curious writer peruses the photographs in his office, “Ah, yes. The wall of ego. We all have one. It’s our equivalent of the dentist’s fishtank.”
Ms. Williams’ angular physiognomy adds to Ruth’s pointed bitterness toward her philandering husband. She’s always watching the news to identify the latest developments and recommend strategies and tactics for handling the unfolding scandal over the torture of interrogation subjects which Mr. Lang allegedly authorized. Sound familiar? It leads us to the film’s only weakness. If the parallels to the Bush administration weren’t already painfully obvious just as in the action/sc-fi District B13: Ultimatum, keep a close eye on the oddly familiar-sounding name of a government contractor. We get it, the French don’t like President Bush. We didn’t, either.
If Adam is Tony Blair, then Ruth, with her incisive intellect and intrepid political counsel, is either Bill Clinton or Dick Cheney, depending on how you look at it. Indeed, politics makes strange bedfellows.
The Ghost Writer • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 • Running Time: 128 minutes • MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence and a drug reference. • Distributed by Summit Entertainment