The Ghost

Acclaimed director Roman Polanski, with a plethora of great films under his belt (maybe the wrong term to be using...), including an Oscar for Best Director, has become a renowned figure around the globe.

Sadly (as you probably already know), this is not for his artistic talents, which he has plenty of, but more for his ‘personal life’ (or, rather, ‘public life’), something scarred in shame and illicitness. Ironically, it is this that has caused him to gain such mass cult-status, often casting his films secondary.

Nevertheless, his personal issues aside, The Ghost is Polanski’s first feature film since his re-arrest and it is a welcome return to form, in a ‘true’ filmic sense, especially after his previous lacklustre rendition of Oliver Twist. The story, based on Robert Harris’ bestseller, is fairly simplistic and straightforward enough, almost lightweight, in fact, due to its sparseness in content and subject matter. Ewan McGregor (his character, significantly, is never named) plays the role of a ghost-writer (or ghost-‘editor’) who gets given the lucrative job of working on and re-editing the incomplete memoirs of former British prime-minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan).

Lang’s original ghost-writer, who wrote the draft, is discovered dead in mysterious circumstances, which causes McGregor to suspect all is not what it seems, especially as he begins to unravel clues which point to the unsettling secrecy surrounding the ex-prime-minster and his ‘draft’ manuscript. Whilst this may sound fairly basic and thin, and it is, intentionally, it’s Polanski’s brilliant directing and dictation that rejuvenates and heightens the narrative, making it much more compelling and rewarding. Subtle and expertly handled, the film builds gradually, a deliberate pacing of events, and at no time are you ever allowed to rest from the tension and edginess of all that is happening. Practically ominous from start-to-finish, with a sinister feel to almost every scene, it brings back memories of another great auteur - Alfred Hitchcock. Think Frenzy.

Bosnan’s masterful portrayal of Lang, as taken from Harris’ novel, is quite clearly stencilled on a certain Tony Blair, be it that he is slightly creepier and more two-faced (who’s to say Blair isn’t like that?). Whatever political notions the film may contain, though, are handled deftly, even though the message it tells is prominent, and it is this that allows the film to develop its claustrophobic and anxiety-ridden narrative-structure. A particular highlight worth mentioning is Olivia Williams’ performance as the ex-prime-minister’s spouse, left wounded and frustrated by her husband’s continual erratic behaviour and the allegations he may be a war criminal, which the press have got hold of. Also, keep an eye out for a reserved Kim Cattrall, of Sex & The City fame.

What will be interesting is to see what kind of audience the film attracts, as it’s difficult to depict those brought up on popcorn-fodder flocking in their droves. But then, with the notoriety surrounding Polanski, marketing and promotional campaigns are hardly a necessity.

The Ghost, to sum up, is an old-fashion, traditional conspiracy-thriller, nothing more, nothing less, all enwrapped in the unique style of a Polanski feature. And for this very reason it stands out amongst its competitors. Polanski, amid all his problems, is one of the last genuine auteurs left, and that alone makes this film a worthwhile see.



Released in UK cinemas on 16th April 2010 by Optimum Releasing.

Reviewed by Jaysen Ramasamy.