> The Ghost Writer
3 stars (out of 5)
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, James Belushi, Eli Wallach.
Rating: (M)
Americans playing Brits and vice versa: The Ghost Writer establishes a deep sense of unease from the start.
After just five minutes, the shadow cast by Roman Polanski's greatest film, Chinatown, is quite visible. Standing in for Nicholson's Jake in this adaptation of a Robert Harris novel is Ewan McGregor.
As the unnamed ghost writer, McGregor soon finds himself embroiled in a noir-ish international conspiracy, a lot more sinister than the benign writing job he thought he had signed up for.
As with Chinatown, Polanski gradually reveals snippets of disturbing detail. The pint-size thorn in America's side is a master of set-up and execution.
Polanski's art involves exquisite set design, beautifully lit shots and room for his talented cast to move.
He strings story threads together with such grace and attention to detail that you can't afford to overlook any frame.
But the lovely thing is, he doesn't get smart with machine-gun editing and calculated use of red herrings - the clues are all there if you choose to see them.
Offered a bundle of money to complete the memoirs of British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), McGregor's cynical character hears alarm bells when he discovers details about Lang left behind by his predecessor.
There are more than a few jabs at Tony Blair's subservience to American masters, and doppelgangers for Condoleezza Rice and Robin Cook add to the intrigue. However, when it comes to a classic Polanski clincher, The Ghost Writer stumbles in the final paragraph.
Best thing: Olivia Williams' performance as Lang's wife (read Cherie Blair).
Worst thing: The weather. As Polanski had to film his fictional Martha's Vineyard in Germany and an island in the Baltic Sea, the gloom never lifts.
See it with: Any fan of conspiracy theories.
- By Mark Orton
